Some players are spending their first few runs in Gum Squad entirely on foot, throwing desperate left-and-right punches at mutant scorpions because they did not realize the reload button was mapped to the “R” key. It is a wonderfully chaotic introduction to a game where cozy vibes and sudden panic live in perfect, sticky harmony. Developed in just 90 days as a solo experiment by Fern Nigro, this low-cost co-op shooter is capturing a very specific brand of indie magic: the kind where you can hunt gum-based creatures in programmer socks, ride a skateboard, and then get crushed under the literal weight of your own loot.
A Dusty World Gone Sticky
At its core, Gum Squad is an online PvE experience for up to eight players, set in a quiet, dusty world where gum went from being a favorite resource to a massive ecological disaster. You and your friends begin your journey with nothing but a humble peashooter and a vast, empty landscape to explore. From there, you set out into wide-open fields and sleepy deserts to scavenge materials, level up your character’s skills, and piece together what went wrong.
Despite the goofy premise, the combat is surprisingly tactical. The enemies you face do not just run blindly toward your barrel; they take cover, peek out to shoot, and fall back when they need to reload. This turns quiet exploration into sudden, focused firefights. To survive, you have to manage a detailed inventory system that accounts for carrying weight. If you have hoarder tendencies and try to vacuum up every piece of gum-tech you find, you will quickly find your character moving “with the speed of a snail on crutches.” To balance this encumbrance, the game gives you a skateboard, letting you hit sick tricks across a desolate pixel-art landscape when you are not weighed down by gear.
Cat Music, Programmer Socks, and Mutant Scorpions
What players are latching onto most is the game’s irresistible, quirky charm. Reviewers are uniform in their praise for the soundtrack—specifically the “cat radio” music that plays in the background, which some describe as relaxing enough to fall asleep to. The customization options are another high point, allowing you to deck your character out in cat ears and programmer socks to build the “gum demon” of your dreams. For players who usually find the shooter genre intimidating, Gum Squad’s casual pacing and low price point make it incredibly approachable as an online hangout space with friends.
However, this is still an experimental project built in three months, and its rough edges are part of the package. The lack of hand-holding is immediate. As mentioned, basic mechanics like reloading are left for the player to figure out, leading to some accidental melee-only runs. The inventory weight system, while adding a nice layer of survival strategy, can feel incredibly punishing for players who hate leaving items behind. And despite the cozy aesthetic and lo-fi tunes, the game features some genuine terrors: the “Gum Corp” scorpions have already earned a reputation among early players as intimidating beasts that turn a peaceful stroll into a fight for survival.
The Verdict
Gum Squad is not a highly polished, cinematic shooter with a massive budget, and it does not pretend to be. Instead, it is a game for players who love the raw, unpolished creativity of solo indie development. It is for groups of friends who want a cheap, charming, and slightly janky evening of looting, shooting, and skateboarding to lo-fi cat music. At under five dollars, it is a low-risk, high-reward experiment that proves you do not need years of development to make something genuinely memorable.
Key Facts
- Developer: Fern Nigro
- Publisher: Fern Nigro
- Release Date: May 31, 2026
- Price: $4.49