To The Rescue!

To the Rescue is a game that appears to be designed for people who go to an animal shelter and cry because they can’t take every animal home with them. Thankfully, this game exists and it allows players the chance to create their own animal rescue shelter that they have complete control over. Its up to you to save every stray dog in the world apparently but it’s okay because that’s quietly what we want to do all the time anyway, right? Upgrade your shelter, control disease outbreaks and learn about all of your dogs. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, then keep reading as I go into more detail.

Gameplay

So, this game has a design like many titles in the management genre. If it was Timberborn, Cities: Skylines or anything else, it’s a game that requires you to focus on managing your establishment. You must take things like money, resources and space into consideration as you attempt to grow your business from a simple organization to a multiroom facility that caters to tens of dogs.

In this game, every dog is unique and randomly generated with its own traits and preferences to make sure they all appear distinctive and memorable. Its up to you to learn what these puppers like and how to best boost their happiness. This is all tied up with your objective of keeping the shelter open. Sometimes this game requires you to make a hard choice every now and again. You need to balance the budget and measure it against your upgrades. Can you sustainably keep the operation going while growing at a satisfying rate? The only way you can find out is if you give it a go.

I was blown away by how this game makes you feel. You are consistently pleased with yourself for looking after the doggos and finding them new homes, but you also have to weigh the options available to you. Sometimes what you might have to do or sacrifice can make you feel pretty bad. That’s a kind of engagement that is very hard to get from many other games, even those in the same genre.

Visuals

The aesthetics to this title is adorable! I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the screen at any given moment. Everything is presented in a stunningly bright and colorful layout. The User Interface is so easy to follow and makes the gaming experience so much easier.

The character sprites are fantastic but the dogs are really where this game shines. Each canine companion is absolutely adorable and available for petting. Yes, that does take up a large part of your time.

Serious Side

There is a more serious side to this industry and I wont mention what it is by name but I’m sure you can understand what I’m talking about. This game does include helping some of the more unwell animals to a better place. It is not presented as an “easy out” but instead a respectful and realistic aspect of the job. That said, players are able to change the settings and opt out of that feature should they wish.

Pros

• Excellent visuals
• Fantastically designed game
• Handles serious topics with respect

Cons

• None