Squirrel Away

Squirrels are actually considered a pest in some parts of the world, especially because of the fact that they cause a lot of electrical problems. Since they are regularly exploring the tallest trees around, they sometimes touch high voltage wires, or even mess with transformers. However, people are also wary of them because they tend to ruin crops and camp on your property.

Squirrel Away is a cute platformer that allows you to play as a colorful squirrel and see just what it takes to survive in their world. The game is designed to be enjoyed in local co-op with up to three other friends, but you can also enjoy it with the A.I. in case you want to play it alone. You can choose from four different squirrel species and even customize their color.

In short, the gameplay revolves around catching various fruits that fall from the sky, while also trying to compete with the other squirrels in the arena. Your goal is to have the most points at the end of each stage, but cooperation is also an option if you are so inclined. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to cooperate with the A.I., so that option is only available when playing with other people.

The game’s biggest flaw is the fact that it gets pretty repetitive after a while, especially since nothing very exciting happens most of the time. While there are predators like birds and felines coming through once in awhile, they are fairly easy to avoid. Hence, you are pretty much stuck trying to catch falling fruit stage after stage, which gets boring in a rush.

Thankfully, as least the graphics are colorful and wacky, not to mention hilarious in certain circumstances. The squirrels are very nicely animated, as are the predators that make their way across the screen. Unfortunately, the levels are pretty repetitive, mainly because not much changes besides the layout of the platforms.

Squirrel Away can keep you amused for a while, but only if you play it with friends and separate controllers. In case you decide to play with the A.I. in single player, you might be disappointed by the lack of variety.