To save his friends, all you’ve got to do is slime your way through the 100s levels of the Devil Castle in a puzzle game that’s as challenging as it is simple. Get ready to bur some neurons in this game – but first, let’s check our review.
- Gameplay: You will agree with me that the most important aspect of a puzzle game is the gameplay. And Mochi Mochi Boy’s (let’s call it MMB, ok?) gameplay is simple but great! As mentioned above, Mochi Mochi’s body can stretch indefinitely and your objective is to slime your way through each square of the level. If you miss one or more squares, you will need to restart the level because he cannot go back to a square he’s already been (since his body will still be occupying it). The challenge consists of finding the best (and sometimes only) way to cover all squares in one go. In later levels, levels without walls (allowing you to leave the screen through one side to appear in the opposite side) and teleporters will be added to the formula, increasing the number of times you will press the ‘retry’ button for level…
- Visuals: With cute and colorful visuals, MMB is a title that can be enjoyed by players of all ages (although I strongly recommend you to always stay close to younger players to avoid some controllers bring thrown against the screen). Even the Devil who kidnapped your friends doesn’t seem all that evil.
- Duration: Like most (if not all) of Ratalaika’s games, MMB is a short game, perfect for those aiming for a boost in their Gamerscore. With a guide, it won’t take more than a couple of hours for you to get your 1000G. If you want to play all by yourself, it may take a little more (things start getting complicated very soon). Now if you want to save all your friends, be prepared for more than one hundred levels to be beaten. This way they managed to deliver a game that’s attractive to achievement hunters and completionists, but still attractive for those who want more value from their games. Well done, guys!
- Game modes: Besides the story mode you also have the dungeon mode, with random levels for you to beat. To make things even more interesting, there’s a countdown that gives some extra pressure to deal with. Complete the level to have some precious seconds added to your countdown. But if you fall victim of a trap, it’s game over for Mochi Mochi.
- Saving your friends: Every time you rescue one of your friends from a treasure chest, you can see him in a catalog in the game menu. But it doesn’t feel like an accomplishment to save them, especially because there are one hundred of friends to be rescued. Thus, there’s little to no emotion when you save them, making it something tasteless or irrelevant.
- Sound… again: My only real complaint about the game goes for its sound effects: they are very simple, with nothing special about them, what would place it in the mixed feelings. But something made me angry about them: the sound of a closing gate whenever you retry the level. It’s a loud rumble that, after the third time, will have you looking for a way to disable the sound effects. Something I couldn’t do, since I’m reviewing the game. Can we please change this sound for something more subtle?
CONCLUSION
Score: 55%
Puzzle games fans will find in Mochi Mochi Boy a simple and challenging adventure! The game is another great option from Ratalaika for gamers who want a boost in their Gamerscore. The visuals and sound may look simple, but the interesting gameplay is enough to sustain your interest in the game. And when you get stuck on a specific level, try to stop for a while and come back with a fresh mind later. It worked for me. Just do yourself a favor: turn down the sound effects so you can enjoy the game.
Developer: Pixelteriyaki Publisher: Ratalaika Games S.L.
Played on: Xbox One X Also available on: PC, Switch
Time to beat: Between 4 and 6 hours
Achievement difficulty for 1000 Gamerscore: Tough… finishing levels without being hit and eliminate tens of thousands of enemies will take a lot of time and practice.
Perfect for: Shoot’em up lovers.
Xbox Game Store link: Click here
With a history of gaming that goes from his old man’s Atari 2600 to his Xbox One, Rafael or RAF687, our Brazilian editor, has a love for games as old as he can remember. He has already spent countless hours in many consoles (Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, PS1, PS2 and Xbox 360) and is always ready for more (as long as his wife is asleep). Raf has been writing for LifeisXbox since 2017, with a passion for games of almost all genres – though we know he has a special place in his heart for RPGs, racing games and anything that includes pixel art. Writing about games has always been a childhood dream to Raf, dream that he has fulfilled reviewing games for you here. You can drop him a message at Twitter, Facebook or Xbox Live at any time.
