My daughter loves squirrels, and I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the country that we spot them quite often. Over at my inlaws, they hop through the back garden freely, searching for nuts and other bits to eat and scavage. So once a game about monitoring squirrels came along – well, let’s say I went nuts (pa-dum-tish).
Just a cog in the machine
You are a tiny cog in the ever-grinding machinery of Viago University’s research efforts. You’ve been sent on assignment to live alone in a dinky caravan in Melmoth Forest. Your job? To figure out where the native squirrel’s nest and what mysterious business they get up to. Sounds easy enough, right? Right..?
When I first looked up this game, it was described as a single-player surveillance mystery set in a remote forest, or as what I like to call it First Person Squirrel (FPS..? Ok, I’ll let myself out). The main goal is to record the squirrels, report your findings… and uncover the secret that the curious creatures are hiding. So, it was time to gear up my caravan, boot up the GPS, spread out the map, and head for the depths of Melmoth Forest. Luckily I was assisted by a friendly assistant (Forester), who drove me and my caravan with a quad all the way into the woods – since there was no.. room.. for another person on the quad bike. Well, it’s perfectly logical to move a caravan full of research equipment through the woods while stashing a field researcher in the back.
First Person Squirrel
Getting back to the job, it’s all about receiving intel over the phone, placing cameras during the day, and watch the footage at night, tracking the movements of a scurry of squirrels. When they are in sight, take a picture – fax the image to the friendly research lady (who was here before – a few decades ago, totally not fishy) and repeat. Main questions? Where do they hide their nuts? What puzzling routes do they take? And why do they behave so strangely?
Luckily it’s not a wild goose chase into the woods. Your mission briefing will give you a starting point, but it’ll be on you to determine the optimal layout for your equipment through trial and error. Explore the wonders and mysteries of the enigmatic Melmoth Forest at your ease during the daytime until night falls, when you can review all of the content you captured in your DIY control center. Comb your footage for the information needed to complete your mission and send proof to your boss Dr. Nina Scholz back at the research institute. With both of you on the case, maybe you can figure out what’s really going on?
Narrative & Cons
Since the game is highly narrative-based, I won’t spoil any more of the story, but I challenge you to find out on your own what’s going on in the woods. I do like the whole usage of the tape recorder in-game since it gives much more depth to NUTS. Don’t be discouraged by the number of nights it might take to complete the mission. When you set up the camera in just the wrong angle, it might take ages to see squirrels (and yes, I’m talking about my experiences here).
My main problem with nuts was the chosen color scheme. The bright colored purple, orange, green, etcetera withheld me from playing long sessions with nuts since it gave me a headache of sorts. I get it, it’s indie developed, and by choosing basic color schemes (look at 8-bit Mario), you can save many resources and processing power. It just did not work beneficial for my playthrough.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, if you are looking for an exploration, tracking sim with some problem-and-crime-solving elements, NUTS might be the game for you. If you like squirrels? It might just be up your tree. If you want to play First Person Squirrel, well, go NUTS. If you want First Person Shooters & Action Adventure – skip this one.
