Humanity has been in talks of heading to the stars for quite some time now. “The Cub” is one of these such games where living out of space has become a reality, but this is not a story of life on Mars, but the life of those left behind on Earth. I delved into the new world on PlayStation 5. Regardless of your platform, this one’s a game to pick up for casual platformer fans.

“The Cub” by Demagog Studio and Untold Tales tells the story of what happens after the collapse of civilisation. Our little hero is an abandoned child left behind when humankind sets off for Mars. The uber-rich humans flee amid the throes of climate change, leaving billions to die and a toxic wasteland of a planet.

Luckily, with help from the cub’s adoptive family, a wolf pack and other “mutant” children, he becomes a survival master in this new way of living. If you ever played those old-school side-scroller 2D platformers, this one is a blast from the past. The cub requires precision and perseverance to survive the irradiated land and the looming threats to come.

Humanity had abandoned Earth after the Great Ecological Catastrophe when climate change, our greed and reliance on technology finally got the better of us. The cub is one of the kids left behind, an anomaly for their immunity to the remaining toxic habitat. Stumbling upon a space helmet that he enthusiastically pops off a deceased spaceman’s noggin, the cub is exposed to the happenings of the people before thanks to the radio broadcast, ‘Radio Nostalgia from Mars’, which plays throughout the game, commenting on life pre and post-catastrophe.

While traversing various landscapes, the cub encounters relics of the old world through papers, recordings and environmental clues. It wouldn’t be until long after that they encounter some of these “Martians” in the flesh. When a research expedition arrives to assess if humanity can return, they come across the cub, an excellent research subject thanks to their immunity to the elements and the new focus of their trip.

This isn’t Demagog’s first foray into the remnants of Earth. “Golf Club: Wasteland” (2018) explores Earth while a lone pilot plays a golf session on this very planet. “The Cub” is a massive departure from the chill golfing gameplay and replaces it with various areas, testing the player’s skill in platforming, zooming through mines in carts, some chase sequences, jetpacking and stealth sections.

Early on, the gameplay felt pretty simple; it wasn’t until a few stages in, when the first big hurdle rocks up, that the game began to come into its own. Each chapter feels fresh, and there is little of the same. While encounters with humans and bots are an exercise in avoidance, they work perfectly for platforming.

With stylised hand-drawn characters and scenery and a vibrant colour palette, the visuals are incredibly dynamic compared to the expected dull remnants of the old world. Cutscenes mainly consist of the cub narrating the upcoming events, while animated cave drawings give a little preview of what to expect; it’s simple but fits their child-like nature wonderfully.

The environments are post-apocalyptic, and it’s obvious it’s been a while since humans were about, with a few skeletons and the like lying about. Ruins are balanced with lush overgrowth and backdrops, including highways, hazard zones and cityscapes. Each area feels unique, and the world is so beautiful even in its desolate state, with so much to explore and interact with; it’s an absolute dream.

Early in his adventure, our intrepid little explorer comes across a space helmet left behind amongst the rubble. The radio serves as entertainment, commentary and a great deal of backstory on the events leading up to our downfall. Sometimes, the music would be slightly jarring, or the commentary dragged.

Still, more often than not, it was a great accompaniment during gameplay. I would have liked more options to alter the game’s music vs. sound effects in levels since the SFX could get quite loud over the music. I recommend playing with headphones to get the most out of the audio; it’s about as close as possible to the natural feel of wearing a space helmet while jamming to the end-of-the-world radio.

The music was mainly outstanding, from punchy beats while swinging through forest zones to whimsical, ambient tracks while soaring through the skies on a jetpack, or my favourite, the intense techno bangers during chase sections.

The cub can sometimes be challenging; it requires immense precision and a swift reaction time. I would be impressed if anyone could get through these areas in one attempt; it took me quite a few times to master each level. Trying to nail a jump or narrowly avoid an oncoming projectile can get frustrating, but it’s worth it. I found myself powering through simply because I wanted to experience the rest of the game all in one hit.

Checkpointing is forgiving mainly, apart from a few occasions where checkpoints feel too far back. Lives are unlimited, so while difficult, there’s no considerable loss apart from some time replaying the section.

Like its retro counterparts, it pushes players to learn patterns and exercise precision, and it’s easy to be motivated by wanting to know what’s coming up next.

I had no notable issues with performance on PlayStation 5; loading screens could be frequent, but there were no frame drops or graphical issues. Apart from a short animation scene upon death, the game reloaded quickly. Controls are very intuitive to most PS5 platforming controls and are responsive.

For those keen on a short casual, platforming adventure that provides a challenge and requires some skill, this is one to visit. It’s a short game; my complete playthrough, including deaths, clocked in just over 3 hours; it may be less for players more skilled than I am. It feels long enough, the gameplay stays fresh throughout, and I didn’t find it overly repetitive.

Afterwards, I picked up Golf Club: Wasteland to get some extra backstory; there’s a little more lore and a nice parallel with another character. Pick it up to play a few rounds of golf and see this Earth in a different gameplay form. Checking out the predecessor enhanced my understanding of the events leading up to now, especially a particular encounter with another character from the previous game.

The Cub is a bittersweet journey that deals with a world post-collapse of humanity and feels hopeful in a way that sheds new light on the future of what remains. While it’s a short game, there’s so much heart and thought in the storytelling that it’s satisfying almost throughout the entire game. The immersion is next level, a beautiful and eerily accurate depiction of what humanity’s future seems to be moving toward.

Written by: Yasmin Noble