Back in 2022, when we first covered The Cub, it immediately stood out as one of the more unusual platformers on the horizon. Part Jungle Book, part environmental cautionary tale and part love letter to the golden age of 90s platform gaming, it promised something a little different.
Now, after launching on PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, The Cub has finally arrived on Xbox. Available today on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Xbox Play Anywhere, this beautifully animated adventure combines old-school platforming with a surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi story.
At A Glance
- Game: The Cub
- Price: £12.49
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
- Features: Xbox Play Anywhere
- Genre: Cinematic Platform Adventure
- Game Pass: No
A Child Left Behind On Earth
Following a catastrophic ecological collapse, Earth’s wealthiest citizens abandon the planet and flee to Mars, leaving humanity’s future behind. But not everyone is gone.
Years later, a child who somehow developed immunity to the planet’s hostile conditions remains alive amongst the ruins. When Martian scouts return and discover this survivor, they immediately attempt to capture them, setting off a desperate journey across the remnants of a fallen world.
The result is part escape story, part mystery, and part exploration of what happens when nature reclaims everything humanity left behind.
Inspired By The Platforming Greats
The Cub wears its influences proudly. Developers Demagog Studio cite classic SEGA-era adventures like The Jungle Book, Aladdin and The Lion King as inspiration, and it’s easy to see those roots in the game’s fluid movement, precision platforming and environmental design.
But this isn’t simply a nostalgia trip.
Modern puzzle elements, environmental storytelling and fast-paced chase sequences help give the experience its own identity. Players will need to outmanoeuvre evolved wildlife, navigate dangerous hybrid plant life and stay ahead of the humans pursuing them through a twisted planetary safari.
A World Full Of Stories
Rather than relying on lengthy exposition, the game lets players piece together the fate of humanity through the locations they explore. Abandoned laboratories, decaying tower blocks, forgotten battlefields and overgrown industrial complexes all tell fragments of a larger story.
There’s a sense that every area has history behind it, making exploration feel rewarding beyond simply reaching the next checkpoint.
And then, adding another layer to the atmosphere is one of the game’s more unusual features. Throughout the journey, players are accompanied by Radio Nostalgia From Mars, a fictional broadcast delivering survivor stories, observations from the Martian elite and a soundtrack packed with laid-back apocalypse-wave tunes.
An Xbox Arrival Years In The Making
When we first highlighted The Cub several years ago, the combination of classic platforming inspiration and post-apocalyptic storytelling immediately caught our attention. Now Xbox players finally have the chance to see how that vision came together.
The Cub is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Xbox Play Anywhere, but unfortunately it is not on Game Pass at launch. The Xbox Store awaits.
