Steam Next Fest – Barkour

RELEASE DATE: 2026

DEVELOPER: VARSAV Game Studios

PUBLISHER: VARSAV Game Studios

Barkour is a demo that’s been on my radar for a while. It’s a fast-paced stealth action platformer where you play as Special Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R, who also happens to be a good boy. Smart, brave and unstoppable. Starting the demo in an alley, you are afraid as you are approached by what can only be described as a RoboDog. He convinces you to join him in training.

Once you awake you have an implant that allows you to understand everything around you and allows you to communicate and understand English. The tutorial section that follows is easy to understand and master as they walk you through multiple stages of stealth, barkour (dog parkour), gadgets and combat.

How you choose to play, once you start your missions, is up to you. I played through some sections stealthier, others with guns blazing. Both were equally fun, and I encountered no issues with the gameplay during the demo.

The demo tasked you to work your way through a castle, finding ways around the enemies, looking for cat-themed villains. You will be pushing levers, using elevators, and finding collectables. You can use stereotypical dog senses like sniffing to follow clues, hidden paths and Easter Eggs. He can use other dog senses to see enemies through walls and eavesdrop on conversations. Take your time and explore every corner, you never know what you’ll find. There will be more locations and missions in the full games, including some lovely, lush forests I’ve seen in the trailer and pictures.

Barkour has some very funny writing, reminiscent of silly buddy detective shows and movies. The voice acting is well done by the characters I met in the demo.

Cute and Cuddly, with a gun and grappling hook, Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R is the best boy, and I can’t wait for the full game to see what missions we’ll go on.

Until then…be good to yourself and be good to each other.