The heavy meaning of the story is hidden behind a monotonous gameplay: Endling: Extinction is Forever could be a lot better.
It has been proven very recently that the players, in fact, love to play as an animal, and we all have Stray to thank for that. This side-scrolling survivor game also features a cute animal as a playable character, but it aims to tell a story way bigger than cute-animal-runs-around. In Endling: Extinction is Forever, the players control the last mother fox on the earth as she tries to save her cubs and self from the external dangers of the planet.
While the players try to keep her and her cubs from the said dangers, they also search for the missing cub who is kidnapped by a hunter. The game tells a touching story about the relationship between humanity and the environment.
Well, in theory. In practice, however, this exploration does not go further than a surface-level exploration. Yes, humans are polluting the earth. Yes, animals are dying and becoming extinct day by day. The game points the finger at these problems and expects the players to get something deeper than what Herobeat Studios is trying to convey.
The visuals of Endling: Extinction is Forever are incredible. The art department has an obvious understanding of how the colors tell a particular story and establish a mood. The contrast between the dull, faded colors of the earth and the vibrant fur of the foxes helps to create an environment where the two themes of life and death collapse. In Endling, you are preserving life, both literally and thematically.
As mentioned, Endling: Extinction is Forever is a survival game. This means the player has to find a way to get through the day without losing sight of their vital signs. However, Endling is far simpler than your average survival game. There is no vital sign but hunger, and the cubs that the player is supposed to look after can sometimes go unsupervised. Despite the harsh conditions of the environment, food is relatively easy to find.
The time mechanic complicates the game and, at the same time, hinders it too. There is a bar at the left-hand corner of the game that tracks the time of the day. Before the sun goes up, the player must return to the shelter and hide from the humans. This is not hard to keep track of because the fox can run fast. Endling can actually be a good entry into the survival genre for its simplicity. Albeit unforgiving, the gameplay is easy enough to understand in less than an hour.
This night-and-day cycle also, unfortunately, hinders the progression of the player. There are some days when the player can track the scent of the missing cub and go after it. Still, apart from these days, all that is left for the player to do is run around and pass the time. Some days, you just get out to find food and return to the shelter. That is all. Some days, however, you can go after your missing cub.
This hindrance of progression makes Endling: Extinction is Forever monotonous really quickly. By the time the scent comes back to you, you are burnt out of running around. As mentioned, the game wants to point out a harsh truth but does it in such a monotonous way that the player is left unsatisfied. The payoff is not worth it, and the message is way too generic to spend this much time understanding.
Speaking of the payoff, the ending of Endling: Extinction is Forever could be, and should have been, much better. Had the game created a tangible tension before the ending, the dependence on the shock value could be forgiven. Yet the emotional connection between the fox and the player relies on their love for the animals.
We should have looked after our cubs a bit more. We should have spent time with them instead of getting thrown into a storyline where we are supposed to look for our missing cub. This is not because there has to be something more for a human being to show the basic skill of empathy; this is because in a game where the heavy story is hidden behind a monotonous experience like Endling: Extinction is Forever, there has to be something that keeps the player going.
Furthermore, there is not much to explore for a game that relies so much on exploration. Yes, the map is pretty big, but it is not that interesting. There are some small details that make it lively, like the badger that we help to save despite it hindering us. But other than that, there is not much time to explore it all anyway. If you want to go from one corner of the map to another, there is a big chance that your time will run out very quickly, and you will have to run back to the shelter.
Even if you are a lover of animals, this game will tire you out. It is sad but not intense. It is gorgeous but not fun. It is not touching enough. There are many good things about this game: Like the sound design is great, and so is the art department- But everything else basically falls short. The theme is barely scratched on the surface, the environment is too big to explore, the general gameplay is repetitive, and the progression is too limited. Overall, Endling: Extinction is Forever does not do anything more than pointing a finger at these problems and expects you to get something more.
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