If you’re as old a gamer as I am then you’ll remember old 2-D platform games such as Flashback, Heart of Darkness, Jungle Book, and The Lion King.
If you don’t, fret not since the upcoming game The Cub will satiate that platformer yearning with the amalgamation of new and old-style gameplay, art style, and music.
Nostalgia done right
The Cub takes place in the world of Golf Club: Wasteland. This is another game developed by Demagog Studio and published by Untold Tales. Humanity has inhabited Mars after an ecological catastrophe impacts Earth.
The Cub is a child raised by wolves on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Hunted by visiting humans, the cub must survive and find out why they are so interested in him.
Jumping, crawling, and swinging my way through levels, I journeyed through colorful environments and fascinating strange flora and fauna. The gameplay is very reminiscent of those old-school platformers that I mentioned before, yet with stunning modern art. What sets it apart the most is the soundtrack and DJ radio playing as you explore each level.
The Cub carries a helmet found by a dead explorer. The helmet still receives radio signals that play radio stations with some great chillwave tunes and a smooth-talking DJ. I don’t know why such an interesting mesh of these styles and music work, but they do.
“Meticulously drawn and stylized to look like the classic animated films of the late 90s – Atlantis, Tarzan, Road to El Dorado – while also taking a page from Samurai Jack’s creator Genndy Tartakovsky’s critically acclaimed series, Primal.”
untoldtales.games
In a world of complex gaming mechanics and next-gen graphics, I can’t wait to try the simplicity of The Cub. It has a great sense of atmosphere, mystery, and tense enemy encounters. It makes me also want to try Golf Club: Wasteland if it’s anything like what I previewed with The Cub. Keep an eye on them both!
This preview was written based on a demo of The Cub for PC provided by Demagog Studio and Untold Tales.
