Guac' a Mole (Wii U) Review

From arcade halls to current gen consoles. The legacy of the classic arcade game Whack a Mole has been a long one filled with success, and the latest take on this older-than-NES concept comes from MadSkull Creations, which literally takes the old concept and flips it, thanks to the GamePad. Some people say to not fix what isn't broken, but Guac' a Mole proves that this is a statement to take with a grain of salt, garlic and a lot of avocado.

The story and gameplay of Guac' a Mole is heavily based upon the classic game it has taken its inspiration from. The biggest changes are that, instead of ordinary moles, the objects to hit are avocado moles, and what is being defended is now a lawn, or something similar to an entire planet. No hammers are used to hit the moles, but the comets that are closing in on the planet. This creates a big scale version of the classic game, and one that justifies Guac' a Mole's own take on the genre: the 360 degree movement. Instead of steering the objects towards the moles, the player is forced to rotate the planet to take them towards the attacking objects, and therefore effectively reverses the entire process of the original take. It is wonderful, creative and bliss to play, and in ordinary arcade-style fashion, the game gets faster and faster.

The big question that remains is if Guac' a Mole keeps what made the original into such an addictive title. The answer for that is, for better and for worse, yes. Yes, it is addictive in exactly the same way the original is addictive, in that there is a desire to improve high scores and demands "Just one more time, please!" even when the pennies are out. The problem is there is no such thing as running out of pennies.

This is problematic, as the concept of Guac' a Mole grows stale fast without that "limit" and the bliss awarded when that limited source of gameplay amounts to a high score. Guac' a Mole is just like the original Whack a Mole - a game that turns stale very fast in reality, despite being fun and memorable. It is a great game to take up at any party to have a local high score contest, but as a console game to go to over and over again, it is weak. That is, however, not what it strives to be, but what it does strives to be - an arcade game - it does extremely well. One game per day keeps the doctor away is the trick here. Do not let Guac' a Mole overstay its welcome at a single session, but invite it in small doses and it will be a long living and enjoyable title.