Dragon Shelter Review – Magical Kitchen Service

Magic is a powerful force that can sometimes bring about miracles. However, it isn’t always a flashy spell or a large magic tome. Sometimes it’s slowly rebuilding a location with nothing but everyday efforts. Dragon Shelter, a farming simulation game, uses that premise but adds dragons to the mix. Developed by Wild Forest Studio and published by Curve Games, you rebuild a town with the help of dragons by operating an efficient kitchen service.

You are a young adult who fondly remembers the time they visited their grandfather’s town. Back then, it was a thriving location but years of neglect have worn down the area. When you arrive to start your new life, there’s barely anyone in the town and infrastructure is ruined. You set out to make a difference when you encounter a dragon. Having only heard of them in tales before, the dragon becomes the impetus to help the town fully recover.

It’s the typical cozy game plot we’ve seen many times before. The main difference is that the town is helpless without you. I almost felt like I was walking into a ghost town, with its overgrown nature, buildings in ruins and the fact that no one around seems to care. Without your efforts, the town would be hopeless. That’s why rebuilding it is important, because if you don’t do it, nothing changes. And it’s not a mission you can complete in one day.

At first, Dragon Shelter looks like your typical cozy farming experience. You revitalize a local farm, connect with the locals, and bring everyone to prosperity. The main difference is that the town grows with your progress and your success is tied to the dragons on hand. Your main source of revenue is delivering food orders to the townspeople. This also raises the affection of the townspeople, opening up more products, services, or upgrades.

Something I appreciated is that the game does make a few things quite convenient for you. Farming tools have no durability or need for refills, letting you focus on harvesting resources. Different fertilizers, while expensive, allow you to grow crops outside of regular seasons. Food orders only expire during the change of season, giving you a few days to gather ingredients. These changes make the game feel more cozy in nature and allow you to take your time.

However, there are some areas of the game that are still inconvenient. You can’t rotate your camera to check if placements are done properly. Item tooltips aren’t automatically displayed and you must activate them each time. Furniture is also difficult to move if you don’t dismantle it first, if that’s even possible. I felt a lot of frustration trying to learn what was blocking objects or making sure I didn’t place something in the wrong area.

While it is important to develop your farm, you won’t make much money or progress selling crops. You must focus on building a kitchen and having your dragons work there. While you can work in the kitchen yourself, it’s more efficient to let dragons act as your workers. Dragons don’t take money but they must eat, be entertained, and receive proper care. You start with one dragon early on but as you progress, more dragons can be recruited to work for you.

Having dragons help you out is adorable, but it’s also a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a great way to demonstrate the gameplay mechanics working for you; I enjoyed seeing cute dragons move around and cook dishes as if they wanted to help. Their reward was food, headpats, and simple entertainment options. It was almost like raising pets that thanked you for your effort by helping out.

However I felt bad by having the dragons reduced to kitchen workers. They automate chores and help you create dishes while you can do something else. If you try to help out in the kitchen, the dragons don’t “recognize” your help and become backlogged. What ends up happening is that you have to leave the dragons alone since trying to help only creates more problems and wastage. Your dragons slowly become menial workers instead of friendly companions.

Eventually Dragon Shelter felt like a mini-restaurant simulator. You supply ingredients through your farm, your dragons turn ingredients into dishes, and you deliver the final products. The charm of interacting with nature and revitalizing the town takes a backseat to an efficient operation. I thought this was a shame because it felt like that adorable charm gave way to a food delivery enterprise.

Dragon Shelter doesn’t overstay its welcome too long and you do reap the rewards of an improved town. More items are on sale, inhabitants move back, and buildings start to look better. Your food deliveries make a difference and I appreciated the slow pace of construction. It’s not a magical shortcut that only needed dragons; this is a concentrated effort where you make a difference one step at a time.

Dragon Shelter provides a decent cozy experience where you can take your time rebuilding the town. It’s rewarding acquiring new dragons and seeing your progress give hope to the community. Progress takes time and the initial charm wears off as you develop your farm. Without overstaying its welcome, Dragon Shelter ensures you enjoy the benefits of seeing your hard work in real time.

Victor reviewed Dragon Shelter on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.