Analysis
Now available for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are currently some 5,200 species in danger of extinction around the planet. At the same time, in Spain, we are experiencing the most devastating summer in memory in terms of forest fires. These are just two pieces of information that can put into context the importance of a game like ‘Endling’, which seeks to both entertain and raise awareness.
Herobeat Studios, a developer based in Barcelona, has worked for years to carry out a development that surprised this editor several Fun & Serious years ago. A laudable proposal that mixes narrative and survival mechanics with exploration phases in equal parts.
With an aesthetic reminiscent of great indie productions like ‘Inside’, Endling presents us with a game that is less linear and more open at times, which takes advantage of the day and night cycles to modify its mechanics.
The title charges us with the survival of a family of foxes in the midst of an environmental disaster. As such, it will be in the night cycles where we will be able to move with greater freedom of exploration for, basically, two objectives: advance the plot of which we will say nothing here, and search for food in various ways (sniffing, hunting…).
It is at night, precisely, when we can explore. That yes, always being attentive that the day does not reach us, or we will have to run so as not to be captured. Although not only humans will be a danger to us and our litter: during the exploration we will be able to find traps of all kinds and other animals that will try to hunt us down.
The work of Herobeat Studios knows how to awaken our feelings towards animals like no other. If you are a lover of mother nature, or you simply have a cat or a dog at home, with Endling you are going to have a hard time. The game knows how to create an oppressive atmosphere when you are unable to escape from the dangers that lie in wait for you or, even worse, when you cannot find food on the stage for your brood.
And it is one thing to die ourselves and another to lose puppies along the way: absolutely devastating. Especially if we take into account how well the Barcelona studio has developed the interactions between mother and offspring, making us part of their evolution at all times. Small ‘tricks’ such as caressing them or holding them in the mouth serve to further increase that feeling of responsibility and pressure to ensure that nothing happens to them.
And this is where one of the strengths of the title lies. For once, we are not the hero or antihero of a story that forces us to fight for our survival. This time our main goal is to save others. What we do we will do for them, who will always be a priority, at least on a sentimental level. Of course, the game has certain ‘limitations’ so that everything fits, such as the fact that we do not need to eat.
Moving around the Endling map is quite an experience. Its lateral scrolling movement system hides different paths and shortcuts in other directions, the game acquiring certain nuances of the usual three-dimensional environment without actually being one. It is true that, at times, we can get stuck on a route that is not always as inspired as it should be, but for this there is a map that we can consult whenever we want from the pause menu.
Another point to highlight is the artistic direction. Precious at times, he shows that you don’t need hyper-realistic graphics to display pictures as beautiful as they are distressing before our eyes. However, sometimes, the definition of the scenarios (especially at night) can lead us to error, making it impossible to know what exactly we are seeing or, directly, making it difficult to see due to lack of light or the choice of the color palette. colors. The marked personality of the group makes this almost anecdotal, in any case.
The same can be said for an incredible, guitar-heavy soundtrack that fits wonderfully with Endling’s apocalyptic formula. In short, a game that knows very well what it is doing. For its playability, originality and general approach, without forgetting its very high production values. It aims (and manages) to touch the potato, entertain us and make us reflect. There is nothing.