In mid-July, two games dedicated to animals saw the light of day: everyone has already heard about the cat adventure in Stray, and now it’s time to share our impressions of the post-apocalyptic fox simulator Endling – Extinction is Forever.
In Endling – Extinction is Forever, you will find yourself in the role of a fox. You have to protect three fox cubs in a world destroyed by mankind. In this stealth adventure game, you must go through a lifeless space full of dangers to get to the only place on Earth where people will not harm you.
Humans have a strong impact on the environment and animal life. It’s a fact that developer Herobeat Studios is very visually living in this survival game now available on all platforms.
The plot and what the game is like
The game begins with your mother fox, perhaps the last one on the planet, taking refuge during a massive forest fire, and we learn that she is still pregnant at that moment.
Every day you will collect food to keep them alive as the seasons change and humanity goes back to work trying to take over and live in the area. This adventure focuses on climate change and the damage we humans are causing to the planet. Every day you wake up, more pieces of the story will be available and different paths of this 2.5D environment will be available to you. It all starts rather slowly, but after about an hour, I had a clearer idea of where the story was headed.
It’s an incredibly emotional game as you go deeper and the themes of corruption, pollution, and loss. This game is a mixture of sadness and hope, the lengths parents are willing to go to keep their children alive, and the destructive forces that always lurk in the shadows.
As it was said before, the offspring need to be put on their feet as soon as possible, so the fox does not stay in the den for a long time: at first, she makes forays for food alone, and after a couple of days she begins to take cubs with her – they must learn to hunt and survive. No matter how hard the mother tries, it is impossible to keep track of all the puppies, one of them is kidnapped by a poacher, and the key task of the red heroine is to search for the missing cub.
This man, the Scavenger, is your main threat. He will position himself at the roundabout and watch you with his massive sniper rifle. One shot will be enough if he notices you for more than a few seconds. He’s always keeping an eye on where you’re hiding, peering back and forth as if he knows you’re there. Sneaking past is not enough, and running will only lead to death. Sneak as far as possible quietly, then dash for cover. At least he’ll have the tact not to shoot at your cubs, who tail after you when they grow up.
The scavenger is not alone, as many other humans take shelter throughout the landscape. One, in particular, has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you and standing right in your path. However, not all people are enemies. Sometimes you can meet a friendly guitar player or a girl with a good heart…
Beautiful dying world
Endling: Extinction is Forever is a tech-savvy game built around well-built gameplay. The repetitive process of hunting for survival and exploring whenever possible seems intentional and draws the player into this world. There are no ordinary moments in this wild nature, and any moments of routine or boredom quickly end with a bear trap or an encounter with a Scavenger. Endling knows what he wants to achieve and doesn’t try to overdo it or overcomplicate it. Every choice matters to the designers and you when you’re trying to survive and feed your puppies.
Combined with muted tones and a gloomy atmosphere, this sets you up for complete immersion. Although surviving in Endling – Extinction is Forever doesn’t feel like hardcore, the game makes you worry about the fate of the mother fox and her cubs, even if they are not in danger. Whatever the story’s outcome (and here you can come up with several options for the finale), the future of animals in such a world becomes foggy.
