Is there anything more whimsical than watching squirrels run around in the park, finding little treasures and chirping at birds that get too close? Maybe becoming squirrels and running around the gardens yourself? Squirreled Away is a sleeper find that almost slipped by. It has plenty to praise on too, multiplayer co-op, exploration as a squirrel, adventure, and a nice little story with quests. As a player I also enjoyed achievement hunting to 100% the game, which my friends could help with while they played alongside me. We especially liked unlocking the different colors of the squirrels, and there were plenty to unlock.
Squirreled Away has plenty to do and find. There are lots of other squirrels to interact with and complete quests for while exploring the different areas and gardens. Will you help the Hedgehog King, or will the dog roaming the area get you first? Can you parkour up the bouncy mushroom castle to get the materials you need to bring back to your bases? Build extravagant tree houses for you and your friends. We even have a resident Neon Tetra in one of our tree houses, because why wouldn’t a squirrel be able to fish out new friends? The base building feels pretty nice and snaps together smoothly, however the stack sizes for materials could be a bit larger, with how large the areas are and how far you need to carry things sometimes. I do like that there are upgrades to your personal pockets and to stamina, but the inventory was probably our biggest complaint overall. Just a tad too small, with how expensive some things were to craft. A minor complaint at that too, eventually once you complete all the caches and unlock the largest base chests, it really isn’t a big deal. I do wish it was a little longer playtime or had more to do end game, aside from building bigger bases just for fun, there isn’t more for me to do really. I was able to 100% the game in under 6 hours and even that had some time spent afk for various reasons. Overall though I did really enjoy the gameplay especially with friends. The movement and idea is super unique!
Not only is it super unique gameplay wise, the visuals are light and cute. The multitude of npc’s, ponds, parks, and interactable areas were all cohesive and worked well in the park setting. I enjoyed climbing the tallest tree around and looking around to find where I wanted to go next. The squirrel vision was also a nice touch to help find crucial resources. I felt like it was tactfully done and was still cohesive but nice for quality of life improvement. You could really see the different areas of cohesiveness as you traveled between them. The teahouse and bamboo area with the pink blossoms was probably my favorite with the Japanese garden influence, but I did also really like the little cafe area. The park fence and city just outside the park was also a nice touch for the out of bounds area that really tied it all in.
The music is perfect for the game, light and energetic, just what you would think it would be like playing as a squirrel. The different areas had nice audio transitions, and the little ‘diner’ even felt full of life after it opened due to the chattering of the guests. The water sounds were nice and relaxing and the busy life of the park was executed well! The sounds really came across as a squirrel exploring a park. I could look around and find sticks that I heard fall from trees to gather materials, or find the coveted golden acorns by their light tune. I did get jump scared by the turtle snoring, but I recovered quickly. Growing up in Florida, deep rumbling sounds near water always will have me on guard for alligators, but it was a fun laugh when it happened.
Overall, I really had a good time with Squirreled Away. I would love to see some updates and expansion on the game. It’s a unique concept and I think it hits the movement of being a squirrel well! I’m always a sucker for survival base building games, and this one doesn’t disappoint! I’ll definitely keep it on my watch list for updates.
Squirreled Away is available on Steam. Uncivil Gamers also played it during their Uncivil Weekly Release Party series.
