Mochi Mochi Boy review for PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

The last time we heard from Pixelteriyaki was a couple of months ago, when they released Super Weekend Mode, a hyperactive, arcade-y shmup. So, naturally, they?ve followed that up with Mochi Mochi Boy, a game that?s basically the opposite of that.

Actually, that?s not entirely true. Mochi Mochi Boy may operate at a drastically slower pace than Super Weekend Mode, but visually it has more than a few similarities, in that it?s incredibly cute, and it looks like a Japanese fever dream. In fact, if anything, Mochi Mochi Boy goes even further in that direction, with a visual style that owes a debt of gratitude to the adorable oddness of games like Noby Noby Boy, Katamari, and LocoRoco.

In terms of gameplay, however, Mochi Mochi Boy has a distinctly different inspiration. Once you get past the fact that you?re saving a bunch of your blob friends from the Devil, you realize that, at its core, Mochi Mochi Boy is essentially Snake. After all, the eponymous hero is a stretchy blob, and you have to get him to fill up the entire board without crossing back over himself. If that?s not Snake, I don?t know what is.

That?s not a bad thing, either. Because the gameplay is so simple, it?s incredibly addictive. Each new level may pose different challenges, but the game never gets so hard that you?ll want to throw your controller across the room in frustration. Best of all — at least from my Vita-playing point of view — the game works perfectly on a small screen.

Just about the only complaint I have with the game is that, like most Ratalaika Games, its Platinum Trophy pops far too soon. After all, Mochi Mochi Boy features well over 100 levels, but its Platinum can be achieved after only 30 (technically 33, if you count the dungeon levels). That leaves a whole lot of game that, unfortunately, many people will never see.

Then again, the game may just be addictive — and cute — enough to overcome that. Plus, as drawbacks go, that one is incredibly minor. Mochi Mochi is an absolute delight, and whether you?re after an easy Platinum or not, it?ll be well worth your time.

Ratalaika Games provided us with a Mochi Mochi Boy PS4/Vita code for review purposes.