Developed by Herobeat Studios and published by HandyGames, Endling – Extinction is Forever is a survival game where you must survive as a mother fox and nurture your little cubs in a world ravaged by humanity. The game hits all of the right places because it gets you emotional to the level that you would start hating humans and how humanity is destroying this planet. The whole environment portrayed in Endling – Extinction is Forever is a testament to what we will end up with if we do not stop destroying all of the forests around us. This is our review of the PS4 version of Endling – Extinction is Forever in which we raise our cubs and hunt some rabbits.
In Endling – Extinction is Forever, you are the last female fox on the planet earth and with the planet being destroyed all around you, you are trying your best to survive yourself. The game begins with you running through a burning forest to save your life. Everything is burning around you and the game instantly puts you in control of the fox with no cutscene whatsoever which took me by surprise as well. Most of the actions are detailed to you at the start of the game at various locations and you eventually learn that the controls are not that hard to remember. The gameplay of the game is really simple with few controls that are vital for playing and some that just act as support controls.
At the end of the first scenario, you arrive at a makeshift hideout all limping and injured and you find out that you are pregnant as well. You give birth to four cute little cubs and I was really happy to see that the game allowed you to have a small bit of customization for the cubs as well. After choosing the colors of each of the four cubs, I was all set up with the main mother fox all rested and the new babies resting in the hideout as well. Your ultimate goal in Endling – Extinction is Forever is to survive and the birth of your four little cubs, it means that you now have to nurture and look after them as well. This is where your motherly instincts come into play. When one of your cubs is stolen by a tracker, your life becomes entangled in caring for the remaining three cubs and while searching for the one lost cub as well.
You instantly notice that colors play a vital role in Endling – Extinction is Forever. While the colors are not that vivid in the game, certain colors stand out more than others and it is with the help of these colors, that you move around and perform various tasks. Each night, you must leave your hideout in order to look for food to feed your cubs and also look for clues for the one lost cub. While you are out scavenging, green scents lead you to food while purple scents lead you to clues regarding your lost cub. The map of the game is not too big but considering the fact that you are a fox leading three cubs, the map feels pretty big and especially because you have to be back to your hideout before the night is over.
Hunting for food is really fun as you track the green scents of various animals including frogs, chicken, fish, and sometimes if you are lucky, hare as well. You track and then sneak up close to your prey before pouncing on them and then you must bring the food back to your napping babies. If your cubs are big enough, they follow you throughout the night as well while you hunt and look for clues. You must protect yourself and your cubs during these nights because dangers are lurking around every corner and as the story progresses, you get to see more and more human activity in and around the forest as they destroy your habitat and slowly take over it, forcing you to look at other places for food and risking you and your cubs’ lives. During various scenarios, you will also get the opportunity to teach various skills to your cubs, and then later, your cubs can use their skills to help you out in various scenarios as well. The growth and progression of your cubs are visible as you progress the story of the game.
While not all humans will kill you, some will just push you away and in doing so, you sometimes become injured, and then you must rest before you are fully active again. Since the food becomes scarce over a period of time, there will be times when you will need to eat from garbage as well. The game puts great detail into everything and sometimes if you keep digging in the garbage, a plastic bag may become stuck on your head and if you do not complete the quick-time event quickly, you will suffocate and die leaving your cubs all alone in the world. While the cubs may die from various sources, the game really ends when the mother fox dies but since this is not a roguelike, your game is not over with death. True, all progress in your current night will be lost but at least you do not have to start the entire title from the start. You also have a map that you can use to navigate around the map and as you explore more unknown areas, additional paths are marked on the map as well.
While there are not too many predators in the game, there are plenty of ways that could harm you and your cubs. For example, at night, while exploring you might come across an owl that is sleeping but if you make too much noise around it, it will attack your cubs. If you are unable to get back to your hideout in time, you might run into humans that are killing other animals and if they spot you, you will instantly die. Some of the humans at night time may shoot and kill you on sight as well. Since the night only gives you a limited time to explore, it is always a bargain to choose between various activities that are going on around you. After certain nights, you get the scent of your lost cub as well so you must look for clues while feeding your remaining cubs while making sure that you do not run into any of the traps or any other dangers.
The art design of Endling – Extinction is Forever is just beautiful and the game is played in 2.5D. Most of the movements are left and right but sometimes you will go off the beaten path and jump down paths or jump up paths to explore the .5th dimension of the title. You can also climb trees to look for food and dig under structures to forge new paths. Exploration is often rewarding in the game but you never know what dangers might be luring there as well so it’s most of the time a bargain that you have to make. You will explore toxic dump sites, broken bridges, decapitating factories, green forests, snowy paths, and plenty of other areas throughout your journey. It just shows how destructive we really are with our industrialization and how the planet is suffering from all of the deforestation and cutting of trees.
Endling – Extinction is Forever might feel a little grindy when you first start playing it and you really have to push yourself to complete the initial nights because it appears like nothing much is happening in the game but after some progress, the story picks up and you are hooked to the screen. The game is not too long and even with all of the blunders that I made while playing the game, I was able to complete a playthrough in around 4 hours. After completing the first playthrough, the game certainly demands more runs since there are trophies that you might miss in the first run and if you failed at saving all of your cubs, you really would want to play the game again because no one is a monster that would just stop playing the game without saving all of the cubs. The initial cub customizable really make a personal connection even if it is a small feature. It is certainly an amazing experience.
Final Verdict:
Endling – Extinction is Forever is a beautiful game to play and an eye-opener for us as well. It shows us what we humans are doing to everything else on this beautiful planet and especially to the wildlife. Right from the start of the game to the end, it is an emotional ride and one that can teach us a lot if we really understand its meaning. I love the fact that Endling – Extinction is Forever is challenging enough that it keeps you on your toes but not too harsh that it would just end your game if you make a mistake. The art style of the game, the gameplay, and the accompanying soundtrack are just brilliant and everything combines to deliver an experience like no other. If you want a short yet impactful experience while trying your best not to get too emotional, I will highly suggest that you play Endling – Extinction is Forever. It certainly caters to both hardcore and casual gamers with its brilliant gameplay design and overall formula.
Final Score: 8.5/10
