The Sacred Acorn Review

These days, if your heroic lead is in any way deemed cute, you’re going to get instant style points. Be it animal or human, if it has a smile that can melt hearts or a delicate stature that heightens the perilous journey ahead, you’ve likely won over the audience automatically. The Sacred Acorn definitely got that memo, placing its ancient world within the furry hands of an adorable squirrel on a quest to save her tribe. Beyond this charming fluffball though, there’s a few key elements that don’t quite reach the potential of its promising premise.

You’re introduced to the world of Tansira as an ancient evil spreads corruption throughout the land. Our hero, having slept through the sudden wave of attacks on her home, wakes to begin their journey through overgrown forests full of nasty critters out to stop you. It’s a lush world, hand-drawn environments full of colour that clearly define friend from foe, with further areas exploring sunny deserts and lands of fire and ice.

From face value you’d be forgiven for thinking The Sacred Acorn has a younger audience in mind, what with animated characters that could have existed within the confines of Fern Gully, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a ‘cozy Souls-like’ as the development team call it, and that’s an apt description as even early enemies can cause you a few headaches. Early on you’re limited to a few quick swipes of your paws as an attack, without a dodge or jump in sight, which can lead to some frustrating encounters. That frustration does give way over time as more abilities appear, but that initial combat feels stagnant as you swipe, run away and swipe again. It’s a poor opening that needed an injection of imagination.

Toad’s retirement didn’t go as planned

That feeling bleeds a tad into The Sacred Acorn’s  overall design. The pathway ahead isn’t as clearly defined as it could be, though I’m hardly suggesting handholding as a solution. A small layer of guidance, more clearly defined directions for example, would have helped to avoid some of that early confusion. Elden Ring can get away with having you lost within its world because of its immense sense of scope, but The Sacred Acorn can hardly consider itself as densely packed to try a similar trick. I knew where I was going, but what I had to do to get there was another story.

The Sacred Acorn feels like it’s stuck in third gear and could have used some pointers from Cult of the Lamb’s manic pace. It’s that tightrope walk between trying to be a cozy, colourful game or leaning further into the Souls-like that ultimately hampers the experience, to the point where I wished the dev team had pushed harder one way or the other. Had it remained fully cozy, perhaps the monsters and puzzles you come across could have lightened up into a Zelda style affair with simplistic yet engaging unique squirrel mechanics. Alternatively, push that difficulty level and increase the number of enemies on screen.

Checkpoints are also very thin on the ground, meaning your pint-sized heroine will be thrown back a decent way if death rears its head. You’re going to succumb during boss battles, that’s almost a given for this kind of experience, but having to go right the way back a decent distance and kill the same enemies over and over to reach the boss again feels like more of a chore than an adventure here.

Why does it always have to be slimes!

The Sacred Acorn does look the part, however. There’s enough colour and engagement within its visuals that it pulls most of the heavy lifting, though weirdly there’s some audio and music layers that could have benefitted from another pass to truly make use of its setting. I found a number of situations where effects were too loud, annoying or simply didn’t play, leading to some awkwardly silent moments. I don’t begrudge the team its efforts, there’s some lovely music underpinning the adventure, but those unusual sound choices hurt the overall presentation.

Final Thoughts

I wanted The Sacred Acorn to be more, to really hone in on what a squirrel hero could be. What’s here is mechanically sound, enjoyable animations and a world worth visiting, but at every corner it just manages to miss the mark. Cuteness aside, a few layers of polish or perhaps a rethink of its systems is all that stands between it and a successful breakaway from the norm. Instead, it punches above its weight and puts in an admirable performance, but unfortunately falls short of successfully navigating its way through the minefield.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

Click here for more information on WellPlayed’s review policy and ethics