Momonga Pinball Adventures takes a little Japanese dwarf flying squirrel (the namesake of the game) and splices it with the joys of pinball to create a fun adventure based spinner. Developed by Paladin Studios, the 69p iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch game (89p on Android through Google Play) is a cute take on the old school flashing lights and bells nudge bumper using the touch screen to control your flippers to get Momonga through the perilous storyline.
Pinball games have been around in a form we’d recognise today since the late 1700 when the first spring loaded Japanese billiards games were invented in France. They’ve evolved significantly over the years, inspiring hours of playing time, as well as the classic movie Tommy and the accompanying The Who album and their single, Pinball Wizard. Now in the modern age of computer games the popularity of amusement arcade pinball machines is cult like, but Momonga Pinball Adventures flips the bumpers back into action with a story of its own and a set of characters that are hard not to appreciate.
Storyline:
Having a storyline and set of characters as a part of a pinball game is a genius way to bring back a little life to the genre, which hasn’t really been tapped into much in the past with the notable exception of Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball on the Sega Megadrive in 1995. However, Momonga Pinball Adventures pulls it off with a lot of charm as you take on the little flying squirrel Momo as he fights to save his race from the owl invaders that have left him the only remaining free momonga.
In the peaceful land of Aya, the momonga have apparently lived a pretty tranquil village life since the end of the Great War, using the trunks of giant Sequoia trees to keep them safe in their little island homes in the Yana river. Their peace is shattered when the owls invade and kidnap the entire village, Under the control of their leader, the big and generally bad General Kuton, leaving just Momo to figure out what happened to rescue the rest of his clan. Luckily, though, he’s not entirely alone.
Characters:
Momo is helped along the way by a few notable characters, the most significant of which is a panda, rather cleverly called Panda, who trains Momo to fight back. This sets the scene for a number of training montage sessions to get you into the spin of things before you start to take the fight to the gits, the owls. The other central character that you’ll get to take along with you later on in the journey is a firefly called Fry, who helps you attack the owl baddies whenever you ring the alarm bell, giving you a clear shot on them to finish them off. He’s integral to beating the bosses, for example.
You’ll also meet a few other crazy characters along the way as you roll through the adventure, including a beanie hat wearing tubby mole rat called Guaka, who helps you to escape from the confines of the Xio groundorks. All of the characters are pretty witty at times, adding to the cuteness and fun of the adventure.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in general is pretty simple, following the standard pinball concept of flicking flippers to spin Momo around the place. However, the difference is that instead of hitting bumpers and switches to get the highest number of points, you use your spinning prowess to travel through the 3D aerial view platforms, as well as to knock out the enemies that get in your way.
It’s entertaining to make your way through the game and tackle some of the extra challenges that each level has, which add a little more longevity to Momonga, as you replay levels to complete them. Examples of this include getting through a level while also destroying 50 blocks or finding secret rooms.
There’s a fairly slow pace to the game as it gently eases your through the adventure, so don’t expect too much in the way of a high octane adrenaline rush. The closest the game gets to this is during the boss battles, which can get fairly touch later on in the game. You’ll need all of your flipper flicking skills and Fry’s distractions to to get past the likes of General Kuton.
In addition to the pinball sections of the game, there’s also the odd one or two different gameplay styles to master. The best of these is the flying levels where you get to let Momo unfurl his little squirrel limb webbing to take to the skies. You use the tilt and turn function of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to control the little feller, which is kind of cool, although not quite as epic as the flight suit missions in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Graphics:
The graphics are very impressive for a 69p game, using 3D animation to construct the characters and the roly poly pinball continent of Aya. The movement is fluid and the animation on the characters is cartoon cute. Bosses look big and imposing and the little embellishments like the artwork on trees seen from above looks cool.
Music and Sound:
The music is adventurous and soothing all at the same time, bringing a real Japanese flavour to the overall sound-scape of the game. Sound effects work well in general, especially Fry’s mad-cap karate like war cries, but there are a couple of places where there really should have been some sort of sound effect to bring the situation to life. For example, when Momo falls into the Xio ground works there’s just nothing and the same when Guaka rolls into view, despite the fact that both Momo’s roll has a sound effect in-game and there were air whoosh noises to accompany the squirrel flight section.
Overall review:
Momongo Pinball Adventures is on the whole a fun game that’s very reasonably priced. It’s got great graphics and the gameplay is fluid and engaging. If you’re a pinball fan or you’re looking for a bit of light entertainment on your travels then this is a good shout for you. However, if you’re looking for a game to light the touch paper for you, you’ll struggle to find the heart pumping action you’re looking for here.
Momongo Pinball Adventures review: 3.5/5
