Squirrel With a Gun
Developed by: DeeDee Creations
Published by: Massive Entertainment
Platforms: PC (reviewed on) Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
Release Date: August 29th (PC) October 15th 2024 for Xbox series X/S and PlayStation 5
Price: $19.99
Five hours into Squirrel With a Gun I realized I suck at platformers. About 6 hours in I got my hands on a shotgun and found myself laughing at the sight of a beret-wearing brown squirrel wielding a shotgun as if he were a character drawn by Rob Leifeld in the mid 90’s. Squirrel With a Gun does an amazing job of being both hilariously frustrating, and frustratingly hilarious.
Developed by DeeDee Creations, and released via Maximum Entertainment, Squirrel With a Gun is the story of everyone’s favorite neighborhood rodent and it’s love of guns. From handguns to rocket launchers, and everything in between. Set in a puzzle filled sandbox neighborhood, players are free to explore and terrorize the residents as the curious squirrel protagonist, all while avoiding the government agents roaming the area.
The several hours I have put into Squirrel With a Gun have been both rewarding, and equally frustrating. The game at its heart is very much a platformer, with clever puzzles throughout. Players are tasked with collecting acorns, as well as golden acorns that are used to unlock various firearms, costumes, and vehicles used by our inquisitive little rodent as they run wild through suburbia.
Not much hand-holding
While Squirrel With a Gun is a blast to play, it’s initial moments were a bit on the frustrating side. The games opening moments feature a limited tutorial, and minimal hints instead relying on players’ curiosity to figure out the controls.
Once that initial minor hurdle is cleared, the game opens to an often laugh-inducing experience.
Precision platforming
Control response is very snappy, especially when our furry protagonist is zipping around the streets in their little car. An unfortunate side effect of this snappiness in the controls, is the feeling that the camera control is a little too sensitive in it’s default setting, and can make the platforming elements of the game extremely challenging, especially if your gaming forte isn’t the platforming genre. This can of course be remedied to some extent by adjusting the camera sensitivity, but there’s only so much camera sensitivity adjustments can do when platformers are not your bread and butter.
Full transparency here, I’m that player. I will admit, there were more than a few times where I did get extremely frustrated, but that frustration stemmed more from my own lack of skill when it comes to platformers. As frustrating as my platforming experience was, my puzzle solving experience is what kept me playing.
If you like puzzles, Squirrel With a Gun is the game for you. The puzzles in this game are clever and engaging, and are just challenging enough to keep you scratching your head for a bit without feeling nearly unsolvable. The team at DeeDee creations has done a great job of challenging players in the most hilarious, tongue-in-cheek manner possible.
From birthday cakes to helium tanks, the solution, while not obvious, is always right in front of you. Along with puzzles and platforming challenges, players can collect various outfits and accessories that are hidden around the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Some of the outfits players can find will actually benefit our squirrel protagonist, while others comically change our furry friend’s animations.
Shoot ’em up
Combat in the game can only be described as absolutely bonkers, in a good way. Ever wonder what a squirrel wielding a shotgun, or a rocket launcher looks like? Well, Squirrel With A Gun definitely answers that question.
From revolvers to uzis this squirrel knows their way around firearms. As our little rodent special agent doesn’t have pockets (or a backpack or ammo pouches), weapon reloads are accomplished by either finding a gun platform, or using reload wedges, which can be found hiding in various spots throughout the play area, or by uprooting plants in between civilian terrorizing, and agent dispatching.
What else can guns be used for? Why assisting in launching our rodent friend to new heights, or across yards, or possibly helping the RC car you are in reach new areas. As integral as they are in assisting with dispatching the random agents in the area, the guns in the game are also very valuable puzzle solving tools.
Unarmed? That’s okay too, as our furry little friend is apparently well versed in the way of secret agent neck snapping (spoiler alert: this is actually comically used to solve a puzzle).
Up for a little razzle dazzle when it comes time to dispatch an enemy? Our little squirrel friend has that covered too, with finishers that are sure to make players quickly forget that they were ever frustrated by the game.
All of this squirrel induced insanity is accompanied by a chef’s kiss of a soundtrack, with the instrumental pieces reminiscent of James Bond sytle instrumentals providing the backing track for our violent little acorn lover.
Frustrating Yet Absurdly Satisfying
Squirrel With a Gun is not the type of game to hold hands. Instead, the game uses light hints and a light tutorial to rely on the player’s ingenuity and problem solve skills to progress the furry protagonist’s adventure. While my less-than-stellar platforming skills did lead me into some pretty frustrating moments, the game overall is an absolute joy to play.
The feeling of satisfaction after dispatching a boss or solving a complex puzzle really drives you to wanting to see what comes next, and the comedy is a breath of fresh air reminiscent of the absurd comedy seen in games like Gex and other 3D platformers in the past.
I highly recommend this game, even if you’re not the best platformer in the world, as the game itself has a lot to offer to help smooth over the fact that you fell off a floating inflatable trampoline for the 50th time.
Squirrel With a Gun is out now for PC via steam, and will launch on Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation 5 on October 15th 2024.
You’d think that after the launch, DeeDee Creations would be sitting back, enjoying their piles of acorns, but not at all, the team at DeeDee has also planned for some additional free content, such as the inclusion of a photo mode, so you can catch you squirrel hero in all their super hero landing glory, as well as a new unnamed rival and new level.
Photo mode is set to launch in September of this year, with the new level, and furry rival coming in December.
