- John Bush
Game Review #413: Mom Hid My Game! (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: Steven Green
Developer: KEMCO
Publisher: KEMCO
Category: Puzzle
Release Date: 12.21.2017
Price (at time of release): $4.99
Buy Mom Hid My Game! from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Why Mom, Why…
Mom Hid My Game! is one of those titles that is totally off the wall and out of left field and yet has so much charm and is such a tantalizing experience that it is one of those things everyone should give a shot. At its heart it is a puzzle game, but it also has roots in the point-and-click adventure genre. This game is a little bit of a lot of things and isn’t really locked in to one major category as it brings so much unique flavor to the table.
You are a young boy who obviously plays your DS-style gaming system a ton, because momma ain’t happy. She has had enough of you stuffing your face into your system, so she hides it from you and grounds you from it in order to get you to focus on other things. However, you are a clever little boy, and you know all of mom’s best hiding spots. Find your video game system at all costs, and even fight through some treacherous puzzles that mom has concocted in order to keep you from your gaming heaven.
Point-And-Click
The basic gameplay loop consists of being shown a small background piece for the puzzle, followed by letting you begin to search around the stage. You start out pretty basic with the system being hidden under a couch or behind a curtain, but man do things ramp up quickly. You go from basic exploration puzzles to having to complete some odd requests in order to find the system just beyond your grasp, and with mom around every corner, and hiding in several puzzles to block you, you also will find yourself having to at times distract her in order to get what you want.
You also will find yourself needing to gather up items to help you complete puzzles in classic point-and-click fashion. These items can vary from things to help you reach higher to things that will help you with various distractions. You may even find yourself doing some cooking or racing in order to find your system but be warned of the various reptiles about.
Puzzle Variants
Beyond just the straight point-and-click puzzles you will have to get through for most of this game you also have some variation with some of the puzzles you will have to complete. Timing puzzles and memorization puzzles are also utilized in this title to spice things up between finding your system here and finding your system there. Not that this game needs a lot of spicing up as it is already such a weird title that you will be mostly perplexed by what is happening throughout as it is, but hey, change is good.
Aesthetic & Duration
The game uses a very simple hand-drawn art style that isn’t going for extreme detail. Lots of straight lines and stylization make for an adult drawing feel, as this one doesn’t feel cartoon-styled or any other variation on the hand-drawn style. You also have minimalist takes with how things are drawn and with the lack of color. You really only use blue as a backdrop, and then pale colors for the rest. Things very rarely will pop off the screen, and that is done purposefully to allow for the game design to shine through and give any extra hints when it comes to where things might be hidden.
If you are looking for a long and difficult puzzle game, then this won’t be the one you are looking for. This game is more about the journey, and the ability to play through it in a single setting adds to the game’s style overall. You can definitely pump through this in an hour or so, but with the price it isn’t something that should hurt anyone’s feelings. Also, the game is going for quirky ideas, not anything that is going to be hard to navigate or decipher. Don’t get me wrong, there are some nonsensical puzzle designs in here, just like all point-and-click games tend to have, but I never found myself stumped for more than a couple of minutes.
In closing…
Mom Hid My Game! is the kind of game that comes along that I always am pulled towards. Games like this that take a mainstream genre and just add a thick layer of quirk and pizazz are the kind of experiences I like having. With that said, the game is fairly bland in its aesthetic, is very short, and isn’t something that is going to be a must-play for the puzzle aficionados out there. If you are someone like me who had to play the weirdest of the weird the game industry has to offer, then grab this title.
Score: 7/10
Buy Mom Hid My Game! from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by KEMCO