Squirrel With A Gun | PS5 Review

Squirrels, at their very basic, are curious creatures with an inherent knack for puzzle solving. If they see something they want they find a way to get it. Even at the risk of injury these bush tailed tree rats will repeatedly press on towards that end goal. That same squirrelly mentality carries over in "Squirrel With A Gun", and unabashedly so. 

In this case though the squirrel in question happens upon a top secret gadget it mistakes for an acorn, and in doing so inadvertently learns the ins and outs of gun control. Through pistols, Uzis, and other weapons our furry pal wreaks havoc as he attempts to escape the pursuit of the infamous men in black.

Starting off with the escape from the government lab where the precious top secret acorn was housed we help our squirrelly friend along as he evades capture utilizing guns, and his ability to traverse platforming sections laden with puzzles in a squirrelly kind of way. As he does so he collects acorns. Both from the fallen agents, and from the areas he's in. These varied acorns act as currencies to unlock in-game weapons, and other useful tools as well as cosmetics.

The goal in all of this is to make your way from location to location triggering battles, and puzzle solving sections. By utilizing virtual pay pads with predetermined acorn currency costs to reload ammunition, change/buy guns, and find other methods with which to travel you'll engage in these routine activities. There's even boss battles in the mix that will blend both puzzle platforming, and target shooting. Leaving the occasional cosmetic in a briefcase to be nabbed for a more pricey price. Tasks that will each test your mettle as you do what needs to be done.

In the way of shooting mechanics guns can be used as a means of aerial traversal, combat, and target shooting for puzzle solving. Each gun behaves differently, and offers it's own unique take on these three core mechanics. There's even the use of grenades thrown into the mix for good measure. Beyond the weapon combat you can also mount and climb humans delivering a finisher at their head with the press of a button, twisting their head until they collapse or blasting them with bullets if you have a gun on hand. That and a slowdown mechanic can be put to use for advantage with the two types of combat options. Putting to use these methods of mayhem will ultimately help in escaping your pesky pursuers.

Collect-a-thon goals in "Squirrel With A Gun" not only include the acorn currencies, but two types of reload power-ups. By collecting fragments of a max energy reload medallion or bullet eggs in each puzzle platforming area you'll gain access to single use max and partial reloads to help you regain a full or half clip/magazine of ammo when you're in a pinch. 

Squirreling Away the Nuts ...

While collecting everything, and dealing with the agents in pursuit within "Squirrel With A Gun" you will want to avoid getting hit or dying instantly from the floor that is often times lava. Though you can respawn infinitely you do have a health meter, and it is shown as a Squirrel outline with the tail being health. Thankfully there are save points in the form of bird feeders that can be taken advantage of as you progress. That, and forward progress is maintained to some extent in regards to the puzzles as well as the larger acorn currencies.

Overall "Squirrel With A Gun", in all it's comedic glory, is a combat focused Portal-like puzzle platformer with collect-a-thon elements filled with slapstick humor, and a nod to our squirrelly friends that stays true to their curious nature. It answers the unasked question, "What would a squirrel do if it could use a gun?". Not that we needed to know, but it is good to know nonetheless. 

The Presentation ...

Visually, "Squirrel With A Gun" is a new-gen experience done up in a manner similar to that of Goat Simulator, but with more attention to precision platforming. It is a 3D world in which the squirrel protagonist releases his wrath upon the human populous while exhibiting human qualities, specifically a personality. The world the squirrel inhabits is cartoonish, but lively in very colorful presentation. All of which is accented by jazzy tunes, and some metal vocals thrown in with some harmony for the lols. It is a fun loving game that does not take itself too seriously.

The Verdict ...

Playing a puzzle platformer with collect-a-thon gimmicks, and gun play mechanics was something else. It's not often games like this pop-up, but when they do they are a fun ride for a while. It is the type of game to experience at least once before shelving it. 

One thing I really liked about it is how they silently gave the squirrel a personality through it's facial animations and reactions. It really added that extra layer of humor needed to keep it from being dull. I also liked the slapstick humor involving the agents, and the human residents. This too padded the humor. As far as gameplay goes it is tighter than I thought it would be given the type of game this is though jumping is still loose by design. It had to be this way though, because the puzzle platforming elements demanded it. Thankfully it works well enough once you learn how to deal with some awkwardly fixed camera angles. I should also mention the game froze up at one point when collecting a max energy reload medallion, and that a bridge that was supposed to spawn after agents were down failed to do so.

For what it's worth I give "Squirrel With A Gun" a "nutworthy (noteworthy)" seal of approval as it is noteworthy. For the comedic value, mostly. It's a funny but somewhat flawed game concept with the occasional bug halting progress. If you can muscle your way through though it has it's moments. Something to look forward to if you can stand the Portal level of puzzle solving frustration that does occur.