Garganta

Played 25 minutes on Steam Deck and I’m conflicted. On one hand, this is an impressive student project, and everyone who worked on it should be proud of themselves. For a free game it has impressive graphics and scope… but that’s the problem. The graphics are too good, and I would prefer if they sucked, or at least more graphics options (also I couldn’t change post processing). It wouldn’t matter as much in a slower-paced game, but a parkour-focused adventure needs high, consistent frame-rates. There is a lot to like here, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a REALLY beefy PC, or the developers optimize the game/add more graphics options, in which case I will play more and revise this review

[b]Score: 3/10[/b] [list] [*][b]Art:[/b] Strong visual presentation overall, with good graphics and an interesting sci-fi aesthetic clearly inspired by [i]Portal[/i]. Environmental design is one of the highlights. That said, there are far too many aggressive visual effects: intense flashing lights often cover large portions of the screen and repeat rapidly, becoming distracting and uncomfortable. [*][b]Music:[/b] Solid ambient soundtrack that fits the setting well. Voice acting is good. However, there is a serious technical issue where audio quality drops noticeably if the master volume is set too high, which should not happen. [*][b]Story:[/b] Acceptable so far, based on the portion played. Nothing particularly remarkable, but serviceable and seemingly coherent. [*][b]Gameplay:[/b] A parkour-focused action game with significant problems. Performance is unstable, with frequent frame drops even on modern CPU/GPU setups. There is excessive dialogue for an action game; while the story may matter, it constantly interrupts the flow. Several bugs stand out: subtitles sometimes remain on screen after a scene ends or is skipped, and the pause menu can leave a translucent overlay stuck on screen after resuming. Level design is a major issue. In multiple sections it is unclear where to go. In one case, falling into a pit leads to a well-lit room that looks like the correct path but is not; the actual route is along a wall inside the pit, with no indication. In another tubular area, progression requires climbing, but there is no clear visual language to explain how, double jump does not work, and attempting to cross the room results in hitting an invisible wall or bug, making progression impossible. [*][b]Accessibility:[/b] Subtitle size can be increased, mouse sensitivity and field of view can be adjusted, and there is a toggle for running. Beyond that, options are very limited, with no proper controller support or broader accessibility features. [/list] [b]Overall Experience:[/b] It is clear this is a student project, and the developers are upfront about the presence of bugs, which is fair. Even so, the experience falls below expectations. Bugs are one thing, but poor level design actively kills any desire to continue playing. With better visual clarity, stronger performance, and especially improved level design, this could be worth revisiting. In its current state, it is difficult to recommend.