DaRmaZat From the underground comes a beat you can’t ignore. ANTRO, the debut title from Barcelona-based Gatera Studio, drops you into a dystopian future where expression is outlawed, the elite rule from the shadows, and the only thing louder than oppression is the sound of rebellion. This 2.5D rhythm-action-puzzle-platformer doesn’t follow convention—it charges toward freedom, pulsing with hip-hop, drill, and electronic soundscapes that breathe life into the city. Whether you’re speeding across rooftops or navigating industrial underbellies, every step you take is in sync with the rhythm of revolution.
Run Free or Die Trying
You play as Nittch, a street-smart courier with a love for graffiti and Spanish rap, just trying to survive in the bowels of ANTRO’s oppressive world. Your mission? Deliver a mysterious package. But in doing so, you become something bigger: a symbol of uprising, a thread in the tapestry of Los Discordantes, the resistance fighting back against the regime of La Cúpula.
Gameplay starts simple: run, jump, climb, slide—and when needed, smash through robots, drones, and obstacles alike. You wall-run, dive through tight crawlspaces, and activate switches to progress. Occasionally, you’ll pick up collectibles, story items or unlock doors. But don’t expect complex systems—this game is about flow, not finesse. Levels play out like speedrun corridors, built for tempo rather than tinkering.
And the movement? It’s tight enough. You’ll need to time your jumps to the beat, especially during high-stakes chase sequences where every misstep means death. Fail, and you’ll hear a snarky voice mock your demise—an extra twist of frustration in a game already leaning toward trial-and-error. Still, it keeps you in motion. Don’t look back. Jump when there’s a cliff. It’s a mantra spoken by Nittch’s sister Patti, and also the game’s beating heart.
Beneath the Rubble, a Revolution Brews
ANTRO imagines a brutalist underworld built beneath the ruins of Barcelona: dusty yellows, muddy browns, stark shadows. The color palette is muted, even monotonous, but it fits—this is a place drained of joy. The backgrounds are surprisingly dynamic for a 2D game: factories steam, drones fly overhead, robots patrol in sync with the soundtrack. The camera zooms in for intimacy or pulls way back for cinematic scope, and to the game’s credit, it never gets in the way of the action.
You’ll navigate smokestack industrial zones, favela-style rooftops, electrified floors, crumbling scaffolding, metro rails, laser-armed mechs, and more. Some objects require interaction, but most obstacles are meant to be sprinted through, dodged, or destroyed on the go. Mistime a button press, and you’ll often die without clear feedback, especially when the rhythm-based combat prompts aren’t as responsive as you’d like. But the game doesn’t aim for surgical precision—this is about momentum, not mastery.
Every Beat a Battle Cry
At its core, ANTRO is a political fable dressed in streetwear and basslines. Its themes are sharp: suppression of art, censorship of expression, authoritarian overreach, class division. Nittch doesn’t just run for his life—he runs for meaning. In a world where music is illegal, the soundtrack becomes rebellion. It’s not just background noise—it’s the heart of the storytelling and mood.
ANTRO‘s tracks pulse with identity: raw, emotional, angry, reflective. Lyrics (often in Spanish) and beats aren’t there for flavor—they mirror the world’s emotional states. Even the structure of each level follows the music’s rhythm. And while the voice acting is limited, ANTRO lets its atmosphere do the talking. It’s not wordy, but it’s loud where it counts.
Final Thoughts
ANTRO may only last around two hours, but it makes that time count. From Patti’s symbolic book to the references to El Salvador, work as redemption, or seeing the sun again, this is a game of metaphors. You carry the revolution—literally—in a single package. And as the stakes escalate, so does the message: freedom isn’t just a right—it’s a relentless rhythm you have to keep fighting for.
However, ANTRO won’t be for everyone. It’s super short. It can be imprecise. It can frustrate. But it also lingers. In its compact runtime, it says more about resistance, identity, and the soul of a generation than most blockbusters ever attempt. Its gameplay is about momentum, not complexity. Its aesthetic, though visually plain, is sonically rich. And above all, it’s an ode to the unkillable spirit of artistic expression. It’s not a flawless game—but it’s a meaningful one. A fiery, flawed, unforgettable ride.
Additional Information
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the developer and publisher.
Developer: Gatera Studio
Publisher: Selecta Play, Astrolabe Games
Website: https://www.gaterastudio.com
Relevant Links: Antro on STEAM
