Wonder Momo

Wonder Momo (ワンダーモモ) is a 1987 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released only in Japan on February 24, 1987.[1] It was ported to the PC Engine in 1989, with both versions of the game later ported to the Wii Virtual Console, and ported to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as part of Arcade Archives series. The game was also included in Namco Museum Encore for the PlayStation. Wonder Momo inspired a webcomic series in 2012, an anime miniseries in 2014, and a sequel game by WayForward Technologies in May 2014.

Gameplay

Wonder Momo is a loose parody of a typical Ultraman-style superhero series, and utilizing a then-rare female protagonist. When the game is first started, players are treated to a parody of the MGM logo featuring Momo instead of a lion and a "Modoki" instead of a mask. The game then cuts to a scene of a theater stage, where a play begins starring Momo, a young woman who gets

In other media

Wonder Momo received a brief adaptation as part of the manga anthology Famitsu Comix: The Shape of Happiness (しあわせのかたち), published in the Famitsu Comics collection from March 1989, drawn by Tamakichi Sakura.

Besides appearing in video games, J-pop singer Haruko Momoi released an album influenced by the video game fully titled as WONDER MOMO-i〜New recording〜 (a pun combining her last name with the name of this game). It utilizes both the game's main gameplay theme and the "henshin" (transformation) theme. Yujin released a gashapon figure of Momo as part of the "Namco Girls" collection.

ShiftyLook comic

Wonder Momo was resurrected as an internet comic strip on Namco Bandai's comic strip website ShiftyLook with the title Wonder Momo: Battle Idol in March 2012. The series, illustrated by Omar Dogan and written by Erik Ko and Jim Zub, is set 25 years after the original game and focuses on Momoko, an idol who, after failing a TV show audition, encounters a race of aliens who give her Wonder Momo's powers. Learning to harness them, she begins battling evil aliens as well as rival hero Amazona, who is actually a popular idol named Akiho Mazo who was inspired by the original Wonder Momo, later revealed to be Momoko's mother. Wonder Momo also made several appearances in Shiftylook's concurrent Bravoman webcomic and webseries, voiced by Romi Dames in the latter. The comic concluded with its 200th page in March 2014, following the announcement of ShiftyLook's closure.

Anime

Wonder Momo, an anime miniseries, is based on the story from the 2012 ShiftyLook webcomic. The series was produced by Graphinica and spanned five-seven minute episodes, which were released weekly on streaming sites Niconico and Crunchyroll beginning on February 6, 2014.[3] The voice cast includes Yuka Fujiwara as Momoko, Misaki Komatsu as Akiho, and Haruko Momoi reprising the role of the original Wonder Momo.[4]

A side-scrolling action game developed by WayForward Technologies and produced by ShiftyLook, titled Wonder Momo: Typhoon Booster, was released for Android devices and Macintosh in 2014, with a PC version planned for a later date.[5][6] Following ShiftyLook's closure, the PC version was cancelled,[7] and the Macintosh and Android versions were delisted in 2015.

title	Wonder Momo
developer	Namco
publisher	Namco
composer	Kimio Yudate
released	Arcade JP: February 24, 1987 PC Engine JP: April 21, 1989 Mobile JP: June 2005
genre	Beat'em up
series	Wonder Momo
modes	Single-player, multiplayer
platforms	Arcade, PC Engine, mobile phone

Gameplay

In other media

ShiftyLook comic

Anime

Reception

References

Gameplay

Ports and related releases

In other media

ShiftyLook comic

Anime

Reception

References