Mom Hid My Game! Switch Review
At first glance, I skipped over Mom Hid My Game! by Kemco Games almost immediately. Just another developer that can knock out a quick game, charge a reasonable amount but by the time you’ve clocked that it’s a load of rubbish, it’s already too late. Mom Hid My Game! was precisely that for me, except I had the foresight not to get it in the first place. Then I saw Game Grumps play it.
For me, that was it. Maybe the fun they were having was a little infectious, or perhaps it was because the game is so stupid in a good way, that it is massively entertaining. The premise is simple: your mum (I’m British) has hidden your handheld because you didn’t do your homework, clean your room, or were just being a dick. It doesn’t matter as she’s getting in the way of your gaming and you must fight for your right.
Chicken Chasers In The Living Room
Puzzles are a piece of cake in the beginning. Click your handheld that’s peering out of the sofa, and that’s it – level complete. Despite what your friends say about your mum, she is in fact entirely on the ball. She’ll often be hidden in some ridiculously obvious places, i.e. covered entirely in blue to match the walls, carpet and ceiling, then a lampshade on her head. That’s not a lampshade! A lot of the time I clicked on her, knowing full well it would be game over. It didn’t matter as I was enjoying myself. Besides, game over isn’t the end as you can immediately replay the level without fear of losing a life or continue. There aren’t any. And that’s about it really – 50 levels of working out some puzzles to get access to your mini console, which appears to be a DS. To give you an idea.
The best part of Mom Hid My Game! is his mum. Then his grandpa, then the puzzles and how stupid they are. In a good way. For instance, you’ll have mopeds (or Chicken Chasers) dashing past in your living room, preventing you from searching the bookcases for your game. To resolve this, move into the next room and hit the crossing switch. The mopeds will temporarily halt, giving you enough time to cross over to the bookcases, search a bit, then repeat if you can’t find the game. Absurd, yes but heaps of fun. Are you noticing a pattern? This is the best ‘f word’.
More or less, anyone can play this game. Simply move the cursor with the left analogue stick, and select/interact with the A button. That’s all there is to it – static locations with next to no animation, yet engaging somewhat too. The actual illustrations are quite crude, and the colour palette is mostly blue. This won’t be winning any awards for presentation, or sound effects, though it is pretty funny to hear the boy’s cries after being caught by his mum or being bitten by a snake. No, I’m not a sadist. Play it, and you’ll see.
Don’t Want No Short, Short Game
My biggest issue with the game is the length. 50 levels sound like a lot, but the majority of them can be finished in under a minute or so. You can comfortably complete this in the time it takes to write a novel. Don’t tell that to my author colleagues. I would recommend experiencing this with friends though. As per my opening statement, your honour, I was keen to play it after watching others get into it (a bit creepy). When I first booted it up, it was with my family, and they were all into it – interjecting with their ideas on how to complete a level. They were often right. There were a few moments of difficulty in trying to work out a solution or what it is you’re supposed to do. If you get stuck, there are hints available, and these are revealed in a brief memory game played with about eight cards. Match the cards with lightbulbs for a clue but match anything like the wrestler (the boy’s grandpa) or mum and you’ll miss out on the hint. Really though, you could complete the game in about an hour – it’s not that challenging.
After finishing all levels, you get a bonus game of spinning on a horizontal bar. Gymnast style. Gain enough momentum and watch the bonus character land in a series of weird poses or transforming into random objects – from a muscle man to a log or landing on a banana skin. Mom Hid My Game! is classic Japanese humour and may border on too stupid for some players, but I totally got it and loved every short minute of it. I can’t say the same about the music as that got old quick. Still, some of the puzzles are genius though, mostly illogical, and a treat. It might make you occasionally question the sanity of the development team and publisher in allowing this to be released. Apparently, it’s free on mobile, but I was happy to pay for this, but wait for the lowest price based on the longevity of it.
Will I be coming back to this? As I’ve finished it, not likely, other than to see others have a go at it. Not everyone got to see me momentarily struggling to solve a puzzle or using a hint. I can now fake superiority, looking smug when others attempt a puzzle. “Oh, I finished that one first go” I would say, but no one would likely believe me. It’s a bit like WarioWare: Smooth Moves but also has the same simplicity as Toridama: Brave Challenge. I’d recommend Mom Hid My Game! to anyone with a spare hour or so to have a bit of fun and raise a chuckle here and there. Perhaps not for the Call of Duty types, but if you’re easily amused, maybe it’s the party game for you.
Disclaimer: Having been subjected to years of Japanese ‘comedy’, Mom Hid My Game! was quite refreshing and funny in all the right places. It’s a bit similar to western slapstick – no subtlety, just wacky. As I said, I enjoyed it a lot but was gutted when it was over. It would be nice if there was an incoming DLC pack like Mom Hid My Jazz Mag!
Reel in a few friends after a beer and watch them cock up on some of the most straightforward puzzles, and this could be a fun night ahead. Just don’t expect this to be the go-to-game unless you limit the number of puzzles you attempt. Then again, all puzzles are simple when you already know the answers. Safety in numbers and all that. Byeeeeeeee!
