Winter Burrow

There is an intense debate about the balance of challenge and fun, with the discussion being that games need to be challenging to appreciate the core gameplay loop, and thus … be fun. So, putting the words “cosy” and “survival” together might sound a bit odd to the ears, kinda like putting “cosy” and “Bloodborne” together. Honestly, I enjoy a cosy game about fundamental survivalism in a harsh landscape, while struggling with the concept of life and death, and the fragile line between the two.

And having a cute mouse protagonist and other wonderful woodland critters to fill the supporting cast does help indeed!


What is Winter Burrow?

Winter Burrow brings about woodland survival, with cosy vibes, a beautiful art style, and heartfelt themes on loss and the acceptance of change. We play as a sweet little mouse returning to their childhood burrow, and home after the death of their parents in the big city.

The woodland is blanketed in snow, the air turns your lungs into ice if you stay out too long, and much of life has either moved on or passed on to the other side. It’s up to you to scavenge, explore, and gather resources to craft vital winter gear, bake pies, and produce the finest tea known to mouse kind. Along the way, you’ll meet a few of the residents, all dealing with the hardships of the land and personal grievances, while partaking in the journey of reclaiming and rebuilding your old family home in honour of your folks and family legacy.

It's a touching, wholesome tale which presents a simple yet refined and highly engaging gameplay loop that captured my heart. And most importantly, kept me gathering resources and baking pies longer than I imagined it would!


Small mouse, big world

Winter Burrow is a simple tale, yet one which becomes ever more appropriate and relatable to the ageing folks like me, and many others. As a mouse returning home after losing both parents, who heartbreakingly worked themselves to death to provide and support you and your sibling, there is a great sense of urgency to reclaim your former home. Be it for the legacy of the family, for your parents, or to reclaim an era of a more promising time.

Again, I think we can relate to this theme of reclaiming the past, our youth, and the “better days” of our lives.

The cast might be small (no mouse pun intended), yet they are quite memorable, from Bufo, the bullish toad who crafts scavenging gear, to Gnawtusk the squirrel who loves to cook, recite poems, yet has a memory that is fading, and your caring, compassionate, and fearless aunt who helps in reclaiming the family name in the wild woodland. I grew to adore all these characters, and the tightly woven cast makes them easier to connect with and develop, without too many side stories or padding. Each one represents a form of grief, enhancing the theme of the passage of time and its effect on us. I did truly love these characters, and that’s a good thing, since the main story is not all that epic or exciting in nature.

There are some dramatic beats, including the arrival of an owl, but otherwise, the plot is not so concerned with high stakes or tension for the most part. Being that the reclaiming and rebuilding of your former home is the heart of the story. And I’m quite fine with this to be honest, as I wasn’t expecting something like Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. But thought I’d mention this nonetheless for those interested.

It’s a personal tale that goes at its own pace, even if you’re enjoying the scenery, picking fruits, and making little wooden chairs, when you should be rescuing your aunt from an owl! The theme of death is quite prominent, yet also gentle, with small visual cues and sound bites that bring up a sombre sensation that reminds you in quite a brilliant way that the land is harsh, and life is fragile. There’s something profound about Winter Burrow when you look at it from a certain angle, and it certainly left its mark on me with a couple of key moments.

Winter Burrow also managed to capture my heart with its charming art style and humble music. Visually quite beautiful, and reminiscent of a childhood book, while never being overly friendly or childish in its tone. The only gripes I had from time to time were how cluttered the HUD could be, with the meters, mission goal pop-up, and other UI elements all amounting to a cluttered-looking screen. I do wish there were better UI management in the options, but for the most part, it wasn’t too much of a bad thing. Still a wonderful-looking game nonetheless.


Everything can be resolved with a blueberry pie, and a granite pickaxe

Let’s get into the “cosy survival” gameplay then, as I mentioned before, these two words together are an odd pairing. But an odd pairing can be rather a good thing.

Winter Burrow is in a different league to “Don’t Starve”, just to get this out of the way. You can certainly die from various bugs and the harsh cold if you’re not too careful. I almost died three times from being out in the cold for too long and getting a little lost. But the general vibe is quite chilled, despite there being a health, heat, and hunger meter active. All of which are somewhat forgiving to a degree, yet you still must manage with keen awareness and skill.

