Squirrel with a Gun Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Some games surprise you with a novel premise that lends itself perfectly to interactivity, whilst others take a tried and tested idea and refine it. Squirrel With a Gun doesn’t fit with either STYLE, instead being a jokey meme at heart but one that results in a surprisingly enjoyable game. It may not reach the heights of the likes of Untitled Goose Game but it is far more than the five minute gag that I initially expected. Coming across like a fusion of Postal 2 and Goat Simulator, what results is a third person stealth platformer action game that mixes and fuses genres to create a flawed but fun experience.

The opening few minutes of the game see you trying to come to grips with the ridiculously floaty jumping controls of the titular rodent. This is not the best introduction to the game, as your critter is an awkward little sod and you’ll find yourself missing seemingly easy jumps until it clicks. Even when you become familiar with the controls they never really work as they should and not in a fun clumsy way.

Fortunately the majority of the game doesn’t require the precision of this early tutorial so perseverance is rewarded by a more enjoyable set of mechanics. Once you navigate the series of platforms and press a number of switches you unlock the first major collectable – a golden acorn. Swallowing this whole sets off an alarm and a mysterious agent clad in a flawless suit bursts into the room. It is here that you first pick up a pistol and the game begins in earnest.

There is no backstory as to why your squirrel begins the game in a secure facility or how he takes to gunplay quite so readily, but some clues are hinted at through the antagonists that are introduced in the form of boss fights after the two main hub areas are unlocked. Progress requires you to collect a certain number of golden acorns, and the more common currency version, in order to unlock abilities. The first of these is a remote controlled car that enables you to zip around the levels, but