Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel from Ratalaika Games and Shinyuden is here to give us the last game in the Aero the Acro-Bat universe. Learn more in our Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel review!
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel from Ratalaika Games and Shinyuden is here to give us the last game in the Aero the Acro-Bat universe. After reviewing Aero the Acro-Bat on PlayStation 5 and then jumping into the sequel Aero the Acro-Bat 2 on Nintendo Switch, I had to check out the last game in the Aeroe the Acro-Bat universe for our Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel review. Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a spin-off that stars Aero’s rival, the titular Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, who helped villain Edgar Ektor in the two aforementioned bat-centric 2D platformers.
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel was originally developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by SUNSOFT back in 1994 for the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment – a.k.a. the SNES. This was followed by a PAL release for the Sega Mega Drive in 1995. What’s the premise for Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel? Zero ends up getting a telegram from his girlfriend Amy, in which she informs him that an evil lumberjack named Jacques Le Sheets is currently destroying Stony Forest – their homeland – and chopping down all trees in order to use them to print counterfeit money. Oh, and Jacques Le Sheets has also abducted Amy’s father. This, of course, makes Zero jump into action right away.
Once your plane is shot down, you’ll take control of Zero with the left analog stick or the D-Pad. You’ll be jumping with the Y button, which will also be used for a spin attack that will damage any enemy foolish enough to get too close to Zero. Zero is, after all, a mighty ninja squirrel! Since Zero is a flying squirrel, you’ll be able to dive after a jump by pressing the A button so that you can then use momentum to fly upward in order to clear some areas of the game. If you collect some shuriken by grabbing red, blue, and gold stars, you’ll be able to throw them by pressing the B button. You can also collect food to gain points, Zs to recover energy, coins to gain an extra life, and a 1-up Zero head to, well, gain an extra life. You’ll even get to control a jet ski as you go through some dangerous rapids with plenty of hazards!
As you explore the 15 stages that the game has on offer – and choosing if you’ll be playing through the Western version of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel or the Japanese version – you’ll be using Zero’s fighting prowess to take on everyone standing in his way in order to take on Jacques Le Sheets to save Stony Forest and Amy’s father before it’s too late. You’ll be able to have as easy or as challenging a time as you want to with this game, thanks to some quality-of-life features for you to use. There’s a rewind/turbo feature that allows you to instantly retrace your steps in case you end up making a mistake or speed up the action if needed. You’ll also have the option of using save states so that you can carry on playing from exactly where you left off. You can also activate cheats to make your life easier, such as infinite throwing stars, health, and lives, becoming fully invincible, and being able to make infinite jumps.
This release features an in-game achievement system for you to work on that mimics the trophy list for the game on PlayStation 5. Because of this, you’ll be working on a very straightforward list since the objectives are tied to completing each of the 15 levels in the game. This means you’ll ave to complete Beach stage 1, Beach stage 2, Cliffs stage 1, Cliffs stage 2, Tunnels stage 1, Tunnels stage 2, Rapids stage 1, Rapids stage 2, Forest stage 1, Forest stage 2, Toxic stage, and the Factory stages. On top of that, you’ll have to beat the final boss in the game. Once you do all of that, you’ll also unlock The Way of the Squirrel achievement, which acts as the game’s Platinum trophy on Nintendo Switch.
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel brings us the last game in the Aero the Acro-Bat universe. Zero ends up getting a telegram from his girlfriend Amy, in which she informs him that an evil lumberjack named Jacques Le Sheets is currently destroying Stony Forest – their homeland – and chopping down all trees in order to use them to print counterfeit money. Oh, and Jacques Le Sheets has also abducted Amy’s father. This, of course, makes Zero jump into action right away. There’s also a Gallery section where you’ll be able to take a look at the original game’s box design, illustrations, and more. You can even check out a digital manual for the game! Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is out on Nintendo Switch with a $5.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Shinyuden.
