Squirrel with a Gun (Switch 2) Review

A nutty premise on a shiny new handheld

Squirrel with a Gun has always sold itself on one image: a slightly menacing squirrel pointing a pistol at a terrified pedestrian. On Nintendo Switch 2, that meme has evolved into a surprisingly full-featured sandbox, complete with a launch-day chunk of free DLC. The core question is whether there is enough game underneath the viral hook, and whether Nintendo’s new hardware can keep the chaos feeling smooth in both handheld and docked play.

You play as a lab-enhanced squirrel who escapes a secret facility and tumbles into a compact open neighborhood. From there it’s all about stealing snacks, harassing suited agents, and using an arsenal of real-world guns to both fight and move. Fire a pistol at the ground to rocket yourself over fences, empty a shotgun to launch across intersections, or juggle enemies with recoil. The tone sits somewhere between Goat Simulator and Untitled Goose Game, albeit with far more gunfire.

Handheld vs docked: how it actually runs

On Switch 2, Squirrel with a Gun targets 60 frames per second and, for the most part, hits it. In docked mode, the experience is the closest to the PC original: sharper image quality, better shadows, and more consistent frame pacing during busy firefights. Firing into clustered groups of agents, setting off chain explosions, and scattering civilians causes brief dips, but they are rare and recover quickly enough not to spoil the silliness.

Handheld mode is where the compromises show. Resolution is lowered, foliage thins out in parks, and distant textures can look softer. More importantly, when you chain multiple recoil jumps while several agents are on-screen, the frame rate can momentarily stutter. It is not unplayable, and the game’s slower, slapstick pacing means precision platforming is rarely required, but the dips are noticeable when the sandbox is at its loudest.

The loading benefits of the new hardware help both modes. Fast travel between neighborhood pockets, or reloading after a failed stunt, takes only a few seconds. Given how often you experiment with physics and whiff a landing, that quick turnaround is essential to keeping the joke funny instead of frustrating.

Controls and gyro on the new Joy-Cons

Controls on Switch 2 are better than you might expect from a game so physics-driven. Standard Twin-stick aiming and shooting feel snappy, and the new Joy-Con sticks give you enough precision to pick off agent weak points or line up a perfect midair slow-motion shot.

There are a few quirks. The squirrel’s momentum can be slippery when you chain sprinting, jumping, and recoil boosts, which sometimes sends you sliding off rooftops. Camera auto-centering is aggressive in enclosed spaces, causing brief disorientation when you are trying to juggle targets in tight corridors. These issues affect both handheld and docked play equally.

Gyro aiming is the biggest win on Switch 2. Flicking the stick to get roughly on target, then using subtle wrist movements to fine-tune your aim, makes close-range gunplay far more satisfying than on formats without motion. The optional aim assist is tuned fairly generously, which fits the game’s chaotic spirit, and keeps it friendly for players who are here more for memes than marksmanship.

Handheld mode benefits from the intimate view of the screen, which makes the squirrel’s animations and tiny props more charming. Docked mode, on a larger TV, better showcases the ridiculous physics of ragdolling agents and explosive props, but also makes the visual shortcuts stand out more clearly.

What the free launch DLC adds

The free DLC bundled with the Switch 2 release understands exactly why people are interested in Squirrel with a Gun. Rather than trying to bolt on a serious story expansion, it leans into variety and toys.

The update introduces a new side area in the city, a couple of extra mission chains, and a handful of themed cosmetic outfits that further exaggerate the protagonist’s personality. More importantly, it adds several new weapons and gadgets that interact with the physics in entertaining ways. Without spoiling every unlock, expect firearms that change how you traverse rooftops, a few tools for crowd control, and some new environmental hazards that can turn small alleys into spectacular demolition sites.

This extra content does not fundamentally change the loop, but it gives returning players a reason to reengage and gives newcomers more humorous options earlier in the campaign. The new missions are bite-sized and rarely rise above “go here, cause chaos, escape,” yet they are paced well enough that they feel like a natural extension of the core game instead of a disconnected bonus.

Sandbox chaos: clever systems or one-note gag?

The heart of Squirrel with a Gun is the interplay between predictable AI behavior, loose physics, and finely tuned recoil. Agents respond to your crimes with escalating aggression, civilians flinch or flee in ways that can create accidental chain reactions, and the environment is crammed with small props that bounce, break, and scatter in surprising patterns.

For the first few hours, that interplay is genuinely delightful. You experiment with using guns as mobility tools, kite agents through traps, or terrorize a single cul-de-sac in increasingly elaborate ways. The Switch 2 hardware keeps up well enough that your experiments usually fail because you misjudged a jump, not because the game sputtered.

That said, the systems are not particularly deep. Once you have tried every weapon type, blown up each obvious set piece, and unlocked the main traversal upgrades, the sandbox starts repeating itself. Agents are not smart enough to encourage stealth or advanced tactics, so most encounters devolve into frantic circles around the same handful of blocks.

The launch DLC helps by injecting new toys and an extra district to poke at, but it cannot completely hide the repetition. This is a game that excels at short sessions, where you log in, try a new stunt for twenty minutes, and log off after a few big laughs. Binging it in multi-hour stretches highlights how simple its mission design and enemy behaviors really are.

Full playthrough vs meme sessions

Whether Squirrel with a Gun sustains a full playthrough depends heavily on your expectations. If you treat the campaign like a traditional third-person shooter, with a critical path you intend to marathon, the cracks appear quickly. Mission variety is limited, boss encounters are more about health bars than creative mechanics, and the story remains a very thin excuse for mischief.

Approached as a comedy sandbox, played in small doses, the experience fares better. The Switch 2 version’s convenience features, such as quick loading and responsive suspend and resume in handheld, encourage dipping in for a few chaotic vignettes. The game’s best moments are the ones you capture as clips: an improbable recoil jump that sends you sailing across half the map, or a botched heist that turns into an unplanned fireworks show.

By the end of a full run, the central gag of a heavily armed squirrel is less laugh-out-loud funny than it is charming background noise. The developers try to escalate with costumes, new guns, and mildly more complex objectives, but the basic rhythm of walk, provoke, explode, escape never really evolves. The Switch 2 port’s strengths smooth over the repetition rather than solve it.

Verdict

Squirrel with a Gun on Nintendo Switch 2 is a strong fit for the system’s library: a compact, silly sandbox that shows off quick loading and smooth gyro controls while rarely demanding pinpoint accuracy or cinematic presentation. Performance is better docked than handheld but solid in both, with only occasional dips when the chaos peaks.

The free launch DLC sweetens the deal with more toys and a slightly broader playground, but it does not suddenly turn the experience into a deep shooter or a richly layered open world. This is still a meme-friendly physics game that shines brightest in short, shareable bursts rather than as a tightly paced campaign.

If you are looking for a polished, endlessly replayable sandbox, you may find the joke wearing thin before the end credits. If, however, you want a few evenings of creative slapstick and enjoy the idea of aiming a squirrel like a furry, ballistic projectile, the Switch 2 version delivers exactly that with minimal friction.

Score: 7/10