New Stealth Game Lets You Play As a Dog

Highlights

• Barkour, a new stealth game, will feature a sneaky, gadget-using dog as the protagonist, offering a unique twist on the classic spy genre.
• Despite the growing prevalence of cat-centric video games in recent years, players are excited about Barkour's release in 2025.
• Developed by VARSAV Game Studios, Barkour promises to provide an interesting perspective by putting a common house pet in a role typically reserved for human protagonists.

A new stealth game titled Barkour will put players in the role of the most unlikely of special agents: a sneaky, gadget-using dog. Just like their real-life counterparts, dogs have been faithful companions in many video games over the years – at least when they aren’t the enemy the player has to defeat. From Fallout’s four-legged companion Dogmeat to the mystical wolflike deity Amaterasu of Okami fame, dogs have charmed their way into many gamers’ hearts and continually prove to be “man’s best friend” in both the virtual world and the real one.

In recent years, it seems that the dog’s age-old rival the cat has been getting more affection from video game developers. 2022’s fluffy adventure title Stray proved to be a massive hit on PlayStation systems before eventually making its way onto Xbox consoles, with a Nintendo Switch release still on the horizon. Meanwhile, Little Kitty, Big City placed its own feline protagonist in a more colorful city landscape earlier this year, courtesy of indie developer Double Dagger Studio. With all these cat-centric releases over the past few years, players are due for some new canine representation.

Said representation is coming next year in the form of Barkour, a new action/stealth title that sees players take control of a secret agent dog tasked with saving the world on behalf of a spy organization comprised of animals. As shown in a recently released Barkour trailer, this four-legged super-spy must navigate through environments using parkour-like skills and high-tech gadgets, sneaking past gun-wielding mercenaries and taking them down with comical attacks before zipping to its next objective.

Barkour Release Window

According to the trailer and press release, Barkour will run and jump its way onto PC and home consoles sometime in 2025, though specifics are still scarce at the present time. It is being developed by VARSAV Game Studios, the Polish developer that released the equally quirky Bee Simulator back in 2019.

Just like Stray and Little Kitty, Big City before it, Barkour looks like it will provide gamers with an interesting perspective as it places a common house pet in the type of action and stealth-centric role that normally goes to a human protagonist – in this case, as a canine secret agent charged with saving the world from the forces of evil. Stealth fans and players looking for more interactive experiences centered around “man’s best friend” might want to keep an eye out for more information about Barkour as it gets ready to launch sometime next year.