MoHo Preview
Kim Wild
00/12/0000
Moho is unlikely to become the next blockbuster but for the rest of us craving for something new will find this game a mouth watering prospect.
In a market saturated with the same old genres such as racing, beat-em-ups, football and platform, it makes a refreshing change to see titles that break the mould and try to offer something that hasnāt been done to death a million times already. Enter Lost Toys, a new developer formed by ex-members of Bullfrog who are intent on creating a game which is unique but highly playable for it
Itās difficult to describe what Moho is like although suffice to say it contains elements of Tony Hawkās Skateboarding mixed with intriguing puzzles and weaponry not unseen in many strategy games. But the most unique aspect of Moho is that all of the characters are cyborgs with rollerballs in place of legs. This is where things get interesting, as a criminal bidding for your freedom in the outside world, it is your task to enter the different arenas and complete the numerous objectives for each level. Five characters are available from the outset to choose from which have their own attacks and advantages. How many challenges there are for the player mostly depends on the difficulty level chosen, so it could be anything from 5-10. A grand total of 80 levels are there for the taking, although not all of these need to be completed to finish the game. Once a certain amount of levels have been completed, a new prison will open up which will give players the option to tackle whatever level they fancy should some prove to be too taxing. Some levels require you to destroy other robots whereas others involve racing against the clock and playing tag. There is even a sub game reminiscent of Speedball where a magnetic ball must be hurled at a goal, taking care to avoid the goal minders who will kill you if necessary. A big feature of the game is the time mode, where a gold medal will be awarded to you when you complete a level in the fastest time, which will provide plenty of incentive to keep playing even when the game has been completed.
While the opponents are there to stop you from succeeding, the different landscapes are also meant to put all your skills to the test. Conditions such as water and ice are there to hinder your progress and many of the levels have traps and pitfalls to make life even harder for your cyborg. The most unique thing about the graphics which is a feature that directly affects the gameplay, is the ability to morph the landscape in real time. This allows you to manipulate the land around you in order to aid you progress, not to mention looking very slick as you go about it!
At this stage, not much is known about the sound other than it should reflect the madness of the action onscreen.
While many of the tasks at hand sound monotonous, compiled together they give the game plenty of variety. Add to this the shortcuts through the different landscapes with plenty of hidden secrets and here you have what seems to be a recipe for success. A multiplayer mode has also been added to the mixture, which should prove to make the game even more fast and furious. Moho is unlikely to become the next blockbuster or chart topper due to its unique nature, but for the rest of us craving for something new will find this game a mouth watering prospect.
