NUTS

NUTS is smart, intuitive and very fun. And while it's short, the experience of the game is worth it, especially if you're in a gaming rut – or just a nut! [Issue #52 – May/June 2021, p. 18]

Even with so many great indie games on Switch, Nuts stands out from the crowd. Its story concludes in a way that’ll stick with you after the credits. It also offers a quirky, mostly satisfying experience that answers the question: what have these squirrels been up to?

A beautiful world, begging to be explored, with captivating tasks. The interface can be cumbersome, and the instructions vague, but that’s peanuts compared to the sense of exploration and intrigue that NUTS cultivates. Don’t let me cashew ignoring this one!

Everything in NUTS revolves around discovery. Discovering what these strange, fascinating squirrels are up to; what secrets are hidden in the ancient Melmoth Forest; discovering the past, as well as the future. Short without feeling short, simple without feeling simple, this game is as odd as it is beautiful. Go out on a limb and give it a try. You won’t find anything else like it.

A pleasant journey into an inspired forest through a fun and mysterious videogame.

A relaxed nature-based adventure with an interesting film mechanic. Unfortunately it is too repetitive and the story ending way too open.

The overarching story within NUTS is probably worth experiencing on its own, despite the repetitive gameplay. It’s reasonably well written and is just about compelling enough to hold your attention for its 2-3 hour duration. There’s nothing here that you’ll connect with on an emotional level, but the voiceover work really helps drive the mystery. Unfortunately, there also a number of framerate dips throughout the experience that will really hamper your enjoyment; hopefully, this will be ironed out in the future.

Overall I really would recommend NUTS if you are into narrative-driven games with a solid and interesting game mechanic. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend the Switch version. The UI is very hard to manage without any touch controls. The visual design harms the experience, and there are frequent framerate stutters and hiccups while playing the later levels. I enjoyed the premise and the ideas the game presents, but within this context the Switch version does not do the game justice. There is nut much to be gained here.

I cannot, in good faith, recommend a game that I could not finish thanks to game-breaking bugs. Looking past that, on the grounds that said bug can be squashed in time, you have a great concept that is just poorly executed. For all its atmosphere, for all its potential, the game feels totally hollow. Perhaps the point of the game was that you feel closer to the squirrels than your boss, who you hold in such contempt you refuse to speak to her. Perhaps the game is just dull.