In the wild, the only objective is to survive. Every choice means the difference between Life and Death. The strong prey on the weak, and even a small moment of relaxation can come back to haunt you. The circle of life is brutal, but it makes the small joys and moments of compassion and kindness all the sweeter. Endling – Extinction is Forever, from developer Herobeat Studios and publisher HandyGames, does everything it can to show Nature’s fury and cruelty to ensure you take its tagline seriously: Extinction is Forever, and if you make a single wrong move, you’ll have been the last fox on Earth.
From the very moment you boot up the game, the severity of the cycle of life and death is shown. Without any save slots, the main menu’s background changes to what looks like a beating heart. However, once you press play, it zooms out to show that it’s actually four beating hearts: your fox is carrying four adorable cubs in its body, and it’s your job to keep them safe from the moment you press play. The game doesn’t pull any punches, beginning in a burning forest as the world seemingly ends around you. Leaping over burning trees, crawling under fallen rubble, and wrestling with a flaming steer is Endling’s idea of a tutorial mission. After taking a nasty fall, which introduces the game’s injury system, you crawl your fox to the closest hole in the terrain to make a den. After the intensity of the opening, you’re able to destress by customizing the appearances of your adorable pups while they’re babies. Then, it’s back out into the wild.
The first few nights are simple, introducing you to the mechanics slowly by limiting your productivity: you’re taught how to forage for food and hunt wild prey, but you can only hold one meal at a time, and you must return to the den to feed your pups, ending the night. This provides the player a much less stressful way to learn the basics of the daylight timer and your pups’ food counter. Over time, your pups will grow hungry, and they must rely on you to feed them until you’ve taught them the skills to be able to feed themselves. If the meter runs out, one of your pups is marked, and you’re put on the clock to hunt some larger game before their hunger gets to them. You can find this food all around the forest, from berry bushes and eggs in birds nests to wild fish, mice, and fowl. Find food by following your nose, creep up on your prey, and you’ll successfully bring home a fresh kill.
Running out of food doesn’t doom you, it just puts more pressure onto you, which I found incredibly fair. Similarly, the night doesn’t last forever. You have a time limit until sunrise, and you’re only given one warning halfway through the night and one more just before the end. However, sunrise isn’t an instant loss. Instead, it means the awakening and arrival of Humans, most of which will attempt to hunt you or your pups. Poor time-management doesn’t punish the player, it just provides additional difficulty. Again, this shows their incredibly fair idea of game design: while the wilderness is dangerous and unforgiving, the mechanics of life are less so.
However, hunger and sunlight aren’t going to try to hunt you or your young. Threats abound in the forest expanse, from hungry owls to indignant badgers. The most dangerous game, however, is Man. Humans are active throughout the forest, rebuilding after what seems like the end of the world. Nearly everyone wears a gas mask and carries an axe, which they won’t hesitate to use against you if they catch you. Mash quickly enough, and you’ll temporarily stun your assailant, giving you time to limp away. Get attacked while injured, or fail the quick-time event, and you’ll go limp within moments. Endling doesn’t hold back or offer any delicacy, and offers no flowery language or faint hope.
Nature is cruel.
But perhaps humanity is crueler. After a few nights of hunting, a man in a gas mask lures one of your cubs out of the den. After awaking with a start to chase after the missing cub, you’re given a simple, ominous, and devastating message. “Scents don’t last forever.” If you don’t find them, they’re gone for good. …I’ll leave it to you to find out if you get your cub back.
This man, “The Scavenger,” is your ultimate threat. He’ll position himself at a roundabout and keep an eye out with his massive sniper rifle. If he catches sight of you for more than a few seconds, all it takes is one shot. He always keeps watch around where you’re hiding, peeking back and forth as if he knew you were there. Creeping past isn’t enough, and running wildly will only get you killed. Sneak as far as you can quietly, then dash the rest of the way to shelter. He at least has the tact not to shoot your pups as they tail behind you once grown up.
The Scavenger isn’t alone, as many other humans take refuge throughout the landscape. One in particular has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you and standing directly in your path. However, not everyone is an enemy. Occasionally, you might find a friendly guitarist or a young girl with a kind heart. Perhaps, one day, all of the humans can show you this kindness. Today, however, is not that day.
Once your pups are old enough to join you, you’ll be able to feed them as you explore, meaning you’ll only have to backtrack to a den to end the night. You’ll also be able to find different opportunities to teach your pups survival skills, passing down your knowledge to the next generation. These abilities also mean you can use different parts of the terrain to access food that was out of reach beforehand. Occasionally, you and your pups will find yourselves in dangerous situations, and you’ll need to take a break afterwards to console them and assuage their fear. This can also be done when you’re out of danger, meaning a button to play with the babies is always available if you ever feel too stressed.
Endling is an absolute joy to play, and the tight mechanics are reinforced with expert music and visual design. The sounds of the landscape carry you with them, naturally winding between the different areas you can explore. The music is beautiful, haunting, and at times terrifying. I especially found myself both dreading and looking forward to my next encounter with a human due to their ominous music. The world around you is also fantastically designed. Each area of the map feels intentionally designed and meticulously laid out, from the main path to the nature that blocks your path and obscures your view. The world is beautiful, and the raw power and beauty of the fire from the beginning of the game makes it one of the most memorable tutorials I’ve ever played.
Endling: Extinction is Forever is a technically-savvy game designed around a well constructed loop of gameplay. The repetition of hunting for survival and exploring whenever you can feels intentional, and draws players into the world. In this wild wilderness, there is no mundane moment, and any moments of routine or boredom are brought to a swift end via bear trap or an encounter with The Scavenger. Endling knows what it set out to accomplish, and doesn’t try to overshoot or overcomplicate. Every choice mattered for the designers, just like it does for you while trying to survive and feed your pups.
I give Endling: Extinction is Forever a 9/10 for its exceptional style, wonderfully refined gameplay loop, beautiful music, vivid visuals, and unparalleled ambience. I highly recommend purchasing it or checking it out via the free demo available on most platforms.
Check Out the Endling: Extinction is Forever Trailer:
For more information, visit: https://herobeatstudios.com/
Related: Reviews by Aaron Grossmann
Gaming is a passion that I, like many other people, hold near and dear to my heart. As an aspiring Game Writer and general Storyteller, I enjoy looking into the vast worlds and deep stories of every game I can. Then again, sometimes bad guys just need a good pummeling, and I am more than happy to provide!
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