Wonder Momo

~ WONDER MOMO ~

Namco

HuCard

1989

While Wonder Momo was never exactly at the top of my to-get list, I'd been interested in it for a long time before I finally went ahead and purchased it. Its appealing cover art is really what evoked my fascination, but the game itself did look like it had the potential to be a kitsch classic, a goofy effort that would follow the path paved by lords of the lowbrow like Night Creatures and Energy and endear itself to me despite obvious flaws. Of course, the risk involved with such hopes is that the botch job in question might prove to be more irritating than amusing, as is the case with the annoying, repetitive, and simply unfun Bravoman. Wonder Momo, unfortunately, shares those traits and flounders in the Bravoman category.

This girl who seems somewhat brain damaged gets up on a stage featuring ugly, boring backdrops, as an audience roots her on with World-Court-Tennis-style whistles and applause. You play as the addled goofball and kick around some dopey-looking foes, building up your "wonder" meter so you can don a helmet and "power outfit" and toss a bouncing ring-type weapon. Beat up enough goons and a tougher goon or two will appear, and then it's on to the next act (of which there are twelve in all).

All of this probably sounds pretty stupid, and, well, it really is. It's also repetitive and more than a little annoying thanks to iffy controls and annoying aerial bad guys. But hey, after every few stages you get to see a picture of the chick looking "pretty." And if that doesn't sound like strong incentive to keep going, well...

...it really isn't.