The world of gaming has cast me into many roles. Racer, war hero, farmer, taxi driver, detective, chief, plumber, adventurer. I have even taken the role of a rock while on this job. But, New York based developers Dee Dee Creations have thrust me into a role I would have never have seen coming in a million years in their newest title, Squirrel with a Gun.

The game does exactly what it says on the tin. You, indeed, play as a squirrel with a very healthy arsenal of guns. Squirrel with a Gun is cut from the same cloth as the Goat Simulator series. Insofar as it’s less about gripping story or tight controls, and more focused on having a laugh inside its mayhem.

An Actual Tale

Now, that’s not to say there isn’t a tale running through its core, just don’t expect it to be winning any awards at the end of the year. You play as a squirrel who has broken into a top-secret lab and eats a special hard drive that you mistake for being an acorn. What else would a piece of top-secret kit look like, really?

This sets alarms blazing and sending hordes of questionable secret agents after you. As you escape the secret facility, you find yourself in a picture-perfect residential neighbourhood which becomes your playground for causing pure havoc, while fighting off the G-men.

Paper thin is a phrase that sums up its tale, but it’s just a frame work to send you on your way to solve ever more challenging puzzles, often while being chased by too many bullets. You run, jump and do everything a squirrel would, to find more acorns and then unlock even more powerful toys.

Squirrel Simulator

Gameplay is janky, but in the most entertaining of ways. The game’s physics may play ball with you, or then again might not. It’s unpredictability adds an uncontrollable and chaotic vibe to proceedings. Often, what looks like an easy task can become a rather amusing nightmare.

Squirrel with a Gun bombs mines grenades

You can also use your firearm of choice to get a boost in the air. This lets you reach higher ground, but only as long as you have enough bullets in the clip to keep you afloat.

Similar to Goat Simulator, none of the puzzles are really signposted. You’ll have to explore around the area, then apply a lot of trial and error to get to the often-bizarre solutions. Puzzles vary from making a sad person happy, to working your way through a live mine field while trying to stay alive.

It’s worth noting that there are a few flagpoles in the area offering a wide vista of the play field. These are clearly inspired by the view point system in the Assassins Creed games. Climbing these will show you what items, unlocks and points of interest are in that set area. It’s a simple system that works – you’ll never lose track of where things to do are located.

Titular Squirrel’s Titular Gun

Thankfully, the game named Squirrel with a Gun comes with plenty of combat to engage in. You can go full literal; gunning down enemies. Or just go wild on your foes and pound them with Kung Fu after climbing them.

While its more of a fun-based system than a challenge-based one, you do get a good selection of firearms. A shotgun, a grenade launcher and a rocket launcher, the kinds of weapons that bring chaos to the equation are here.

You can also unlock a healthy amount of outfits for your squirrel, as well as other fur colours and though most of these are cosmetic, some do affect gameplay like the Hurt Locker style bomb suit, that stops you from taking damage from explosives.

There are also a handful of boss fights that help to keep things interesting, but are more often than not based on illogical puzzles. So, take a bit of time to find the right way to defend them.

Hits and Misses

Visually, Squirrel with a Gun is bright and colourful but comes with the rough edges you may expect from this type of game. Rag dolling never truly works, and you end up clipping through a fence or two.

Squirrel with a Gun is bizarre, wild, bonkers and then some. It’s not the deepest or most challenging game 2024 has seen, but it is one of the most original in terms of off the wall ideas.

SwaG is a blast for a few hours, and is definitely a good laugh with a few mates on the couch, but it runs out of steam just before the credits roll. However, if you’re looking for a truly nuts title, Squirrel with a Gun is well worth checking out.