14 DAY TRIAL // 
Building games around social causes to highlight issues our entire society or world is facing is just as much a noble pursuit, as a gamble. Often due to the fervor to highlight a problem or a situation, developers forget about the fact a video game should be memorable and interactive experience, not just a platform for a manifesto. Endling - Extinction is Forever is an ambitious project trying to raise awareness about the consequences of the human race mistreating the environment.
The entire experience is told from the perspective of a fox, that needs to survive and protect her cubs in a post-apocalyptic not so far future. It is a place that was devastated by the human neglect for environment, industrialization causing massive damage to the natural habitat. The negative consequences can be seen not just in the flora and the fauna, even humans seem to have been turned into zombie like creatures, scarry and crazed out of their minds.
In the middle of all the rubble and junk, our fox family seems to represent hope. Despite all the hardship our foxy hero manages somehow to survive, one night after the other, until one of her cubs is captured by a poacher. This adds another twist to the already hard life of our red furred friend, who know has to make sure her other cubs survive while also trying to track down the missing one.
Gameplay-wise Endling - Extinction is Forever combines the need to explore with the need to ensure the survival of your cubs. While exploring with small illusions, the game follows the structure of a 2D labyrinth. The camera angles chosen by the developers is brilliant and does not make you feel limited to a bidimensional space, rather you will feel the interaction with the surrounding as a natural process.
The exploring process will help your cubs learn new skills that you will need to use in order to unlock new areas of the world map. In the meantime, you will have to make sure that your cubs are fed. You can either hunt for fish and mice, or you can go around digging through the trash left behind by humans. When the hunger hits, you cannot be picky.
And to make things harder the surrounding environment changes, there are dynamic seasons and there are also some random events that can be turn upside down even the best laid plans. For example, one danger that will keep you constantly on your toes is the presence of the birds of prey. Due to these variables, there is no guarantee that you will finish the game with all your cubs alive. Or even just one.
Your fox and her cubs are also vulnerable to the toxic effects of the environment, and they also have to look out for the time of the day. They can venture out exploring and foraging only during nighttime, each time you leave the safety of the den marking the start of a countdown. Each time you manage to get back to the cozy den you mark the end of a night and the game saves automatically your progress.
The game itself is not very long and after you know what you are doing it can be finished in a couple of hours. Your first run will take much longer tough since you need to learn the lay of the land, the locations where your cubs learn the so much needed new abilities and navigate the random hazards. Also, since there is so much that can go wrong Endling - Extinction is Forever has a high replay value, the end goal being obtaining the best ending, where everyone survives.
Beyond the jump and run, stealth and the unlocking of new skills, this game is very much a survival experience. Exploring the different areas, avoiding the dangers on the way and balancing the risk of venturing further and further from the den driven by the need to feed your cubs is quite a tall order.
The visual style is just as endearing as the story, and it fits perfectly the atmosphere of the game. The sounds and music complete the experience, making it impossible not to care about the fox and her cubs. The only negative aspect I feel I need to mention is that in some areas the control scheme is unnecessarily complicated, being in a sharp contrast with the rest of the game.
The Good
- Great atmosphere
- Gorgeous visuals
- High emotional impact
The Bad
- Lack of a detailed tutorial
- Control can become finicky
- Unforgiving story progression
Conclusion
It is the perfect example of games that challenge your intellect while leaving a lasting impression due to the emotional load they carry. It has both heartwarming and extremely sad moments, the atmosphere of the game accompanying you for some time after you have seen the end credits.
Review code provided by the publisher.
