~ WONDER MOMO ~
Namco
HuCard
1989
Wonder Momo was never exactly at the top of my to-get list, but I'd been interested in it for quite a while before I finally went ahead and purchased it. Its appealing cover art is really what evoked my fascination, but the game itself looked like it had the
potential to be a kitsch classic, a goofy title that would follow the path paved by lords of the lowbrow like Night Creatures and Energy and endear itself to me despite obvious flaws. Of course, the risk involved with such hopes is that the botch-job in question might prove
to be more irritating than amusing, as is the case with the rough, repetitive Bravoman. Wonder Momo, unfortunately, flounders in the Bravoman category.

A girl who seems somewhat brain damaged gets up on a stage graced with ugly, boring backdrops as an audience roots her on with World Court Tennis-style whistles and applause. You play as the addled goofball and kick around a number of dopey-looking foes,
building up your "wonder" meter in the process. An ample accumulation of wonder enables you to don a helmet and a "power outfit" and toss a bouncing ring-type weapon. Beat up enough goons and a tougher goon or two will appear, and then it's on to the next act (of which there
are twelve in all).
All of this probably sounds pretty stupid, and, well, it really is. It's also repetitive and more than a little annoying thanks to iffy controls and troublesome aerial bad guys. But hey, after every few stages you get to see a picture of the chick looking
"pretty." And if that doesn't sound like strong incentive to keep going, well...
...it really isn't.