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If you need a frame of reference for this title, I can easily refer you to "New Super Hook Girl", "Ganbare Natsuki-san" or one of the various "Umihara Kawase" titles. "MOCHI A GIRL" by the small dev team, mumimumi, was originally released for the Nintendo Switch back in 2019 as part of the "Play.Doujin!" and Mediascape lineup before eventually getting ported (thankfully) to Steam in late 2023 and adds its own glutinous rice flavor to the mix. While we're at it, mumimumi has other strange games that have made their way to Steam such as "Hug Survivor" and "Otokonoko Fishing", so check them out if you're so inclined. The game is a fast-paced action game that banks on its simplicity with a one button scheme and intuitive controls to entertain gamers of most ages and skill levels.

The game doesn't really have a plot... I suppose if one had to make one up, it would be that you play with a girl made of mochi and have to collect all the sushi and sushi-esque items while touting your mochi supremacy to log the best times and prove you are the best mochi girl... oh, and there are a few bosses too, so, these baddies really hate rice and must be stopped. This mochi girl of yours can fire off a sticky grappling hook which has different traits based on the objects you grab as well as the angle and trajectory. For example, you can pull at the ground to get a little sprint going, grab ceilings to swing around, grab walls to roll up them if you hold the button, and grab certain enemies and throw them as well. Later levels have more sophisticated gimmicks that will allow you to swim through water, rotate around in full 360 degree fashion, swing around or through objects, grind on rails and more. Most levels are pretty straightforward, but the later levels have quirks to them that make them a little more enjoyable.

The game is pretty simple visually, but it works well within the parameters of the Switch hardware with no major hiccups in which to speak of. It's also a fun game on the go that can be played in short bursts, which caters to another one of the Switch's strengths. The audio is upbeat and fun with good clarity and while an initial playthrough of the game only weighs in around an hour, the game does introduce some additional content for those seeking to get a bit more out of the title. These extras include timed versions of stages (where you collect holy clocks to extend the timer that also introduce new ways to grapple around existing stages) and challenge stages that push certain mechanics to the max with no checkpoints from start to finish. On the subject of checkpoints, "MOCHI A GIRL" is very easy and relaxed in tone for the most part as there is very little penalty for failure (only going back a small ways) and most enemies are relatively non-threatening, only pushing you around some in most cases.

While "MOCHI A GIRL" is a fun little experience, it's actually quite expensive for what you get at $20 or so. That said, if that is too rich for your blood, definitely wait for a sale, but there aren't too many Umihara-likes out there, so I took the plunge at full price. This is a video showing different things in action. Enjoy.