Let's Go Nuts! (Nintendo Switch) Review

The premise in here is a bit on the bizarre side: one squirrel vs. dozens of aliens seems an unfair balance, but the quirkiness works. Fans of anything cute may squeal with joy as the happy fluffy hero races through the levels collecting as many nuts as possible in the shortest possible time.

Abstract premise aside, while there are many ledges to jump along and simple puzzles needing solutions, a highly enjoyable aspect of Let's Go Nuts was finding ways to walk along the bottom of the screen using movable boxes to avoid the deathly floor.

Witnessing the hamster's death face repeatedly provided extra motivation to complete the level successfully. The boxes vary in size and weight; those in the space theme levels provided more of a challenge by being less affected by gravity, ice blocks in the winter themed level were indeed slippery to use. Karate slamming into a tower of such useful boxes was more enjoyable with an accompanying "Hiiiiiiyaaaah!" ideally out loud, or in your head if playing near other people.

There is much to love about the fluffball; his endearing expression changes as he moves, there's the extra little kick to the side when jumping that makes him resemble a ninja, which he can become thanks to the several types of costumes. He looks cute enough without the surprisingly wide variety of hats, tops and leg wear styles in various colours that can be mixed and matched them for a real superhero feel. These are bought using the two types of nuts found in a level; normal and special ones, which usually only have three per stage to collect.

Bouncing on and over enemies, who do get harder to avoid as the intrepid hero works through the levels, doesn't get old. The thrill of reaching a personal best on a level's completion time brings a welcome rush of endorphins. The four different themed areas with music suited to the theme are a joy to play through because while it is not a 3D game, elements in the environment change - seeing birds fly overhead while bouncing from one platform to the next made the game feel more real. Afterall, everyone harbours a secret desire to be a dumpy squirrel fighting aliens, right?