The Cub, the stunningly animated 2D platformer from Demagog Studio and publisher Untold Tales, has quietly surfaced on Microsoft’s Xbox store in Norway. This marks the game’s first availability on Xbox consoles, bringing its unique fusion of post-apocalyptic survival and 1990s Disney-style visuals to a new platform. The listing allows Norwegian players to purchase and play the game immediately, hinting at a possible wider release in the near future.
Originally launched on PC and Nintendo Switch on January 19, 2024, The Cub quickly garnered attention for its breathtaking hand-drawn art and fluid parkour mechanics. Now, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S owners in Norway can dive into its treacherous yet colorful world. The port arrives without fanfare—no splashy announcement, no trailer—simply a store page that went live, ready for those who seek a fresh platforming challenge.
A Visual Love Letter to the 90s
At first glance, The Cub could be mistaken for a lost SEGA Genesis or Super Nintendo classic, animated with the polish of a feature film. The game’s art direction draws heavily from the golden age of Disney feature animation—think The Lion King or Aladdin—blended with the vibrant, character-driven style of Sega’s iconic platformers. Every frame bursts with personality, from the way the young protagonist lopes through overgrown ruins to the exaggerated reactions of mutant enemies.
The post-apocalyptic setting provides a stark, beautiful contrast. Crumbling skyscrapers are draped in vegetation, abandoned highways crack under the weight of nature’s reclamation, and toxic spills glow with an eerie neon light. It’s a world that feels simultaneously dangerous and enchanting, a canvas that pushes the hand-drawn aesthetic into uncharted territory.
Character animation is fluid and expressive. The Cub himself—a small child raised by wolves after an ecological catastrophe—moves with a playful lilt that softens the grimness of his surroundings. His oversized hands and feet, reminiscent of classic cartoon proportions, bounce and stretch with every leap, slide, and wall-run. This Disney-esque physicality isn’t just for show; it feeds directly into the game’s core movement system.
Fluid Parkour Gameplay
The Cub isn’t your typical run-and-jump platformer. Its heart beats to the rhythm of parkour—a continuous, flowing traversal system that rewards momentum and precision. Players can sprint, jump, wall-grab, roll under obstacles, and chain moves seamlessly. There’s a tangible sense of weight and speed, reminiscent of classic Sonic the Hedgehog but with more acrobatic finesse.
Levels are designed as vertical playgrounds. Instead of linear left-to-right scrollers, each stage is a multi-path gauntlet where the environment itself is both obstacle and tool. Players must navigate through crumbling structures, evade mutated wildlife, and solve environmental puzzles that require clever use of the Cub’s agility. Timing is everything; a well-timed slide can slip under a collapsing beam, while a perfectly arced jump can skip an entire hazardous section.
Checkpoints are generous, but the game’s challenge lies in execution. Mastering the parkour system transforms the Cub from a vulnerable child into a graceful survivor. The controls feel responsive and tight on Xbox, with the port seemingly maintaining the smooth framerate of its PC counterpart. Early indicators suggest that the game runs at a solid 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X|S, with Xbox One likely targeting a stable 30 fps—though official specifications haven’t been detailed in the store listing.
A World After the Fall
The narrative of The Cub unfolds wordlessly, relying on environmental storytelling and evocative set-pieces. The game’s prologue sets the stage: an ecological catastrophe has ravaged the Earth, rendering it nearly uninhabitable for humans. The rich have fled to Mars, leaving the poor to perish. Yet, in this desolation, a child survives—raised by wolves, adapted to a world reclaimed by nature.
As players guide the Cub through this dystopian landscape, they piece together fragments of the old world. Abandoned laboratories reveal failed experiments, crumbling museums house relics of a bygone culture, and graffiti hints at the desperation of those left behind. The Cub himself is a silent protagonist, his expressive animations conveying curiosity, fear, and determination without a single line of dialogue.
This narrative approach harkens to classics like Another World or Inside, where the story is felt rather than told. It’s a poignant tale of resilience, softened by the game’s whimsical art but underscored by a haunting undercurrent. The contrast between innocent cartoon visuals and the bleakness of extinction creates a unique emotional texture that few titles manage to achieve.
From PC to Console: The Xbox Port
Demagog Studio and Untold Tales have kept details of the Xbox port close to the chest. The store page in Norway offers no patch notes, no developer commentary—just the game and its price, which aligns with the $14.99 USD / €14.99 price point established on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. The file size is a modest few gigabytes, and the listing confirms that the game is playable on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility.
