Winter Burrow Review – The Little Mouse That Could

Within the confines of our comfortable modern lives, it is easy to forget how harsh nature can be. Our ancestors, not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, fought tooth and nail to survive each winter. Aggressive predators that would not give in easy to be our next meal, while trying to make the most out of a campfire was a daily struggle. Most importantly, finding a place to settle down and call home was our defining trait and what made us who we are today. Survival videogames portray this in various ways and forms, but ultimately with the core idea that defines every living being: the will to survive. As cozy as it looks from the outside, Winter Burrow embodies this concept beautifully.

After an unexpectedly sorrowful prologue in which a young mouse returns to their long forgotten home from trying to make a living in the city that did not pay off, the main idea of Winter Burrow is clear-cut: repair your home to its previous welcoming state, and survive in the process. Although there is an emotional narrative to progress that involves interacting with your caring aunt and several other species, rebuilding your den into a habitable state is imperative.

What is the first thing to do when arriving to a cabin in the woods during a snowstorm? Make a fire, of course. Once the burrow can sustain a fire to keep you warm, the next step is to craft a bed to spend the night. Focused on a primarily survival-based approach to gameplay, Winter Burrow takes no time to make you scavenge, cook, craft, cultivate and light up a fire, in no particular order. Going out in the deepest of snow covered meadows, before being able to wield an axe, pickaxe, shovel and so on, gathering the ingredients is needed. Just like a person would, you realize this intrepid mouse will not last long in this inhospitable environment without the right clothes and food.

With four bars to be aware of at all times in order to not faint, them being the life, heat, hunger and stamina bars, it is not particularly a breeze to get things going. Going out into brief incursions to eventually find the items to knit warmer clothes, more useful tools and so on is how it goes in the very beginning. Slowly creating a lifeless stump into a home brimming with life hits especially hard, considering how difficult of a life our protagonist has had thus far. Seeing the edges of the screen fill up with snowflakes as the mouse gets frostbite and ekes out unpleasant noises is particularly distressing.

This is where the by now age-old debate of what constitutes a cozy game comes into play. I fervently do believe that Winter Burrow is a cozy game, with soothing piano music as soon as you are eased into the menu. The art style itself, which I suspect is what draws in most curious players in, is decidedly approachable, with the outfits the mouse wears being cute and fashionable all the same. The crafting is not frictionless but running back and forth from your habitat in such a winter wonderland evokes peace and quiet. But then there’s the other side of the coin.

There are spiders, and big ones at that. Huge bugs in general, all of which you can engage in combat with, with the music suddenly becoming upbeat to synchronize to the thrill of battle. This is a survival game, yes, but juxtaposed with how warm everything else is, I personally wish at least that there was a No Combat or Arachnophobia mode. Given the fact that there are actually no options to speak of, even to turn down the difficulty, I wish it leaned more into the wholesome aspect of its narrative aspirations. Conflict is inevitable, much more so when facing nature itself, but the homey atmosphere of Winter Burrow begs to be explored in a less stressful state as well.

Verdict

Like opening a classic fairytale book on a cold winter night, there are morals to this story that go beyond a straightforward survival game. Making it through the night is part of it, but not the most important thing. Looking out for each other, reinforcing connections, and making sure no one gets left behind are among the thoughtful lessons this game reminds us of. Winter Burrow is not only a kind tale of a mouse who could, but a reflection of our tenacity to keep going even when the night is darkest.

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