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Momonga Pinball Adventures is the story of a tribe of Japanese flying squirrels that
are captured by a clan of owls, and thus our hero Momo is mentored by a Panda to go and
save them, later running into a Mole on the journey. This is going to be one of those
games isn't it. The core gameplay is pinball, as you use paddles to fling Momo against targets
and through passageways all the way to the end of each individual level. There's something
fascinating about taking the mechanics of a high score game like pinball and using them
in a game based around narrative progression, but does it end up working? Well... sort of.
Each level uses small little pockets of pinball gameplay in quick succession. Usually there
are a couple targets or a lever to hit, or a passageway to aim at. Tapping the side of
the screen on either the left or right will engage that flipper, and as this is pinball,
that's all you need to know control wise. There are sections where you glide along tilting
the iPhone, but think of those as quick changes of scenery. The main game is making sure Momo
does not fall under the flippers. Instead of losing a ball like in normal pinball, Momo
has three hearts, and losing all three will restart the level. One really clever addition
is how this game approaches multi-ball, with another character being thrown into the game,
and thus you have two 'life bars' to contend with. The issue about these segments might
already be apparent. Unless you're a pinball wizard, most players lose their multi-ball
almost immediately as it's too much input to keep all balls going. When you're tied
to actually having to keep each ball going for fear of restarting the level, this puts
a lot of pressure on the player, especially when the levels aren't designed to allow much
error.
Presentation wise, we have a low polygon 3D world and characters, excused by a decent
use of colour and design. Let's call it the Blizzard method. The game likes to show off
these worlds too as there are sections where you get to sit back and watch Momo travel
on rails through some of the locations. It's obvious that the cute animal characters and
colorful landscapes would definitely appeal to a younger audience.
But even in trying to streamline pinball by offering it in small enclosed locations with
clear goals, the mechanics of the game play against it. What makes pinball worth playing
despite the bad luck possible by all but the most dedicated players is the exploration
of the board, and the random occurrences when the ball hits a ramp or gets locked. Now traveling
through this world replaces some of that problem, but certainly not enough.