I first encountered Namco‘s Wonder Momo on the PC Engine, because it had received a fan translation, and I was curious to see what the game was about. I then discovered that it was a conversion of a 1987 arcade game, featuring a young girl called Momo, who can turn into a ‘superhero’ by building up her “Wonder Meter“.

This bizarre arcade game was only ever released in Japan, but has subsequently built up a cult following around the world, and has also inspired manga/anime, and resulted in a sequel that was released in 2014.

Wonder Momo is a parody of a typical Ultraman-style superhero series, and it doesn’t take itself very seriously. In fact, it’s batshit crazy in places…

The game takes place on a theatre stage, and you are controlling an actor who is playing the role of “Wonder Momo” in a stage play. The theatre curtain rises and falls between acts, and during the play the aim is to kick enemies away before they knock you down.

With each successful kick, Momo builds up her “Wonder Meter“, and when this is full she can then turn into Wonder Momo by either walking into a moving tornado icon, or by doing a spin herself. As Wonder Momo, you then have access to a special weapon called the “Wonder Hoop“, which can be thrown at enemies from a distance and therefore gives you a better chance of avoiding their blows. The Wonder Hoop, however, can take time to return to Wonder Momo – depending on how far away it is from her – which can leave her vulnerable to attack. She can also shoot small waves of energy when she is crouching, and can also perform a more powerful version of this – called the “Wonder Typhoon” – while she is spinning.

During each act, Momo must see off a wave of attackers, before then facing a boss character at the end. If her vital meter is depleted before the act ends, she’ll be knocked out and the game will end. You only get one life, so you must protect your life energy at all costs. After completing an act, your vital meter gets partially refilled. You can also top it up by collecting rotating pills dropped by some defeated enemies.

Wonder Momo is notorious for its slightly risqué content, and this is also one of the likely reasons why the game has become such a cult hit. When Momo jumps, her underwear can clearly be seen, and she can also be stunned temporarily if a photographer in the audience manages to snap a photo underneath her miniskirt. You can call it “pervy” if you like, but it’s certainly nothing worth getting riled-up about, especially considering how old the game is, and the fact that it’s a parody. Wonder Momo was not made at a time when political correctness held sway over comedy, or ‘fan service’.

Gameplay-wise, Wonder Momo is tricker than it looks. Timing kicks and jumps correctly does take some practise, as does using the Wonder Hoop and Wonder Typhoon. Graphically, the game is very good, with decent animation and sprites, and lots of humorous touches (like, for example, the ‘MGM lion’ parody opening, where Momo yawns instead of roaring). The music in the game is jolly and vibrant, and lots of voice samples help enhance the weird Japanese nature of it all.

As previously mentioned: Wonder Momo inspired a manga series in 2012, an anime miniseries in 2014, and a video game sequel by WayForward Technologies in May 2014.

I’d say that Wonder Momo is still worth playing today, because it’s a well-produced and playable arcade game with a fairly high novelty factor. The fan-translated PC Engine version might be preferable to the arcade version to some, though, since it does give slightly more context, but overall it doesn’t really matter if you don’t understand what’s being said or not. It’s still a funny and intriguing game.

More: Wonder Momo on Wikipedia