Momoka: An Interplanetary Adventure review
:: LOST IN SPACEPrice: $6.99
Version: 1.0.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5s
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Momoka: An Interplanetary Adventure has heaps of heart. It’s a 2D side-scrolling adventure with 3D environments and gravity defying flair in a similar spirit to Zelda and Metroid.
The game sees you hopping from planet to planet flipping upside-down and right-side up as gravity shifts around you.
It begins simply enough, with our eponymous heroine saving her home system from a nasty spider infestation. You move using arrows on the lower left corner of your screen, while a button on the right allows you to jump.
Eventually you’re granted a gun to blast baddies and destroy wooden crates and other obstacles that block your path. As you explore more diverse worlds, you’ll uncover upgrades for your abilities and weapons.
The controls work beautifully, even on smaller iPhone screens. Momoka dashes across each planet she explores with graceful precision.
Lost in space
However, the game does stumble a bit when it comes to navigation. While the lighting and shadow effects are superb for a mobile game, and the color scheme pops in its contrasting deep space purples and verdant greens, everything tends to look the same.
It also does a poor job at pointing out where to go next, and I often found myself circling the entire planet before I was able to locate my next objective.
Despite this occasional confusion, Momoka is still a delight for anyone who loves exploring and it really takes off when your mother presents you with the keys to your very own rocketship.
From then on, you’re free to sail across the solar system, travelling to beautifully varied far-off planets in search of adventure. The NPCs you meet along the way offer brief, but often endearing conversation and words of wisdom, and it lends the game a very welcoming, lived-in feel.
The bottom line
Momoka: An Interplanetary Adventure doesn’t break any new ground for mobile platformers. It is, however, a satisfying way to spend a few hours if you're seeking some simple, light-hearted fun.
Felwig Games has crafted a fine tribute to old school action games that’s also appealing to new generations of gamers.