The Cub

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.

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"The Cub" is a platform parkour game inspired by classic SEGA titles, set in a post-apocalyptic world where a small child with immunity to the hostile planet must escape from humans who want to capture them. The game features challenging environmental puzzles and dangerous wildlife, offering a unique blend of exploration and survival. With modern twists on retro gameplay, players must outwit their pursuers and uncover the mysteries of Earth's ruins.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 102 reviews

story28 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a unique art style that creates an immersive post-apocalyptic world.
The soundtrack, particularly the 'Radio Nostalgia from Mars,' enhances the atmosphere and adds to the overall enjoyment of the game.
The story is engaging and well-told, with interesting themes and character development that resonate with players.

The platforming mechanics can be frustrating due to inconsistent controls and hit detection, leading to trial-and-error gameplay.
The game is quite short, typically taking around 2-3 hours to complete, which may not justify its price for some players.
Some players found the placement of checkpoints to be sub-optimal, causing unnecessary repetition during challenging sequences.

story
73 mentions
38 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its atmospheric and engaging narrative, though many players note its brevity and straightforwardness. While some appreciate the rich backstory and political themes, others find it simplistic or lacking depth, with a few critiques pointing to pacing issues and a reliance on collectibles for storytelling. Overall, the combination of art, music, and narrative elements creates a memorable experience, though opinions vary on the execution and complexity of the plot.
- “Loved the backstory and how it was shared; it felt a bit close to home sometimes, but it was really well done.”
- “The story is interesting for a post-apocalyptic game: it's full of real-world references and surprisingly very political.”
- “The story, art design, and sound design are polished and create a bizarre and absurd mood that drew me in.”
- “The politics are a little on the nose, and I would have appreciated a story that left a little more to the imagination, letting the player draw their own conclusions.”
- “If you asked an AI to write you a story about kids left behind on Earth, it would be about as soulless.”
- “The story is told primarily in the form of collectibles, but cursory glances at these collectibles tell me that it's just another generic story about capitalism and greed ruining the planet.”
music
64 mentions
66 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the diverse and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, some players noted issues with the radio implementation, citing inconsistent volume levels and intrusive dialogue that detracted from the enjoyment of the music. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, the integration of music and gameplay has received mixed feedback.
- “Music is great, the idea of having a radio in your head is cool.”
- “Amazing soundtrack, blended with the environment.”
- “As many others have noted, the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission, but the integration of the music with a good story and some fantastic art is where this one shines.”
- “Sound - I get what they were going for with the music and the radio, and it is close to getting it, but it's all just... off.”
- “And the story/music didn't captivate me either; luckily, the game is well optimized with no lag or bugs/crashes.”
- “But really, you could save your money and just pick up the soundtrack whenever that drops.”
graphics
36 mentions
75 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning, hand-drawn art style and vibrant colors, which create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. Many reviewers noted the visuals as a standout feature, praising the unique and charming design that complements the gameplay. While some suggested that additional time and resources could have further improved the graphics, the overall consensus is that the visuals are a major highlight of the experience.
- “The visuals are stunning, creating a vibrant and immersive post-apocalyptic world that I couldn't get enough of.”
- “It has gorgeous 2D graphics that legitimately look like a hand-drawn cartoon.”
- “The artwork is superb and the story is actually pretty dark as you progress but in a humorous way.”
- “The ambience, radio, and graphical style elevate this game somewhat, but gameplay-wise, it is not worth paying much for.”
- “Not sure what is in for this game other than the graphics and music.”
- “During the demo, I fell in love with the visuals; the 2D hand-drawn art is simply first-rate and dope.”
gameplay
32 mentions
38 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fun mechanics and variety in levels, while others find it clunky, basic, and underwhelming. Many appreciate the aesthetic and sound design, but feel that the gameplay lacks depth and creativity, often leading to frustration. Overall, while there are enjoyable moments, the gameplay is frequently cited as the weakest aspect of the game.
- “Aesthetic 10/10, sound 10/10, gameplay 10/10, plot 9/10, controls 10/10. The only thing I wish this game had is more chapters; short but so good!”
- “An exceptional game that revives the classic, rigorous style of gameplay where every move counts and there’s little room for error.”
- “The gameplay matches and is smooth and has very satisfying platforming and puzzles.”
- “The gameplay is clunky and frustrating.”
- “Gameplay is the weakest point; it mostly consists of generic performing with several difficulty spikes in chase sequences.”
- “The game just didn't manage to grab me with its mechanics.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting beauty and rich storytelling, effectively immersing players in a post-apocalyptic world. While the sound design has received criticism, the overall visual and narrative elements contribute to a compelling experience reminiscent of titles like "Planet of Lana." Despite some clunky controls, the atmospheric qualities make it a recommended play for fans of the genre.
- “The atmosphere and animation is a haunting and beautiful look in a post-apocalypse world.”
- “The game focuses on variety, atmosphere, and telling a story through various means instead.”
- “Controlling the character sometimes feels clunky, but overall it's a very competent and atmospheric game that I can gladly recommend.”
- “For a game centered around atmosphere, the sound design sure is atrocious.”
- “If I had to compare it to one game, it's most similar to Planet of Lana, including the atmosphere and vaguely sci-fi story.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a dark yet delightful tone, with the main character's voice acting enhancing the comedic elements that often tread the line of acceptability. Players appreciate the blend of funny and sad moments, particularly through the engaging radio broadcasts that reflect the game's themes, providing a balance to the otherwise intense gameplay. Overall, the humor serves as a welcome relief amidst the unforgiving environments, allowing for moments of levity.
- “The artwork is superb and the story is actually pretty dark as you progress, but in a humorous way.”
- “The main draw for this game was still the radio broadcast, which is both funny and sad, and plays a pretty good variety of music that often reflects the themes of the game.”
- “The unforgiving and deadly environments keep you on the edge of your seat, but the main character always gives you a moment to relax or laugh after he makes a joke or does something funny.”
optimization
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is well-optimized, with users reporting smooth performance and no significant lag, bugs, or crashes. This positive optimization contributes to an enjoyable user experience, allowing players to focus on the gameplay and storyline.
- “The game is well optimized with no lag or bugs/crashes.”
- “It runs smoothly and I love the storyline so far.”
- “Performance, bugs, and user experience: 5/5.”
stability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
While the game runs smoothly on the deck and features enjoyable music, players have reported issues with unresponsive and buggy controls, which detracts from the overall stability of the gameplay experience.
- “Runs great on the deck, with cool funky music that adds to a fun platforming game that's not too difficult.”
- “Unresponsive, buggy controls.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops during gameplay.”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game has low replayability, with users indicating that the only incentive to replay is to obtain missing achievements, suggesting a lack of engaging content to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “I don't think there is any value in replayability unless you want to get the missing achievements.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious due to lengthy and repetitive chase sequences, which are further exacerbated by extended periods of silence, making the experience feel slow and monotonous.
- “Having a chase sequence with 3-5 minutes of no sound at all made it tedious. These sequences already felt long, repetitive, and slow to me.”
- “The grinding in this game is mind-numbing; it feels like I'm just going through the motions without any real reward.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to find that the rewards were minimal and not worth the time invested.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
While the game excels in visuals with striking backgrounds and character designs, the reviews do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development.