Platform games starring mascot characters were all the rage back in the 1990s, following the phenomenal successes that Nintendo had with Mario, and that Sega had with Sonic, so it was only natural that other publishers would want their own piece of the mascot platformer pie, and Sunsoft’s attempt at a macot platformer  was Aero the Acro-Bat, who starred in two games on Mega Drive and SNES, both of which were recently re-released on modern formats, and we’ve previously reviewed both Aero the Acro-Bat and Aero the Acro-Bat 2 here on Retro Faith. While the Aero the Acro-Bat games were far from reaching the stratospheric heights of Mario or Sonic, they were popular enough to spawn a spin-off title in the form of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, and said spin-off is the game we’re reviewing today. Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel was originally released on Mega Drive and SNES back in 1994, with this year’s re-release bringing the game to Nintendo Switch (version reviewed), PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series X|S.

The game is a 2D side-scrolling platformer whose most obvious influence appears to be Sonic the Hedgehog, however, one thing that makes Zero slightly different is that he dispenses with baddies by hurling shuriken at them rather than jumping on their heads. It sounds like a small difference, but it does make playing Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel feel a little more akin to a run’n’ gun game than a traditional platformer.

If you’re a fan of retro 2D platformers then there’s a lot of fun to be had with Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, though the level design is perhaps somewhat pedestrian when compared to the Mario and Sonic games. But maybe comparing it to games that are unarguable pinnacles of the genre is a tad unfair, as the level design is perfectly competent if lacking the “wow factor” and elegance of Nintendo and Sega’s first-party games. However, like all good platform games, and  there are occasional moments where you’ll have to engage the old grey matter to figure out how to progress, rather than simply relying on leaping around and disposing of your enemies.

As a 16-bit game from 1994, it goes without saying that Zero the Kamikaze squirrel has what we would now refer to as a “pixel art” graphical style.

The game’s sound and graphics are, for this reason, satisfyingly 16-bit in style, and while they offer  nothing particularly original, you’ll certainly get a nostalgic buzz from how the game looks and  sounds if you’re fond of the 16-bit console era. Of course, being a 30-year-old game, cultural sensitivities have moved on somewhat since the game’s release, so the use of the word “kamikaze” and the Rising Sun bandana worn by the hero perhaps feel a touch outdated by today’s standards, and while they don’t feel malicious in their use, we suspect neither would fly today (if you’ll pardon the pun).

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel may not be a “lost classic” exactly, but if you’re looking for some 16-bit platforming fun and you don’t want to play through the era’s Mario and Sonic games for the umpteenth time, you could do a lot worse than picking up Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. The Switch version (reviewed) is available now from the eshop.