NUTS

Developed By: Joon, Pol, Muutsch, Char & Torfi

Published By: Noodlecake

Price: £15.49/$19.99

Adventure

More and more, I come to find small games with basic mechanics to be nice. It’s nice to just play an experience and be done with it, instead of being stuck doing side quests and finding collectables for hours. So, whenever I see one, I try to make that a game to review. Though I would say the title of NUTS, a game developed by five people and published by Noodlecake, was what drew me to it rather than its subject matter. 

NUTS is a first person surveillance mystery game where you play as a newly graduated field researcher sent out to Melmoth Forest to study the squirrels there. At first, things seem normal, but only get stranger as time goes on. The story is fine; it has strange turns, and a nice ending, but otherwise it’s pretty short. My only complaint is that the game’s end is a bit abrupt, but that’s all.

The gameplay of NUTS is quite simple, where the difficulty comes out of guess work. The only objective of this game is squirrels: where they go, where they set up their stash, and what they are doing. To accomplish this, you set up cameras during the day, and watch the recorded footage at night. You use the info from that recorded footage to figure out where to place the cameras next, which may even require guessing. This is a cycle you repeat multiple times until you find out exactly what was requested of you, and document the proof. Besides a very small change at one moment, that’s about it. 

What is most striking about NUTS, and second most notable besides its name, is the art direction. Instead of striving for realism, as they did with their stellar audio design, they strove for something more unique, where the entire game is only made of a few colors. These colors change when day turns to night and when you move to the next area. While I enjoyed the style, it did begin to hurt my eyes a bit, something that doesn’t happen normally with me. 

As I played through the game, I can’t say I ran into any problems. There were maybe two times I had trouble climbing up the game’s geometry, but it didn’t prove too game-breaking. My biggest complaint is mostly about the price point, where this game is definitely not worth twenty dollars for what it gives you. 

Overall, NUTS was a fun and interesting experience, but what it provides just isn’t worth the price of admission. I’d say wait for a big sale, and if it’s at a better price, then go for it. The game has incredible visual design with relaxing vibes. It’s just cut a bit short to be a well-paced plot, and even then, the price is just too much. 

Verdict

Recommended

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Reviewed by Freelance7. Game received by Noodlecake.