Squirreled Away is a cozy adventure that transforms an ordinary public park into a surprisingly expansive playground by letting players experience it from the perspective of a squirrel. Developed by Far Seas and published by Amplifier Studios and THQ Nordic, the game combines exploration, crafting, resource gathering, quests, platform-like traversal, and creative construction without relying on the harsher mechanics normally associated with survival games. Its central idea is immediately appealing: instead of struggling merely to stay alive, players are encouraged to explore freely, collect useful materials, help other woodland residents, and construct a home among the treetops. This relaxed philosophy gives Squirreled Away an approachable identity that suits both casual play sessions and longer periods of creative experimentation.
Exploration is one of the game's strongest qualities because the squirrel's size completely changes the perceived scale of the environment. Grass, benches, trees, pathways, branches, and other everyday park features become substantial landmarks when viewed from close to ground level. Players can scamper around the landscape, climb trees, navigate branches, and leap across gaps while searching for resources and hidden discoveries. Traversal is therefore more than a way of moving between objectives. It is a major part of the entertainment. New equipment can further expand mobility, providing additional ways to reach locations that initially seem inaccessible. The emphasis on vertical movement is particularly effective because the world extends upward into the trees rather than restricting exploration to conventional paths across the ground.
Resource gathering supports both crafting and progression. The park contains materials that can be collected and turned into useful tools, equipment, and construction components. Unlike traditional survival games, however, gathering is not dominated by anxiety over constantly declining needs. Squirreled Away deliberately emphasizes thriving instead of surviving, allowing players to focus on what they want to build or discover next. This makes collecting resources feel closely connected to creativity. There is usually a tangible reason for bringing materials home, whether that means expanding a structure, producing another useful item, or preparing for further exploration.
Treehouse construction provides the game's most distinctive creative outlet. Players can establish a home high among the branches and gradually turn it into a larger and more personalized structure. The location alone makes the building system memorable because constructing platforms and living spaces in the canopy naturally complements the squirrel protagonist. Gathering materials throughout the park consequently feeds into a satisfying cycle of exploration and construction. Those who are primarily interested in building can also make use of Creative Mode, which removes the normal requirement to gather resources and allows greater freedom to concentrate on designing structures. This makes the game suitable for players who enjoy sandbox creativity but are less interested in progression systems.
The world is also populated by characters who provide quests and personal stories. These residents prevent the park from feeling like an empty collection of crafting materials and give players additional reasons to travel between locations. Helping them introduces more structured goals alongside the otherwise open-ended exploration and building. The quests fit the game's friendly atmosphere, emphasizing assistance and discovery rather than conflict. They also provide welcome direction whenever players want something more purposeful to do than gathering supplies or modifying their treehouse.
Squirreled Away can be played alone, but online cooperative support for up to four players significantly expands its social appeal. Exploring as a group of squirrels naturally lends itself to humorous situations, particularly when everyone is climbing, jumping, collecting materials, and experimenting with the environment together. Cooperative play also works well with construction because friends can contribute toward shared creative activities rather than competing against one another. Importantly, multiplayer does not fundamentally redefine the game. Solo players can still enjoy the exploration, quests, crafting, and building systems at their own pace.
Visually, Squirreled Away favors a colorful and welcoming style rather than realism. This decision complements the whimsical premise and helps make the park feel like an inviting summer playground. The animation of the squirrel protagonist contributes considerable personality, while the exaggerated scale of environmental objects reinforces the sensation of being a tiny animal navigating a much larger world. The relaxing soundtrack supports the same philosophy. Instead of generating tension, the audio encourages players to slow down, investigate interesting locations, and enjoy the atmosphere.
The game's greatest strength can also be considered a limitation depending on personal taste. Squirreled Away is intentionally gentle, so players looking for demanding survival mechanics, extensive combat, complicated economic systems, or severe consequences will probably find it too lightweight. Gathering and crafting can also become repetitive over longer sessions if building and exploration are not enough to maintain interest. The experience depends heavily on enjoying its cozy atmosphere and the freedom of moving around as a squirrel. Those expecting a mechanically dense survival sandbox should therefore approach it as a relaxed adventure with crafting elements instead.
The PC requirements are relatively accessible, with the Steam listing indicating Windows 10 or newer, a 64-bit processor and operating system, 4 GB of memory, an Intel Core i3-4130 or equivalent CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or equivalent GPU, and roughly 3 GB of storage at minimum settings. Steam functionality includes achievements, cloud support, Family Sharing, single-player, and online cooperative play. These features reinforce the game's accessibility and make it straightforward to enjoy either privately or with friends.
What ultimately makes Squirreled Away memorable is how successfully its theme connects otherwise familiar mechanics. Resource gathering has been done countless times, as have crafting, quests, exploration, and base building, but performing these activities as a squirrel gives them a playful new context. A tree becomes an enormous environment to conquer, a branch becomes a road, and a treehouse becomes both a creative project and an appropriate home for the protagonist. Far Seas understands the value of this perspective and builds the experience around movement and curiosity instead of overwhelming it with unnecessary complexity.
Squirreled Away is consequently best suited to players who appreciate cozy games, creative building, relaxed exploration, and cooperative adventures. It is not designed to challenge players relentlessly, and its relatively simple systems may limit its appeal for those seeking deeper survival gameplay. Within its intended niche, however, it delivers an imaginative setting, enjoyable traversal, appealing construction mechanics, friendly quests, and a wonderfully playful protagonist. It turns the uncomplicated idea of being a squirrel in a park into a charming adventure where wandering around can be just as rewarding as completing an objective.
Rating: 8/10
