Momonga Pinball Adventures Review (PS4)

Momonga Pinball Adventures is a story-based pinball game with a twist: instead of using a ball you are flipping a squirrel. You take on the role of Momo, a flying squirrel who escaped his village when it was attacked and destroyed by owl bandits. Now with your help, he sets out on a quest to find his "kidnapped" friends and family; we get the feeling that owls don't "just" kidnap squirrels, but maybe we're wrong.

You must flip your way through nine story levels, exploring various environments in search of his fellow villagers – and no that doesn't include inside the owls' bowels. Every level has a set of objectives to complete in order to progress; for instance, destroy all of the targets, defeating all the enemies, or hitting all of the switches to open a door. The story will last just over an hour to complete with the addition of extra challenges, an endless arena mode, and a few bonus levels to entice you to return for more.

Momonga Pinball Adventures is a very average pinball game with simplistic controls and physics. The control scheme requires you to use the DualShock's shoulder buttons to activate the left and right flippers in order to launch your furry friend at targets, breakable obstacles, and collectibles. The physics are equally simple; the ball often loses its momentum causing it to get caught on the environment. It also doesn't always bounce accurately or predictably, leaving you with a more luck-based than skill-based game.

The game is definitely aimed at the younger generation with its easy difficulty. In the later stages, enemies are introduced that require you to hit a bell that makes them vulnerable to being attacked by Momo; also there are multi-ball sections introduced that require you to keep two rolling rodents going at the same time. Although in the latter stages extra sections are added that mix up the gameplay slightly, it never gets to an overly challenging or frustrating level of difficulty. The game's charmingly cute visuals and happily upbeat music also make it a very child-friendly experience, which is perfect for when they are driving you absolutely nuts.