Overview – originally released by SUNSOFT and Iguana Entertainment, with porting handled by Ratalaika Games and Shinyuden, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a spin-off from the Aero the Acro-Bat series. As the Ninja squirrel, take on the evil lumberjack Jacques Le Sheets, who has been targeting his homeland and cutting down the forest to make counterfeit money. This title is available for all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PR Hound for providing the copy of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I have covered the other titles in the Aero the Acro-Bat series that have been released, with a link to that coverage (HERE).
Story – The eternal rival of Aero the Acro-Bat, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel receives word from his girlfriend that the forest is in danger. Jacques Le Sheets, an evil lumberjack is deforesting their homeland of Stony Forest, using the wood to produce counterfeit money. Despite the protests of his employer Edgar Ektor, he abandons his post and makes his way to save his home. On the way, his plane is shot down and he crashes into the beach, uninjured Zero continues his journey on foot.
Gameplay – Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a mostly traditional platformer, where the objective of each level is to reach the goal at the end. To accomplish this, the player has a few different abilities that they can use. The main ability that players can use is the jump, which can be augmented with a spin by double jumping for more height. This can be combined with the swoop, which allows the player to fly for a brief distance, moving across the screen in a under arching swing.
These basic skills help the players get through the majority of the areas, as the players can use the spin to deal damage to enemies. The jumping is a little awkward though, as it can miss enemies or pass through them causing damage. To make up for this, the player has some weapons that they can use against enemies. As Zero is a ninja, he has the ability to throw shuriken at enemies, dealing damage from a distance, but he also has nunchaku to get up close and personal.
These are the core skills that will be used to get the player through most of the challenges, but there is one special skill that players can use. Zero has the ability to fly, by jumping and diving straight down. During these dives, the squirrel is able to turn left or right, dashing straight to cover significant distances. The last part of the dive is the ability to go straight up, which can happen at the end of a horizontal dash. All of these combine to create challenging platforming sections.
While making their way through the stages, players will encounter bosses and enemies that will block the path. To get past these enemies, the player must use all of their skills in order to take them down. These sections are challenging and dangerous, leading to a quick defeat if the player is careless as these areas are dangerous. But these aren’t the only threats to the player, there are spiked hazards, environmental dangers and enemies that can easily kill Zero.
At some points during stages, the player will encounter a gunner that will target the zero, unleashing a barrage of firepower upon them. This will last for a short time, before going away and letting Zero continue his quest. These sections can deal a lot of damage to Zero, making them very difficult if the player is low on health. Luckily, the player is able to collect health ups, which are scattered around the stages, alongside point pick-ups and extra shuriken.
Located in most stages are special gates, which will let the player take on a challenge with lots of rewards. These are optional and will provide players bonuses, extra lives and points to collect. Last to discuss are the vehicle stages, which are auto-scrollers that set the player on a track. In these stages, the player must navigate hazardous water based stages. To make it to the end of the stage, dodge the enemies, jump over hazards and reach the goal without dying.
If Zero takes enough damage to die, they will be reset to the last checkpoint that they hit. When all lives have been lost, the player will be given the option to continue, but they will be rest to the start of the stage. This game can be pretty challenging and tough, but there are some additions that have been made to the game to ease the difficulty. These features are save/load states, rewind, fats forward and various cheats to help players get through the game.
There is also a gallery system for the player to view, containing sprite sheets, scans of the manual and more. This content acts as a museum for the game, preserving the original content, artwork and music featured in the source version of the game. All of these elements provide a good way to experience a game that may have been forgotten. The experience is emulated well, with the game performing as close to the original hardware as possible.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the controls for this game are easy to pick up, but can be a little difficult to master if trying to go quickly. There are some minor issues with input lag, as well as awkwardness with some of the gameplay mechanics. However, these issues were present in the original release, so it is not down to the emulation. When playing handheld, some inputs are easier to perform with the thumbstick, but when decked it is preferred to use a pro-controller with a good D-Pad.
Difficulty – this is a challenging game, made more difficult by the level layouts and how awkward the jumping mechanics can be. Thankfully, the additional features that have been added make the game a little less troubling. The addition of save and load states, along with the rewind feature make this a lot less daunting for first time players. The added cheats to the game can make getting through the game a breeze, perfect for kids and those who just want to mess around.
Presentation – visually, the emulation of visuals is good, with all of the assets, environments and sprite work looks indistinguishable from original hardware. The sound is also perfectly brought over, sounding as crisp as when it was first put out on the SNES. There are no issues with the performance, making for a fun retro experience. For those looking for a look that has a more vintage feel to it, players can use a variety of filters and screen sizes to customize the look.
Final Thoughts – following the release of Aero the Acro-Bat 1&2, I was excited to get my hands on this title. After sitting down to play the game, I was reminded how awkward it could be, having played it many years ago. Although it is clunky and very difficult, the game is a fun time and a real time capsule of how platformers were during that period. The emulation is excellent, performing as close to the original hardware as possible, with no issues in terms of performance.
This is a fun and solid platformer, which is challenging and can be pretty tough for first time players. But the inclusion of quality of life additions, like save/load states, rewind functions and the addition of cheats like infinite lives, invincibility and more. I am more than happy to recommend this game to fans of platformers, or those who are looking for a retro fix. The remake for Aero the Acro-Bat on GBA is coming next, which I am excited to get my hands on in the future.
In the end, I give Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel a final score of 3.75/5. This is another excellently emulated retro classic, providing a fun yet difficult platforming experience, with quality of life improvements and additional content that make it perfect for those into retro games. if you want to check this release out for yourself, a link to each version of the game is below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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