The Cub Reviews
The Cub is a good game, a good platform, a pleasure to play for the five or six hours that it lasts. It's nice that Demagog Studio is continuing to explore the same universe game after game adding pieces to this puzzle, even though in Golf Club the impact was stronger. The team has done many step forward from the gameplay perspective, but unfortunately the game is not perfectly polished. All things considered, The Cub is a really good experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Cub might not be as responsive as it should be when jumping and climbing, it's still a fun game to play with fantastic audio throughout.
The Cub is a really good platformer with an excellent use of the soundtrack to really immerse you into the world. While some platforming bits are a little frustrating, overall the experience is tight with a smooth flow. The story is engaging, the world interesting to explore, and the themes touching on climate change and how society deals with it relevant.
The Cub is a fascinating romp through post-apocalyptic Earth. Balancing dark themes with delightful levity, the game finds a way to showcase both the best and worst of humanity with biting wit, vivid visuals, and impeccably implemented audio. It's all let down somewhat by gameplay sequences that can't maintain the same quality as the game's other elements. However, even with that rather big caveat, The Cub still manages to present a lovely package worth opening.
The Cub is a functional platformer, but not a flashy one. Movement can feel stiff at times, but the colorful landscapes and levels will still carry the experience. If you're a big fan of platformers, you'll certainly find some enjoyment within the approximately four hour experience, even if it can feel less than ambitious at times.
An enjoyable narrative adventure, but unfortunately not much more.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Cub is simple and has an excellent story. Despite the limitation, it is committed to keeping the player entertained, contemplative and focused in challenging moments, always wrapped in the illusory peaceful feeling. The unique art style and sound elements inserted into an experimental narrative are enough reasons to play the title.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It makes for an experience maybe just half a step above average. You have played many games just like The Cub before, but you've never played one that looks or sounds like it.
With lacklustre gameplay, and an uninteresting world, The Cub ends up feeling like a cheap knock-off of the games that clearly inspired it.
The Cub is a delightful adventure that develops Demagog Studio’s universe in new and interesting ways. As a platformer, it’s solid. The movement is fluid and responsive which allows you to effortlessly traverse the environment. Each step has been animated with flair and helps to enhance the beautiful backdrops that accompany your journey. Combining this with the slick beats that blast through the radio station makes the overall presentation both unique and unforgettable. While the game is on the short side, taking only around 2 to 3 hours to see the credits roll, each part of that is meticulously designed to create a truly memorable experience.
A beautifully striking 2D platformer, The Cub is a challenging title that is well worth fully exploring. An easy recommendation for fans of platformers past and present.
Ultimately, The Cub is a fun, if not a bit safe, 2D platformer. The desolate world created by Demagog Studio is a joy to traverse again, and while the gameplay doesn't evolve meaningfully in its short run time, The Cub manages to pull you in with its excellent visuals, and catchy soundtrack.
The Cub was developed in a unique way, in which it works like a platform game, a storybook or an animation, in which each chapter is an isolated story. It was created to convey a message and it manages to do so with flying colors, respecting all its references, but without using them as a crutch and creating a very rich and touching experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If The Cub were a TV show, I'd watch it but as a game, it's both very limiting and needlessly irritating. Its presentation really saves it.
It’s a short experience and while the content is satisfying, a longer gameplay experience could have allowed for a more in-depth exploration of the narrative and character development. That said, the game’s positive aspects contribute to a satisfying and thoughtful gaming experience and I look forward to seeing what the developer does next.
The Cub is a brief, energetic and beautiful thrill ride that already has me jumping back in for a second run. Expanding on the world introduced to us in the indie darling Golfclub: Nostalgia, there is so much to love about this charming, apocalyptic storybook platformer.
Short but entertaining, there’s a lot to like with The Cub. Its post-apocalyptic world is fascinating, and getting to collect numerous artefacts gives good reason to poke around off the beaten path when you’re given the opportunity. The platforming here is fun and varied, mixing up fast-paced running-and-jumping with more measured stealth sections. Sure, there’s the odd frustration – but that comes with the territory of 2D platforming. This is a fun way to spend a few hours – particularly if you enjoyed the atmosphere of Golf Club Nostalgia.
The Cub is a short but sweet little tribute to licensed Mega Drive platformers that revisits the fantastic world set up in Demagog's previous game, Golf Club Wasteland, and comes out just as striking and memorable. Crucially, the warm tones and cool tunes of Radio Nostalgia from Mars are back to have you vibing in your seat for a handful of hours as you throw a small, mutant child into mortal danger over and over again.
Taking the world established within Gold Club: Nostalgia and pivoting to the platforming genre, The Cub is a continuation of a stunning visual style and a contemplative narrative that feels more topical than ever.
The Cub is releasing early in 2024, but it's starting the year with a masterpiece and playing this has made me want to explore more games from this developer, Demagog Studio.