The new Wonder
Momo game is shaping up to be fun, sleek, and cool, while successfully giving me
flashbacks of my traumatic experiences with the original.
If you’ve ever gotten through the original Wonder Momo, be it the arcade version or
the port on the Turbografx-16 or Wii Virtual Console, then congratulations;
you’re a better gamer than I. The original side-scrolling beat ’em up game was
bright and colorful and horrifyingly unforgiving.
That said, the IP was rife with untapped
potential and garnered a cult following, which is why ShiftyLook
producer/editor-in-chief Rob Pereyda decided to bring Momo back with anew anime and game
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I got a chance at an exclusive hands-on with
the new Wonder Momo game at the Namco
Bandai announcement event and I must say, I was impressed. The game, like the
original, is a side-scrolling beat ’em up game where you play as the protagonist,
Momoko, a high-school girl given the ability to temporarily transform into the superheroine,
Wonder Momo, to fight the evil Warudemon.
Through the stages, you collect power
points to build up your Wonder Meter. When you collect enough, you can
transform into Wonder Momo with a full health replenishment to boot. As Wonder
Momo, your attacks do more damage and you can use her signature weapon, the Wonder Hoop
The first thing to notice is the stunning
2D graphics. Apparently, Wonder Momo
is the most ambitious undertaking by the developers at WayForward Technologies –
which is saying something, considering how nice Ducktales Remastered looked. The movement animations are beautiful
and you can tell they put a lot of work into making the game look as good as
they could.
The new Wonder
Momo game also breaks free of the original game’s quite literal stage-size
restrictions – in the original game, the “stage” was a high school
theater stage – and instead stages are fairly long with a variety of obstacles,
traps, and enemies in your way.
Another positive change is in the
difficulty. The original Wonder Momo
game was difficult as Hell. I have met many people who have played the game,
but very few have managed to actually beat it and I have yet to meet anyone who
could beat it in a single credit – although, apparently they DO exist.
Fortunately, the new Wonder Momo is
much more forgiving. The controls are fairly intuitive and seasoned gamers will
probably be able to get the hang of it quickly, though it’s still not necessarily
a walk in the park.
The initial launch version of the game will consist of 3 stages, with more to come, which isn’t to say the game is short. Overall, the creators expect a complete final
playthrough will probably take an average gamer an hour and a half to two hours.
There will also be bonus content like exclusive comics that can be unlocked,
adding to the game’s replayability.
One thing that fortunately didn’t make it
into the new game is the “camera kid” who, in the original game, would
disrupt Momo by trying to take upskirt pictures from the audience (an element
that quite possibly contributed to the original game being a Japan-only
release).
I got a good solid 20 or so minutes with
the game and it was honestly a lot of fun. It’s similar in feel to Ducktales Remastered – A challenging but
fun game with a firm foundation. I got to try it on both a laptop and the
Nvidia Shield, and it looked and felt quite solid. The game can be played on the
PC with the keyboard, but the developers do suggest using a controller for a
more intuitive action game experience.
Wonder
Momo is scheduled for release on the PC and Android
consoles in the first quarter of 2014. Console versions are in consideration but
will most likely depend on feedback from the initial release. The price tag
is as of yet unannounced, but will be “similar to other games in
the genre.”
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To contact the author of this post, write to cogitoergonihilATgmail.com or find him on Twitter @tnakamura8
