Game Reviews

Nuts!

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Nuts!
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Red squirrels were once relatively common in this country, but their numbers have dwindled in recent years.

This decrease is generally attributed to changes to the red squirrel's habitat and the introduction of the rival grey squirrel, but it could be the daredevil antics of Nuts! star Jake the Squirrel that have caused its decline.

Nuts! may be clearly inspired by Doodle Jump, but it makes up for this lack of originality with enough variation on the basic formula to differentiate itself from the source material.

Nutmegged

The aim of Nuts! is pretty straightforward. You have to guide Jake the squirrel as far up the Infinitree as possible while avoiding the branches. Hitting a branch will result in the loss of one of your lives, and when all of these have been used your run will be over.

For the most part, the tree is lush and green, but occasionally icy zones and charred wastelands will attempt to thwart your progress.

The coins that populate the Infinitree can be used in the shop to purchase new power-ups and upgrade existing ones in order to help you improve your best score. Fireballs speed up your ascent and make you immune to branches while shields protect you from danger.

Tree dimensional

Like the protagonists of its competitors, Jake is controlled by using tilt controls which allow for swift movements to avoid the oncoming branches.

However, while Doodle Jump revelled in its hand-drawn 2D style, the three-dimensional tree environment of Nuts! not only looks great but also offers a unique challenge as obstacles can suddenly appear from nowhere depending on your perspective.

Another key difference is constant movement, which means that there's no time to rest and plot your next move. Although you're given extra lives to compensate for this, it may put off players who are unable to adapt to a less sedate pace, and discourages marathon sessions for less skilled players.

While these changes are welcome and add a unique element to what is a very successful blueprint, the game still manages to feel remarkably similar, right down to the functions of the power-ups.

Fortunately for Nuts!, though, it manages to offset this less than original gameplay with its fun, frantic nature and beautiful 3D graphics.

Nuts!

Pretty to look at and fun to play, Nuts! is a competent 3D alternative to Doodle Jump
Score
Steve McCaskill
Steve McCaskill
A crippling addiction to Football Manager threatened Steve's education and social life for much of the past ten years, but he has come through it with a history degree and an unparalleled knowledge of zonal marking.