The Digest: This just might be the coolest bomb carrying, wall climbing, laser dodging squirrel you will ever come across.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2010
PUBLISHER: Duct Tape Anonymous Entertainment
DEVELOPER: University of Utah Entertainment Arts and Engineering program
PRICE: 80 MS Points
GENRE: Puzzle & Platform
PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Your mission is to lead this James Bondesque looking squirrel to safety while using your smarts to navigate through new stages and avoiding death at all costs.
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You become transformed into a bomb totting squirrel with an attitude that extends far beyond his desire to escape the death trap that is Urban Space Squirrels. Packed with four main levels and twenty stages, this game will have you addicted from the time you pick up the controller to the time you pass out from lack of sleep as a result.
The game starts off a little slow with the first few puzzles being fairly easy to complete to advance you to the next stage. Once you get a feel for the game the engine kicks in full gear and the stages becoming increasingly more difficult to surpass. Your mind and reaction time will be put to the ultimate test in order to avoid those annoying lasers and the fast moving land mines. As you find your self knocking down stages like a house of cards you will be rewarded with much needed upgrades. Some of these upgrades include extra bombs or even a nice claw to climb the walls faster than jumping around them. This is where the game starts to become very addictive and you won’t be able to put the controller down until you pass that next stage or achieve that next upgrade.
Now I have been a big fan of the platform games in the past but the one problem I have with all of them is I could never seem get over the hump of the death-by-poor-camera-coverage. Games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, Earthworm Jim, or even the original NES Super Mario were all plagued by slow moving camera coverage. I can honestly say this is the first platform game that I have never had an issue with my character flying off screen and falling into a pit of death. The camera moves fluidly no matter how fast your new squirrel friend runs, falls, or jumps. He won’t ever be lost in your field of vision.
Can’t seem to figure out how to run, jump, or even use the bombs that magically fly out of the squirrel’s body? No worries, the game comes with a fun and interactive tutorial to show you how to handle your impressive new friend. No longer will you have to read long and boring scripts on how to move you character, rather the tutorials put you right into the feel of the game before actually starting your quest for escape.
That quest for freedom will have you stumbling across one of the many hilarious death sequences that are featured throughout the game. Whether it be death by strategically placed lasers or falling into a pit of mines, this is one of those added quirks that will have you deep in thought one minute to laughing hysterically the next. If you don't get anything out of this game in terms or enjoyment, remind your self that laughter is the best medicine and throw your little squirrel friend into on of those shiny lasers. It will be worth your time and effort!
Conclusion: You can really tell a lot of thought went into this game from the impressive Photoshop/Illustrator work to the fluid game engine throughout. As I have said before this is truly one of those titles that the Indie Game genre is all about. You will love to hate this game simple because it will push your mind and reaction time to the absolute edge. It’s safe to say this is one of those titles that is definitely worth your full download.
| PROS | CONS |
| - Highly Addictive - Very Professional Looking - Awesome Replay Value | - What are the Red Cards for? - Difficulty Spikes |
Single Player: 5/5 | Multi-Player: N/A
Special thanks to Duct Tape Anonymous Entertainment for providing us with a copy of the game for review.
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