Not many ideas are more enticing right away than Squirrel with a Gun. A sandbox game in which you take control of a rodent with a rifle and terrorize the local populace? Sure, please! And to some extent, that idea does live up to expectations; there are plenty of belly-laugh-inducing moments early on, and the silly adventure’s first few hours are full of fun. However, rather than sitting on a mound of hilarious acorns, this bizarre Sciuridae emulator stuffs its cheeks with absurd jokes all at once, only to discover that its stocks are depleted as winter draws near.
That fleeting smile was tempered by really severe performance problems, such as frequent crashes that forced me to repeat lengthy stretches and severely limited my mobility. Even though I’m excited for a better-developed Goat Simulator 3 sequel, Squirrel with a Gun still provides a few hours of entertaining sandbox fun, but as the joke wears thin, it falls flat.
Similar to Untitled Goose Game and Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Squirrel with a Gun is a humorous sandbox game in which players assume the role of an unruly animal that causes serious issues for the humans in their vicinity. You are released into a suburban town with a pistol that you obtained from a clumsy government spook. You can use it to rob people at gunpoint, destroy personal property without cause, and use your Second Amendment right to shoot idiots in the face like the bloodthirsty little varmint that you are. It’s enjoyable! It only took me four hours to roll credits, but that cheesy section is exactly as shallow as it sounds, and the laughter stopped even faster.
Fighting like a ferocious squirrel turns out to be pointless. Agent Smith-looking sons of a gun will be dispatched by you with handguns, rifles, and even grenade launchers; most of the time, they will just stand there and let you do it with very little opposition. These are the only foes there, and they are all eliminated in a few hits. A standout moment occurs when you shock an adversary and then use a special finishing technique to eliminate them, such as hitting an enemy with an Uzi or slapping away their clutching hands while using gunjitsu like a furry John Wick. Sadly, each weapon can only have one of these animations, so the novelty wears off soon. Beyond these fundamentals, there isn’t much to battle, and in a handful of seconds, every weapon feels like simply another indistinct addition to the armory.
To mix things up, there are two boss bouts when you take on enormous military vehicles, such as a tank. While there isn’t much of a challenge in these brief encounter sequences where you have to shoot at glowing areas and reduce a health bar, they are nevertheless enjoyable and include a few funny moments. These kinds of things may have greatly increased my delight if they had been included in the plot, but like everything else in this short journey, they end quickly.
However, the puzzle-platforming is far more enjoyable. Squirrel with a Gun’s fighting is not nearly as entertaining as firing your weapons to conquer platforming problems, such as double-jumping or other aerial maneuvers. The submachine gun is an excellent tool for maintaining your aerial position while traversing gaps, but when it comes to sheer altitude, nothing compares to the rocket launcher’s ability to send you sailing high into the air and land (usually) safely on distant platforms. While the platforming isn’t very difficult, the enjoyment of moving your fluffy avatar from place to place doesn’t wear off as quickly as the other aspects of the game.
Regrettably, even in its short running length, Squirrel with a Gun’s fun moments are prone to be cut short by technical problems. I lost a significant amount of work and had to restart parts after finding myself staring at a frozen screen more than five times in a short period.
By the time the game ended, I had developed the fear-driven habit of heading straight for the static save spots located in each section. This was fortunate because crashes appeared to occur more regularly throughout the latter half of the adventure. And it wasn’t the only problem I encountered: There were multiple occasions when my little friend went through geometry while traveling at a fast pace and sent me falling to the ground, forcing me to replay some platforming sections. One cutscene started and forgot to add the squirrel where he was supposed to go, breaking everything and forcing me to reset.
Fortunately, Squirrel with a Gun already welcomes a certain amount of anarchic energy, so the odd silly bug won’t ruin everything. However, it did cause some of the previously enjoyable parts to lose some of their appeal when I had to see them through three times after a crash.
Verdict
With legs as short as its cuddly lead, Squirrel with a Gun is an incredible, instantly endearing concept. Although there are many fun moments to be had shooting guns and running around in the small sandbox areas, the game’s short playtime, shallow combat, and several technical faults left me wanting more. The outrageous boss fights, undoubtedly the highlight of the crazy adventure, are few and conclude far too soon. Although this first installment leaves much to be desired, I still enjoy this vicious rodent and have high expectations for a larger, more detailed sequel, and less prone to crashing.
