ANTRO has been on my radar for quite a while. Earlier this year I played the Xbox demo for Gamer Social Club's April issue of the Demo Disc, a monthly article promoting the latest demos in gaming. The ~15 minute demo was a real delight, showcasing the game's hybrid blend of platforming and storytelling, alongside it's rhythmic auto-runner sections.
The demo instantly gave me vibes of Playdead's modern classics, LIMBO and INSIDE, particularly the latter. A dark underworld wrapped in a sinister mystery of organisational control, that then blends itself with a variety of music genres to create a welcome faster paced platformer than Playdead's sombre worlds.
Developed by Gatera Studio, who claim they were "born from the desire to represent urban culture in video games". ANTRO is the small team's first game and they've a wealth of Spanish government / EU culture-related funding to have developed the project.
So, has ANTRO stayed on track, or is it a broken record? Let's talk all about ANTRO.
Story - An Orwellian Catalonia
ANTRO's story is located in The Dome, an underground metropolis situated beneath the old Barcelona where earth's remaining 1% population resides following the Collapse. Those at the lower levels including our protagonist, Nittch are fighting for everyday survival whilst those at the higher echelons live much more comfortable lives.
Our journey as Nittch takes us on a journey through The Dome to take a package with an unknown recipient. Oh, and to overthrow the totalitarian government whilst we're at it. Nittch is a silent, faceless character with only their body to showcase emotions to the player. A member of the rebellion faction, Los Discordantes, we are seeking to change the regime and return power to the people.
The story and setting intertwine well to deliver an uncomfortable undertone in ANTRO. There are certainly vibes of the BAFTA nominated film adaptation of George Orwell's 1984 which stars John Hurt. ANTRO captures the disturbing dystopia of the cult film including sections where we're being spoken to by a mouth on the screen about our commitment to the cause. There are themes from the film (and of course, the classic book) including censorship and uprising.
There are 15 collectibles to collect and a few cut scenes in the game that add further lore but simply playing the game tells a good story, In its 2 hour run time, ANTRO was able to make me feel part of a rebellion with a cause.
Gameplay - Inside the music
As mentioned earlier, there are clearly inspirations from the likes of Inside in ANTRO - particularly in its platforming gameplay and that we're a voiceless character in a dark, moody setting. But ANTRO has its own style that it carries well.
There are two core types of gameplay in ANTRO, both are equal parts fun and engaged in the story itself. First, we have the more typical platforming sections where we're moving through a variety of ever-changing terrain. Which is complimented perfectly by the second, the games rhythmic running sections.
There are around 5 - 6 stages of each during the game which mostly alternate, keeping the momentum fresh and engaging throughout. There is little difficulty to either, allowing players to keep enjoying the story that is as much a part of the gameplay, as it is background lore.
I particularly enjoyed the rhythmic sections, they were all rather short but ever so sweet. Nittch typically starts being chased by some of the regime's security robots and in our escape we're smashing them out of the way to the precision of the music's beats. It's really fun and with a new music track each time, there's new rhythms to learn and patterns to perfect. For veterans of the bygone hay day of rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, there is a rare achievement / trophy for completing all rhythm stages with no errors - something I admit, I wasn't capable of doing.
My only issue with the gameplay of ANTRO was during the penultimate stage, I found that I was falling through certain objects even though I know my jump timing was right. Thankfully, this issue was only in this part of the game.
Visuals - Dim but effective
Though by design not a graphical showcase, visuals in ANTRO are entirely competent, the game looks good visually and makes the most of its 2.5D environment. In that it makes the most of the background space to show various happenings including NPCs being chased by regime robots, adding to the feel of dismal expanse in of The Dome.
ANTRO's unique art-style captures what living life permanently underground must be like, pretty drab and boring aside from an array of glowing neon lights / There is also a Cyberpunk-like feel to some of the game's assets.
I would say, and you can see from my screenshots, that in some places ANTRO is a little too dark and I'd struggle to see exactly where I was going.
Audio – In tune with The Dome
It's been a while since I played a game where the soundtrack is as intrinsic to the experience as ANTRO's. The game infuses Spanish / Catalan / French hip-hop, drill, R&B and electronic music in to it's gameplay, particularly in the aforementioned rhythmic running sections. When you're pressing buttons in tune with the music it really does feel incredibly precise and you can tell ANTRO was developed alongside it's soundtrack.
Whilst the sung hip-hop tracks fit the game perfectly, the soundtrack in the game "˜s non-rhythmic sections are in complete tonal sync. Dark, obscure and thought provoking, ANTRO's soundtrack amplifies the sinister undertone of The Dome.
If, like me, you're fond of quality gaming soundtracks being made available to listen to via streaming services then you can listen to ANTRO's soundtrack via Spotify to get a feel for the game - Coliseo de esclavos is a track that'll find it's way to my frequently played list.
ANTRO is developed by Barcelona-based Gatera Studio, with ANTRO being their first game. Therefore, this is a rare game that is fully voiced in Catalan – as well as Spanish and English.
Final thoughts
ANTRO is a game that I can comfortably recommend. Gatera Studio have clearly taken inspiration from many games that have come before, but totally placed their own stamp on the 2.5D platforming category. In particular, the infusion of a range of music genres to satisfying gameplay make ANTRO stand unique in a busy genre.
A little on the short side, ANTRO could have expanded on its story and setting more if the game had around another hour in it. That said, I am very much looking forward to seeing the developer's next project and I hope that music is very much a part of that.
ANTRO is available now on PC (Steam), Xbox Series and PlayStation 5. The game was played for review on Xbox Series X. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the publisher for the code provided for review.
If you’re playing ANTRO and chasing the platinum trophy or 1,000G, be sure to check out our full collectibles guide to find all hidden items in the game.
