Endling - Extinction is Forever

Endling is a pure gem, one that is hard to find in the gaming industry. It does not only confront a delicate and deeply topical theme with grace and respect, but it also delivers a quintessential adventure, both ludically and visually. Basically, it is one of those experiences that you don't want to miss.

I hereby announce that Endling as the animal game of the year. I'm sorry Stray.

Endling - Extinction is Forever is, first of all, a survival adventure for everyone since the difficulty setting is deliberately easy, so everybody will be able to enjoy the game at its fullest. The story is compelling and it deals with a pressing issue, exasperating the drama, but never declining into the banality of the so-called “educational games” thanks to the excellent storytelling. The artistic side is also awesome, and we can say that if extinction is forever, a diamond is forever too, so the game can be considered a small diamond that is worth playing.

A charming survival game carrying an ecological message. It can narrate without words and it clearly shows the dangers of living day to day in a hostile nature. But the most important thing? There are foxes!

Endling: Extinction is Forever is a poignant piece of emotive short-form storytelling, telling a tale of survival that isn’t just a conversation starter, but one that asks for immediate change.

Endling is about survival and a deep maternal feeling, thanks to which even in a depressed catastrophic world there is still hope for salvation and at least some kind of future. And that's why it makes sense to fight until the last breath. And that's why it's worth playing this game with its message of sacrifice and love.

Endling may be lacking on the difficulty side, but it more than makes up for it when it comes to delivering a breathtaking story about loss, survival and the environment, topped with a gorgeous art style and an impressive evolving world to explore. It may be a brief journey (clocking in at around four hours), but it’s one that’s worth playing through, an emotional roller coaster that’s still fun to play and gets you invested in the struggles of our furry friends, so don’t sleep on it.

The visuals are stunning, and the soundtrack excels at aiding in conveying the gravity of the bad, as well as the moments of light and joy included in the game. Overall, if you enjoy games with deeper meaning hidden beneath the surface, you’ll love Endling. If you enjoy games that make you cry, you’ll certainly find that with Endling. Bugs and minor issues aside, Endling is one of the more moving games I’ve played this year, and I highly recommend it. Just be sure to have some tissues on hand, just in case.

Endling isn’t the sort of game you might settle down to play after a long day of doomscrolling through social media; it’s the sort that forces you to confront the monstrous scale and toll of human activity on the ecosystem and the planet. And yet, even as a deeply apocalyptic look at what feels like the imminent end of our world, the game’s profound pessimism doesn’t stray too far from the truth. Scientists have already warned that we are in danger of losing 20 to 50 percent of all species by the end of this century; the bulk of this is due to human activity.

Fraught, lonely, and emotionally devastating, Enderling: Extinction is Forever is a powerful example of the kinds of experiences that are only possible through the medium of video games.

Endling: Extinction is Forever has as much subtlety in its message as it does in its title. But that’s the point. What it does have, however, is a nuanced, beautiful, and tragic story to back up that message. It’s a masterfully crafted side-scrolling adventure, brimming with emotion, supported by beautiful visuals and music. It blends its narrative and survival elements perfectly, and though it’s difficult to call something this painful enjoyable, it is a deeply affecting and worthwhile experience.

Endling doesn’t leave us with a positive feeling, but weakness. The story is depressing and at the same time full of hope. If you like short indie games with a serious ark and beautiful animations, Endling is for you.

A beautiful fox adventure with an important message, playful but not rich enough.

Endling: Extinction Is Forever is a survival game with a clear message about the need to protect the environment. However, it never rises above mediocrity in any of its individual elements, but the shocking ending really saves the day.

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 over complicate it. Every choice matters to the designers, as well as to you when you're trying to survive and feed your puppies.

Endling: Extinction Is Forever is not only a beautiful, touching and important game, but also a unique one, as you control a mother fox, the last of its kind, trying to keep its cubs alive in a world devastated by humans. The problem is, Endling’s gameplay loop is painfully repetitive and the game begins to get boring about halfway through.

While the survival elements of Endling - Extinction is Forever would benefit from balancing and glitch patches, the gut-wrenching story is more than enough to keep players moving forward.

Endling - Extinction is Forever gives a cold hard look at what pollution and human cruelty are doing to the environment. The message is driven home as you fight tooth and claw to raise your fox cubs while navigating a dangerous world. Exploration and survival aspects make for a unique experience, but if your pups die it can be heart-wrenching.

Endling: Extinction is forever has many improvable aspects, from its level design to its core gameplay loop. And yet, its repetitive structure is exactly what it’s needed to fully make you feel like you are the fox with her little cubs, to experience how hard it is to keep on living in a world that is trying in every way to get rid of you. A touching, sincere and heartfelt experience which can be told only through video games.

It feels weird to call Endling - Extinction is Forever’s brutal tale enjoyable, but it was. The unique survival gameplay from the perspective of a family of foxes combined with the dark themes and storyline is a captivating mix. Though the gameplay can sometimes get repetitive, and it would have been nice to have a broader range of random events to experience, it’s still one of the more interesting games I’ve played recently. Keep a box of tissues nearby, though, as it’ll punch you right in the heart.

The events in Endling create sad emotions but they do not connect with how mankind is destroying the Earth. Events happen and we’re supposed to feel something because they happened, but the emotions are diminished because there is no connection to the message or the characters. It held up in the short five hours of play thanks to intriguing survival mechanics, but even those were messed up by an unfortunate, frustrating tug of war between survival and story progression.

Endling may look nice, but it is a monotonous animal adventure with simple fox-feeding gameplay, bland skills, and restrictive exploration.