As the mouse, you have your home and a series of objectives to follow, from rebuilding a bridge, finding your aunt, gathering resources to rebuild your home, and venturing deeper into the wilderness. Along with the various meters, there is a day/night cycle, with the night being incredibly harsh to venture out into, and different states during the day, from clear to snowfall, and even a blizzard tearing across the screen.

The world is made up of a dozen or so segments, each containing its own resources, dangers and rewards for the keen explorer, all combining in a meaningful and gratifying progression system. You start from making simple tools and foods (fried mushrooms! Banging), but venturing further will grant you deeper resource management and loot. There are the classic staples of the survival genre here, but the developers have managed to implement that “chilled/cosy” vibe as promised.

Compared to other survival games, Winter Burrow is very approachable with a nice, straightforward sense of item management and stats, despite having lots of resource types at play. And the balance between life and death, while there, can be avoided easily if you play it smart and plan. Item and inventory management play a big part in the first few hours, as much as the cold does. But braving the elements and mapping out points of interest and a path home is both thrilling and rewarding, without being painfully difficult or gruelling.

I do wish there were a couple of quality-of-life inclusions, minor but still ideal. Like an auto-sorter function for the inventory box, as the amount of items you pick up and store does get quite immense. And while not having a map does add a nice survival aspect and challenge .... I wish there were an option to include a map, as it can be very easy to misplace and forget important markers. The game's world does a good job at giving you a sense of where to go, but the smallest, most important things can easily be forgotten about nonetheless.

The sense of discovery is wonderful, with plenty of hidden spots, looping paths, and treasures to discover, including blueprints of new gear that are plentiful and exciting to find. And while many of the quests are “go here, find something, bring it back”, the sense of progression with rebuilding your home and personal gear, allowing you to expand your search further, is paced brilliantly well, and isn’t overburdened with useless gadgets and items.

Now, the simplicity and cosy nature can mean that hardcore survivalists will find this a breeze, and I will certainly say that at times, I wished there were a bit more of an edge, or optional risk/reward factors. You do come across hostiles in the form of ants, roaches, and even spiders, but the combat is very limited and a little tedious. So, unless you want meat for a delicious spider pie, then it’s best to run away. And the nighttime aspect was a missed opportunity, since there could have been some neat optional tasks at play. I love games that include a nighttime aspect where you can risk massive dangers, but claim big rewards, like Dredge. And there could’ve been something here, too.

Once nighttime hits, you'd best make camp or be at home, since not much really happens. I could’ve easily missed something important, but the game does a wonderful job at informing you of everything you can/can’t do without being hand-holding, so it seems like nighttime is just the peak potential death period. If there was a mechanic to look at the stars and study them, leading you to points of interest, then that would’ve been very cool.

We do get some little side moments, including a rather profound side activity where you buried fallen mice who have died in the wilderness. It’s quite heartbreaking, and while it doesn’t offer resources and fame, it’s just a gentle and respectful moment of peace that I appreciated.

But there is still so much to find and craft for your home, and the home aspect is quite expansive since you can build multiple types of furniture, and unlock areas such as a basement, where you can grow mushrooms and other goodies! So, there is a fair amount of depth, and meaningful survival gameplay here, and having the nice “cosy” vibe, while still harbouring dangers, means newcomers are welcomed, and those experienced will still find something wholesome and engaging with Winter Burrow.


Overall?

I have to say it; I’m quite in love with Winter Burrow!

To think that an indie survival game could have a big impact on me, I never thought it could be the case. But being a tiny mouse, rebuilding his childhood house, while scavenging, baking, and facing the harsh cold of the world, did warm my cold, dead, cynical heart with its charming aesthetics, meaningful sense of progression and discovery, and wholesome values in its story and gameplay just won me over immensely.  

Winter Burrow is a high recommendation from me for playing during cold winter days and nights, as those cosy vibes and heartfelt moments will warm you up.

++ Wholesome, and approachable survival gameplay
+ Highly engaging and rewarding progression
+ Looks and sounds beautiful
+ Touching story elements and memorable supporting cast

- Not the most compelling narrative
- There could’ve been more “optional” dangers and rewards to find
- Might not be the most fitting for hardcore survivalists


The publisher kindly provided a review copy of Winter Burrow