Miko Mole Review

Holy Moly! If you love stealth action with underlying puzzle elements then Ensena soft’s mobile port might be just right for you. Meet Miko the Mole. Like any ordinary mole he can dig his way through the earth. Unlike any ordinary mole though he has a handy copter strapped to his back to help him glide past all obstacles. This therefore helping Miko to steal as many shiny gems as he can get his grubby hands on. Sounds promising, so time to find out if Miko Mole is a diamond in the rough? Or another wasted mobile port?

When you first start Miko, the jarring polygonal graphics hit you. I’m very much gameplay over graphics, yet the origins clearly show to be mobile as rough edges on character models throw back to the early stages of N64. Miko himself even though rough around the edges is an adorable protagonist. With 40 levels per all 6 worlds, you have an astronomical 240 stages to complete; Great amount of content for what it’s worth.

Using the Dualshock, controls are easy to master with the only real input given is using the control stick to navigate Miko through the vast mines. This may seem limiting yet you need to be precise when passing hanging explosives or rolling them onto nearby enemies. I found Miko sublimely easy to pick up making the accessibility well-rounded. A trait well transitioned from mobile.

The main gameplay aspect see’s you controlling Miko as he tries to steal as many gems as necessary to open the hatch to the next level. With enemy variations from Bats to skunks (to name a few) out to stop Miko, the difficulty ramps up at a reasonable pace. The digging feature did struggle for me though, as whenever it was required the frame rate dropped and the screen shook. Teething issues that can be overlooked however after four hours it did begin to affect my play.

Musically the arrangement is superb with an outrageous jazz soundtrack played throughout. I immediately fell in love with the sounds especially how upbeat they made me feel. Saying that there is one anomaly present. A nauseating noise that feels completely out-of-place. Whenever completing a level successfully you will be forced to suffer a loud screech to show your achievement. This cringe-inducing noise is unavoidable unless turning music off altogether. It’s worth suffering to enjoy the other musical accompanies.

Speaking of achievements Miko Mole has a generous trophy selection that will even strain more advanced collectors. Challenges like killing 10 bats in Level 1-24 in one round of play or finish world 3-3 without killing any bats at all make the product much more lasting. Special mention to a trophy dedicated to drowning 10 times which made me chuckle.

Miko Mole offers a remarkable rehash on the classic collect to complete formula. Graphically along with frame rate it does struggle, yet if you can overlook this flaw, you are treated to a fun-filled outing that is easy to get to grips with and accessible to all. Throw in some outrageous music, 240 levels to dig right into, strong trophy support and you have a well-rounded title. Dig In!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Wii U code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.