Mole Mania

"Fun, but at times a pain in the ass..."

Oh boy. Mole Mania. My Grandma loved puzzle games and she spent HOURS UPON HOURS playing this. On the rare occasions that I could pry this away from her, I experienced a genuinely fun game... And then I got past level 3. Auuuugghhhhh!!! Maybe I'm just an idiot or bad at puzzles, but after level 3 THIS GAME IS A PAIN IN THE ASS! Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike this game, but... well just keep reading for the full review...

Graphics: 5/10

The graphics are all pretty much bland and plain, but being as this is a puzzle game it's understandable. I would have liked it a little more, though, if the underground areas weren't so choppy, but alas, beggars can't be choosers.

Sound: 7/10

To be honest, the sound wasn't all that bad. But, of course, this is on the old school Gameboy, so nothing back then was all that great. This was no exception.

Gameplay: 8/10

It's a puzzle game. You control a mole who's family has been kidnapped by some wacky farmer man, and you have to go save your family. For some reason, this one farmer has access to various monsters that will get in your way, and he also has access to hundreds of mind bending puzzles. This is basically the whole premise of the game, and it works just fine, because you begin to actually feel sorry for Mr. Mole. The only real problem I have with the gameplay is the boss fights, they can get really, REALLY annoying at times. All and all not too bad.

Difficulty: 5/10

YEAAARRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!! After level 3 it begins to get hard, and DAMN it gets hard. The bosses all stay consistently the same difficulty, but the last level is the worst! I finally did beat the game, and it feels like an accomplishment when you do finally save Mrs. Mole and all of the little mole babies.

Replayability: 6/10

Eh, I played it a couple more times after I learned of the minor easter eggs in the game, but I wouldn't recommend playing it more than twice. It really starts to screw with your head.

In the end, this game gets a final average score of 6/10 from The Ass Punch. It receives no awards.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/04