Why Norway first? It’s not uncommon for indie developers to soft-launch in a smaller region to test server loads, regional pricing, and store infrastructure before a global rollout. Untold Tales has a history of staggered releases; their previous titles often appeared in European markets a few days ahead of North America. If The Cub follows suit, we can expect it to land on additional Xbox regional stores within a week or two.
There’s no word yet on whether the game will be included in Xbox Game Pass. Given Untold Tales’ track record—games like Arise: A Simple Story and Gibbon: Beyond the Trees eventually joined the service—it’s a strong possibility down the line. For now, The Cub remains a direct-purchase title in the Norwegian store.
The Sound of a Lost World
One of the game’s most praised features is its soundtrack, composed by Andrew Morgan Smith. The score blends orchestral swells with electronic undertones, evoking both epic journey and intimate solitude. Sweeping strings accompany the Cub’s most daring escapes, while quiet piano motifs underscore moments of discovery. The music isn’t just background—it’s a narrative force, dynamically shifting as the environment changes.
Sound design, too, plays a critical role. The Cub’s footsteps crunch differently on gravel versus metal; mutant creatures emit guttural clicks and whirs that signal their presence before they’re seen. This audio layer heightens immersion, making the world feel alive and threatening. On Xbox, with support for surround sound and spatial audio, the experience promises to be even more enveloping.
The Indie Scene on Xbox
The Cub’s arrival fits into a broader trend of indie platformers finding a vibrant home on Xbox. Titles like Ori and the Blind Forest, Cuphead, and Celeste have set a high bar for the genre, blending artistic excellence with tight gameplay. Xbox’s ID@Xbox program has lowered barriers for studios like Demagog to bring their visions to console, and the Norwegian listing suggests that the porting process was streamlined enough to keep the game’s visual fidelity intact.
For Windows-centric readers, note that The Cub is already available on PC via Steam and GOG. This Xbox port demonstrates the growing synergy between Microsoft’s platforms—a game that runs seamlessly across Windows and Xbox, with potential for cloud saves and Play Anywhere if the publisher enables it. No such features are confirmed yet, but the infrastructure is there.
What Players Are Saying
Since its original release, The Cub has built a quiet but devoted following. On Steam, reviews sit at “Very Positive,” with players lauding its art, movement, and atmosphere. Common praise highlights the game’s ability to channel nostalgia without feeling derivative, and its parkour system that rewards skill without punishing experimentation.
Some critiques have mentioned the relatively short runtime—around 4 to 6 hours for a first playthrough—and a desire for more post-game content. However, the game’s tight design and replayability via speedrunning challenges have kept fans engaged. The Xbox port appears to be a direct transfer, likely including all the same content without additional exclusives.
A brief look at early impressions from Norwegian players on social media echoes the Steam sentiment: the game performs smoothly on Xbox, the controls map well to the controller, and the art pops on a big screen. One comment thread on a Norwegian gaming forum noted that the game “feels right at home on Xbox, like it was always meant to be here.”
Will It Expand Beyond Norway?
The Norwegian store listing is a strong signal that a full Xbox launch is imminent. Regional soft-launches are a common tactic for indie publishers to iron out last-minute issues before flooding the global marketplace. Demagog Studio has been quiet on social media, but their previous communication style suggests an official announcement will follow once they’re confident the port is stable across all regions.
For Xbox players outside Norway, a little patience may be required. The Cub’s publisher, Untold Tales, is known for rapid follow-through; they typically bring games to all major territories within days of an initial regional release. It’s safe to expect the game to appear on the US, UK, and other European Xbox stores by late February or early March, barring any unforeseen snags.
In the meantime, Norwegian gamers get an exclusive window into one of 2024’s most charming platformers on console. For those willing to switch their console region to Norway, the game is fully playable and supports English language options. However, such workarounds are unofficial and may complicate payment methods.
Final Thoughts
The Cub’s quiet landing on Xbox in Norway is a pleasant surprise for platformer enthusiasts. It brings a visually arresting, mechanically robust experience to Microsoft’s console ecosystem, filling a gap for those who crave a narrative-driven, parkour-infused challenge. The game’s marriage of Disney-esque animation with a gritty post-apocalyptic world is a compelling hook, and the responsive, fluid movement ensures that gameplay remains king.
For Demagog Studio, this port represents a chance to expand their audience and cement their reputation for blending style with substance. For Xbox players, it’s another gem in a library that increasingly celebrates independent artistry. And for those still waiting for a wider release, the Norwegian debut is a promising glimpse of what’s to come.
Whether The Cub becomes the next breakout hit or remains a cult favorite, its arrival on Xbox is a win for the platform and a testament to the enduring appeal of handcrafted 2D adventures. If you’re in Norway, the wasteland awaits—so start running.