Review: Moke Moke (Nintendo 3DS)

Moke MokeMoke Moke
Publisher: G-Style
Developer: G-Style
Genre: Action/Arcade
Release Date: 02/14/2013

Moke Moke is a cute DSiware game with charming graphics and a bouncy but repetitive soundtrack. In this game, you fly around as some type of flying mole or bear, and do a variety of competitions with three other computer or human players on a very small, mostly bland playing field. As Moke Moke only has local multiplayer, I was unable to test that, since no one else that I know has the game. The game is fun, but feels more like a mini-game than an actual game. If you’re just looking for a brief distraction, however, this is an option.

There are a variety of game styles, though the main two are battle royale, where all four players compete against one another, and team battles, where you play against one another in teams of two. You can determine how difficult you want the other computer players to be by selecting easy, normal, hard, or crazy. The, there are six sets of rules you can choose from:

  • Normal – Collect treasure and carry it to the goal to earn points.
  • Color change – Touch as many fruit as you can to turn them to your color.
  • Golden goal – Earn extra points by putting your treasure in the golden goal.
  • Hold the bomb – Pass a bomb to your rivals and run away before they give it back.
  • Runaway goal – Run away with the goal from the other team. Switch roles after 30 seconds.
  • Treasure run – Carry one piece of treasure for as long as you can to earn points.

Some of these are more fun than others; I liked color change, normal, and treasure run far more than hold the bomb, for instance. There are also four battle cup options:

  • Daily – A cup with three different quick fire rounds.
  • Gamble -A cup with three rounds where anything can happen right until the very end.
  • Purist – A cup with five rounds competing on basic skills without any bonuses.
  • Variety – A cup with lots of variety using five different game rules.

Moke Moke

Once you select either a ruleset or a battle cup, you’ll be given the ability to set the amount of rounds (1-5), the time limit for each round (1:00-3:00), whether you’d like the following to be available: lightning (it shocks the other players), round bonuses (see below), treasure bags and treasure boxes (they give you stuff), and ? bonuses (a ? box shows up and gives you a surprise).

Finally, you’ll be able to select one of seven levels, or choose “random” to pick a random level:

Normal – The standard level with no special extras.
Black Hole – You’ll get sucked into the black hole if you get too close.
Cannon Fire – Attack other Moke by blasting into them using the cannons.
Gust of Wind – Use the gusts of wind to move around the level quickly.
Raining Bombs – Bombs falling from above will explode if you come into contact with them.
Soap Bubbles – Touch a bubble and you’ll get trapped.
Transporter – Teleport from one area to another using the transporter.

Considering how difficult it is to control the Moke (see below), black hold and soap bubbles were not my favorite levels, but the rest were fine. In fact, it was kind of fun to shove people into the transporters, especially when you’re on the end they want to come out of and you shove them back in.

Once you’re done with the level, you’ll get points for whatever goals you had during the game. Then, if you have round bonuses on, players will receive bonus points for things like collecting the most treasure, attacking the most, and spending the most time in the air. Of course, at least in my experience, this only really serves to widen the gap between the best player and everyone else, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

I was not a fan of the control scheme in Moke Moke, though I feel like that probably will come down to personal preference. If you’ve ever been driving in a racing game and you find yourself muttering, “Come on turn you piece of crap,” while trying to steer, that’s what flying around in Moke Moke feels like. It’s also weird that you can’t use the touchscreen to select options. In order to fly, you have to press A repeatedly, and B will make you hit other Moke over the head with what appears to be a hammer. You “steer” using either the Circle Pad or the D-Pad, and it’s especially useful to hold down when you are trying to get to the ground quickly.

Other than control issues, though, this game is pretty fun… for short bursts of time. I imagine it’d be more fun with other people involved, but as I mentioned earlier, there wasn’t really an option for me to play this game with other people, as it’s local multiplayer only. For people who do want to play locally, as I understand it, there is no Download Play option–you’re going to each need to buy a copy of the game. Since it’s only $2, though, I can’t imagine that being a huge hindrance. Still, the small playing field and the limited design within the playing field itself does make the experience a bit boring after longer than one or two competitions. As a distraction, this game is fine, but it isn’t a strong enough game on its own to justify anything more than the $2 price tag.

Short Attention Span Summary

For $2, this game isn’t a bad choice. It’s not the most exciting game I’ve ever played, and probably would be more fun with other people, but it does a decent job of keeping you engaged while you waste a few minutes of your time. The game feels more like a mini-game than an actual game, however, which may be a deterrent for some.


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