Squirrel with a Gun (Switch 2)

We’ve all come across media with a title that presents an insanely weird premise, be it a tornado made of sharks, a life simulator of a humble goat, or that of a small rodent bearing a firearm. Squirrel with a Gun is the latest in the craze of “combine animal with object/disastrous event,” which really caught everyone’s attention and soon enough graced the gaming space, being a sort of warped student unity project where the rules could be damned. But is this just another shallow attempt at piquing the interest of gamers with a silly concept, or does this game have some serious nuts?


What is Squirrel with a Gun?

Indie darling “Squirrel with a Gun” makes its way onto the Nintendo Switch 2 with plenty of shiny new additions, and more nuts. For those who don’t know, “SWAG” is about a Squirrel who loves nuts and decides to wield a gun to fight back against a shady government organisation hellbent on world domination. They messed with the wrong squirrel, and it’s time for hijinks, references, and nibbling on nuts!

Wholesome stuff.

The best way I can describe Squirrel with a Gun is like a quirky platformer that’s been put together in Unity by a few students on a weekend who decided that Conker needed a reboot where he could hold a rocket launcher. The aim of the game is simple: you venture around various districts, causing PG-13 style mayhem, collect Golden acorns, and do all sorts of crazy s*** to unlock outfits and tools of destruction. Our friendly, gun-toting neighbourhood squirrel can explore a small town that’s particularly filled with impractical features such as houses full of lava, the most depressing children’s birthday party, a waterpark with slides 200ft in the air, and a jogger who never, ever stops jogging.

Think Goat Simulator … but with squirrels and guns, and personally, a lot more fun.


This Squirrel has nuts bigger than my head!

Things start innocently enough as our furry little friend finds themselves in a secret lab which houses a tasty golden acorn the size of a large baby. Squirrely the Squirrel (classic British TV reference there if you know) gobbles the massive golden nut, and is soon set upon by shady government agents, all doing their best Mr Smith impression. After a tense stare down, our Squirrel friend picks up a stray handgun and soon understands firearms and can use them effectively to rid the world of shadowy government scum … with no other explanation, or the fact a handgun is heavier than a squirrel, let alone a rocket launcher, and why would the government be after a squirrel spending all that time and resources?

I don’t know, and I love it!

From here on, our adorable squirrel is let loose within a small town with a simple goal … Gather as many golden acorns as possible! … And face off against the heads of the shadowy government organisation planning some takeover of the world, with their leaders known as Mother and Father.

What follows is a madcap series of events where players can investigate houses full of molten lava, have shootouts in old western saloons, and bring a lonely man a birthday cake and celebrate. It's all very random and tied together in this sort of playground of madness, with a singular goal that’s utterly hilarious and crammed pack with references. And the broken physics…. That’s a make-or-break thing if you ask me.

Yes, this is an incredibly silly, but charming game that made me laugh more than I expected, and the mere thought of a squirrel taking on the government is simply amazing. And the off presentation just adds more to it. As I said, this feels and looks like something put together in a game jam over a weekend, and this will either gel with you or you’ll end up despising it. I know, as upon the original release of Squirrel with a Gun, I bought a bunch of friends PS5 copies, and generally, my friends liked it … a couple of them didn’t.

The game is off in plenty of areas, quite literally with floating telephone poles, jumping and platforming that feels clanky at the best of times, wonky animations that repeat a fair bit, especially with the finishers you perform on enemies. I’m a fan of this stuff if done for and purpose, and it is on purpose. But easily, some people won’t like that, so be prepared for what you’re getting into.

It's janky on purpose, but everything does work as it should, despite some terrible driving controls for some vehicles and with the Switch 2 controls, the jumping can feel a little more off than I remembered, and the camera can be a pain at times, too. But the game is very forgiving, with plenty of checkpoints, and never punishing you in a way which deters you from going back and doing it all over again. 


