Let’s Go Nuts

Developed By: BeardedBrothers.Games
Published By: DevJuice
Category: Platformer
Release Date: 07.17.2019

Sometimes when playing through games you find an experience that doesn’t look like it would be something you would enjoy, but then when you just buckle down and give it a shot you find out it has something special about it that makes for a good experience. Let’s Go Nuts did this to me. I am a huge platformer fan, and especially like the interesting mechanics indies add to the equation out of the norm. Let’s Go Nuts on the surface doesn’t appear to bring much new to the table, as a straight up platformer, but it adds a mechanic that made the game quite interesting for me, and even though it isn’t the first time I have played a game with this mechanic it surely made this title a ton more fun than I expected.

The mechanic I am referring to is the ability to move around objects effortlessly, with physics-based mechanics propelling said objects around the level in a crazy fashion. Boxes cover each stage you play through, and you use these boxes to traverse the level as you are also playing a game of The Floor is Made of Lava as you progress, and these boxes are your only saving grace. Unlike other games where you move objects you aren’t slowed by running into these boxes, you launch them bouncing through the level and can cause a lot of chaos as these boxes can also be used to take out enemies when they are being used as your bridge to the end of the level. As I said, this mechanic isn’t new, but it made for a lot of fun considering this level is a lot about trying to beat levels as soon as possible, and having these boxes react as they did made for some randomness that allowed for some replay potential, more interesting runs, and added the difficulty level this game needed.

As I mentioned, one of the main goals of this title is to defeat each level under a certain amount of time, but along with that you also have acorns that litter the level, and collecting a certain number of them will allow for another completion goal met. On top of that you also have harder to attain golden acorns that are fewer in number and placed in tedious positions that make for utilizing the boxes and your skill a more important trait. With all of this they have used basic goals, but none of them feel cumbersome and make for this simple platformer to have a surprising enjoyment level.

You also have various enemy types that change in a significant way as you move through the game. They are pretty basic until you get to the later stages, where you just have to plop onto their heads, or toss a box at them in order to progress, but the game isn’t trying to create anything that is too complex or out of left field. You are just meant to play through this title and enjoy yourself, and members of the platforming elite will find this game extremely easy, especially if you don’t care you chase the times or acorns.

Beyond that you have the regular, single-player mode that allows you to play through 40 stages with increasing difficulty, and a changing landscape every 10 stages. You will visit the forest, on fire and not, a snowy level, and a final area that I won’t spoil, but let’s say it gets pretty far out…

From there you can also enjoy an endless mode where you just try to get as far as possible, as is commonplace, and then a multiplayer mode in which you and up to four friends can play through levels for some chaotic craziness. These are some good additions to this title that would otherwise be quite short and allow for an increase in the replay value overall.

There are cosmetic that you can purchase with the collected acorns and golden acorns to give your squirrel one of a few different outfits in various colors. This isn’t anything that changes the game but is a nice touch.

The art is the biggest reason that I wasn’t expecting much out of this title at first glance. It isn’t anything crazy and has a very basic design. Not that it is a negative, but it definitely has the look of what you would expect from a platformer on mobile platforms. It’s cartoony and isn’t bad looking by any means, it just doesn’t have the charm I would normally look for as a hook to jump into other indie titles.

What does this game have to offer beyond it’s simple platforming as described above? Not a ton. There is a small story that has no dialogue or explanation; just a comic book storyboard at the start of each landscape change, and it adds a little something to a game that otherwise didn’t really need an explanation. This title isn’t trying to be the next Mario, and definitely isn’t going to turn any major heads, however for being a mobile port-like experience this game really does a good job making the transition over to the Nintendo Switch, and is an enjoyable experience overall for anyone who is already a fan of the genre. The game isn’t perfect and isn’t something that is going to be lauded or given any sort of grand notice, but I was truly surprised with how comprehensive of a platformer this was, and I was glad I got to try it out.