Endling: Extinction is Forever Reviews
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.
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.
Play as a mother fox looking for her missing cub in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth is slowly dying. A scrappy survival tale with moments of tension and tenderness.
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.
An exciting, tragic and narratively impactful journey that deals with its themes in a bold and never sloppy way.
Review in Italian | Read full review
“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.
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 - 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 hides a monotonous experience behind a striking visual aesthetic and an empty message about the relationship between humanity and the environment. The gameplay never fully commits to building the relationship between the mother and her cubs, which leaves the whole story feeling emotionless and bare. The end result is more “call of the mild” than Call of the Wild.
In Endling – Extinction is Forever, we follow a fox mother and her puppies in a desperate struggle for survival in a world destroyed by man. The environmental theme is obvious, but never so exaggerated that it annoys. Instead, we're busy trying to keep our pups alive on a journey that scares and touches more than much — despite not a single word being uttered.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The title may not be a good pick for casual gamers or those who enjoy survival narratives that are fantasy-driven, as it specifically focuses on displaying the real-world effects of habitat destruction and pollution. Despite this, Endling, Extinction is Forever is a deeply emotional and thought-evoking journey that will leave an impression on anyone who chooses to play it.
Herobeat Studios set out to create a game that raises environmental awareness, and in doing so they have created a heartfelt message in the form of a very charming video game. Endling: Extinction is Forever lacks some variety, but tugs on the heartstrings, with an emotional story and genuinely asks the player to reflect on current environmental issues.
Endling: Extinction is Forever is more than a game; it’s a statement. The commitment from Herobeat Studios’ to portray an honest view of how humans affect the environment is commendable. While there are heart-wrenching moments in the game that some may find too difficult to consume, it’s an incredible experience that will leave a lasting mark.
In Endling: Extinction Is Forever the urgency of survival and the pangs of hunger alternate wisely with more relaxed moments and touching discoveries, for an engaging and emotionally charged adventure. The story told by Herobeat Studio is silent, accompanied only by the images evoked by the nose of mother fox and the excellent soundtrack. Perhaps also for this reason, the power of the message conveyed by the game is remarkable, able to reach its peak in an epilogue that you will hardly forget.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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 is a good game for survival fans and another reminder that humans suck. The story evokes a lot of emotion and tough choices. Overall this is a bitter-sweet game. The story is bitter, and the gameplay is sweet.
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: Extinction Is Forever may not be perfect, but the story and experience it provides is a cut above.