Insert squirrel/nut joke there for gameplay header

Squirrel with a Gun’s gameplay revolves around platforming, puzzle solving, gathering key items to progress and unlock new areas. It’s a big playground, or puzzle box of simple problem solving, that’s immensely creative. Also gathering brown acorns for basic currency, and golden acorns for new item/weapons unlocks is a big driving force for exploration and problem-solving, too. Plus, GUNS! And you solve problems with guns!

The format to Squirrel with a Gun is to give players a playground with problems, solutions and acorns, and let them roam free. There are a couple of set-pieces and moments that progress the “story”, but what you do is up to you, and there’s a lot to do. I liked the random encounters and just going with the flow of solving them, which this game does exceptionally well. But also, how nicely dense the world is to explore and engage with, harbouring many secrets and rewards for the keen squirrel.

Platforming in design and theory is good, as the squirrel is quite nimble, you can drive certain vehicles just fine, and surprisingly, the weapon handling is tight and a lot of fun. But as a squirrel, you’ll be doing a lot of jumping, running, and climbing, be it flag poles that give you an insight into where collectables are, or trees, or through fences, or just taking a casual swim. The general movement speed is fine, by considering some of the larger environments, I do wish he were a little faster, or having a dash-like action would’ve helped make up the distance. You do get a little car, not too far after the game begins, that’s a massive help, but there are many sections, especially in the late game, where the car’s use is limited.

As for driving, driving the car is fine. Driving a speedboat, which you get halfway through the game, is a different matter… It’s awful. But the best is the drone, which is endgame stuff, and a squirrel on a drone is like Scones with jam and cream. Driving around was pretty cool, as it looks adorable, it was efficient, and there are plenty of ramps, and cool bits of set-dressing the world to drive along on.

However, the game’s physics can be quite ropey at times, with it being easy to lose control of the car, especially in steep driveways during a big chase. The camera can be a massive pain for driving and climbing at times, either going in way too close to see anything. And the jumping a bit off at times, and I’m not sure if this is down to the Switch 2 controllers overcompensating for something, but this never truly got in the way. And Squirrel with a Gun is kind enough with its checkpoints, and getting back into the action was quite seamless.

Now, for the guns! The gunplay is simple, but highly enjoyable and with some neat little features that come into general play quite interestingly. There are pistols, shotguns, rocket launchers, and now the Grav-Gun for you to mess around with. While guns are great for shooting bad guys with, they’re also handy as traversal tools for quick leaps into the air, which is handy for crossing big gaps and all that.

At its core, the gunplay is solid and does what it needs to do, and often with some great results. And yes, there is a good variety of weapons, all useful, be it for taking out enemies or platforming. While having the Grav-Gun is a nice addition, I would have liked to have seen maybe just one or two more exotic guns, like a railgun or mini gun.

But where Squirrel with a Gun shines through is the randomness, and I loved the discoveries, such as the Haunted House on top of the hill, that made my time feel like it was from a Resident Evil game.  That, the clever use of gunplay, and the charm of the squirrel madness do make this a tip-top, weird game to play.


Overall?

I have such love for Squirrel with a Gun. It’s lovingly put together, has so much jank and weirdness that I couldn’t help myself but absolutely admire it for what it is. Not only is the gunplay enjoyable and utterly strange from this furry perspective, but the general gameplay loop of exploring, problem-solving, and being rewarded for being an investigative squirrel is some of the best, wholesome fun.

The game is more than just a silly title and feels like a love letter to weird, wonderful randomness, bringing together rodents, firearms, and quirky platforming that rewards massive acorns I can only dream of. Simply a beautiful mess of a game, that should win awards, all the awards!

++ Insanely good platforming fun that’s rewarding and engaging
++ Great lateral elements and sense of discovery
+ Silly antics which are adorable and entertaining
+ Cute squirrel stuff, plus snapping necks

-- The jank can be a little annoying at times
- Could have used more guns and gadgets
- Boss fights can be a tad tedious


The publisher kindly provided a review code of Squirrel with a Gun.