End of the World
Are you ready for the end of the world? In Endling – Extinction is Forever, you are the last mother fox caring for her three cubs through the extinction caused by humans. From HandyGames, this simulation game has you running and hunting through the dying environment and avoiding humans to keep your cubs alive. With side-scrolling gameplay and a compelling story, you’ll have a hard time putting down your phone.
Extinction is Forever
When you first open Endling, the mother fox is running from a forest fire. Players immediately begin the tutorial featuring two of the most basic controls: running and jumping. While trying to find the first den, players will discover more of the other controls, such as digging and climbing. This extremely easy tutorial leads right into the storyline and the birth of your cubs.
In the beginning, one of my biggest concerns was how I was going to find a new den. But as I continued playing, different sections of the map were unlocked, opening up new dens. The map is very basic, with just lines and symbols, making it easy to read at a glance. It shows the locations of your previous dens, scavengers and furrier distraction points. The map will record where certain humans are located, such as the scavengers or furriers. While the scavengers stay in place, the furriers will show up randomly towards the end of the night and can be anywhere on the map. However, these humans do not stay on the map all the time, so you need to be careful exploring. The camera’s side viewpoint makes it difficult to see obstacles in advance, so be careful not to run too fast. While the game gives you a small warning when humans are in your path, you never know what dangers might lurk around the corner.
As you unlock new parts of the map, you will encounter more populated areas. Populated areas contain more humans, meaning that you must move more carefully. Sometimes you run into a group of humans, and nothing happens. Other times, furriers or scavengers are hunting you. The scavengers carry a spotlight and stay in one place, waiting for wildlife to come by. Towards the end of the night, the furriers begin their hunt. These enemies provide a greater challenge for players, as they sometimes block the way back to the lair.
Three Little Endlings
In the beginning, you give birth to four little cubs. Sadly, one of them falls for a trap and gets kidnapped by a human. By the time the mother fox realizes that the cub is gone, all that is left is the cub’s scent trail. This trail reappears every so often for you to follow. Despite the sadness of losing a cub, you must care for the other three cubs.
As the mother fox, it is up to you to protect and feed your cub. Every night you hunt for food to bring back to them until they are old enough to come out exploring with you. Once they leave the den, they risk being captured by predators and humans or even starvation. The green health bar at the top of the screen helps you manage your cubs’ hunger, so you can find them food quickly. However, remember to keep your eyes out for other dangers along the way.
While you explore the map with your cubs, you will run into plenty of danger. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to keep all three alive and with you at all times. While you can easily pick up one cub and carry them away from danger, it can be a lot to juggle in dangerous situations. When you get into a dangerous situation, you have to fight your way out as quickly as possible and run away if you win. Once you have escaped, you will most likely be injured and unable to fight. There are also times that your cubs will see something that scares them, they get sad and walk extremely slowly. There is a small heart button for you to give them affection, which will help them to recover from this experience.
The Little Details
Endling – Extinction is Forever features lots of little details that I appreciated, such as the fox loading icon and the hints featured on the loading screen. However, what drew me in the most was the attention to detail in the scenery. Every inch of the environment shows how humans have ruined the earth. This ranges from litter on the ground to there being almost no signs of nature. Paired with the animations, this made it impossible to look away from the screen. One of these key details are the humans. Every human wears a gas mask or face covering, showing how badly humanity destroyed the environment and atmosphere.
Endling has some of the best graphics I have ever seen in a mobile game. The developers have my applause for their phenomenal attention to detail. While there isn’t much of a storyline outside of survival, this allows players to focus on the scenery and keeping the three remaining cubs alive. Endling – Extinction is Forever is well worth the ten dollars and offers players hours of immersive gameplay guaranteed to leave you anything but bored.
