Momoko 120%

The Good
Whether or not the game was an offering to the handful of female arcade-goers, it has a lot going for it. It's like Teddy Boy Blues, My Hero, Fantasy Zone, Quartet and other games with cute, soft colours and shapes, though this game is perhaps even cuter and softer. Rather than a "shoot the bad guys" theme, the game has an "escape the burning building" theme, while Momoko must also shoot and dodge the baddies blocking her way. She gets to use monkey bars, escalators, trampolines, enter doorways that take her elsewhere in the building and fly away on a blimp when she gets to the roof. Call it a more defensive game, call it a more feminine game, it's also a little gentler on you than some of the ruthless arcade games of the '80s. Momoko get's older/taller as the game goes on, again this might have been something that Jaleco thought would interest female gamers specifically, but it makes level progression more interesting than some of the other games' of the time.

The Bad
Momoko's ultimate goal of getting married is a bit double edged. You could look at it as, she wants to find love, not the glory of saving the world or whatever, but it also tends to feel a bit traditional, conservative and without some of the necessary glory that usually goes with completing a game. Part of the idea behind it is, Momoko has a child then the game restarts, implying that you're now playing as Momoko's child. So there's an endless cycle of school, marriage and motherhood.

The Bottom Line
Not just a game for girls, however it may have been intended as one. It's more fun and interesting than other arcade-platformers of the '80s. If you go somewhere that has a selection of old arcade games and this game is in it, don't be embarrassed, it's worth playing.