Forgive the low-hanging fruit, but Squirrel With A Gun truly is nuts. There's no point trying to intellectualise this as a contemporary study into society and using all those imaginary words from university that you haven't used since... well, university; this game from Dee Dee Creations and Maximum Entertainment is mental and it knows it.
If the squirrel in question didn't have a gun, this would be a lawsuit, so feel confident that you'll get a pistol within a minute or two of exploring. Our adventure begins in an underground facility where the trigger-happy rodent tampers with some switches to unlock a golden acorn. Besides dietary requirements, these reward with plenty of cute customisations, rocket launchers and travel arrangements.
The switches introduced at the beginning are to get accustomed to Squirrel With A Gun's controls. They aren't hard to learn whatsoever and are mostly intuitive; however, getting a handle on them requires a degree. Good job you went to university then. The vocabulary? Pfft, but now you know how to manipulate a squirrel. For everyone else, expect plenty of deaths and losing your nuts. Not a joke, it's the game currency.
Jeitaro
Squirrel With A Gun Review
Recalling Away: Survival Series, the jumping behaves in a similar way that is quite contradictory. On one part, it's very floaty, but on the other, changing direction is swift and a little too sharp. The tutorial alone isn't enough to get used to it as in the open, as you'll find out after escaping the facility, isn't very welcoming. The puzzles are fun, and it is an open world to explore at your leisure, though the platforming elements will hold back most.
Source: PR
On to the gun-wielding elements, as you'll see from screenshots, we have a slight proportionate disadvantage. In Squirrel With A Gun, the weapons are far bigger than the hero, so when unleashing a bullet, the recoil is enough to send the squirrel flying backwards (inducing some frustration if you haven't got your bearings sorted), but also as an advantage as it can propel you forward - the same as firing the gun; it acts as a double jump mechanic.
Protect Yo' Neck
Naturally, bullets aren't infinite so look out for little hotspots to reload and try again. One thing worth mentioning is that the squirrel won't always have a gun, so you have to unlock spawn points using the nuts to obtain them. Alternatively, they can be obtained by the suits in pursuit. There are no kung fu moves per se, though items can be thrown to stun enemies (as well as an overpopulated neighbourhood hanging out in their gardens, doing sweet FA). One little trick discovered was climbing up an NPC and snapping their neck to obtain more nuts. Cute!
Throughout Squirrel With A Gun are mini obstacle courses that only a squirrel can navigate (and gamers with the patience and skill to control mid-flight rodents under attack). As mentioned, they can be tackled in any order; collecting all the acorns in the area can be invested in unlocking near gear - both cosmetic and functional, such as blast-proof armour to navigate a minefield. It doesn't do much to counter the tanks that are sent to destroy you. Yes, tanks.
Jeitaro
Squirrel With A Gun Review Summary
Squirrel With A Gun is incredibly far-fetched; it's in the title, and it might take some time to warm up to it. The music is somewhat dated and cuts intermittently during setpieces, and the NPC's free will makes the humble squirrel look like Megamind. Nevertheless, it's a fun little sandbox if you want to play about at your leisure; dressing up the hero in cute li' outfits.
A PS5 code was supplied for this review. No squirrels were harmed in the game, but one was sucker-punched on the way to work.
