Ludography
83/100
Players14 ratings

Where to get it

Mole Mania cover

1996 · Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Adventure · Puzzle

Mole Mania

Nintendo exclusive

Join Muddy Mole in a race to destroy enemies and obstacles in an attempt to defeat the evil farmer, Jinbei. Blast strategic exits using black balls and tunnel your way to the next action-packed level. Help Muddy solve the incredible puzzles of Jinbei Land and reunite him with his beloved mole family. You'll dig the fast pace and challenging fun of Mole Mania!

Released
21 July 1996
Platforms
Game BoyNintendo 3DS
Genres
AdventurePuzzleStrategy
Developers
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Publishers
Nintendo
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
ActionFantasy
Country
Japan
Age ratings
ESRB EPEGI 3CERO A
Languages
English, Japanese

About

Mole Mania is a 1996 video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was released in Japan in July 1996, North America in February 1997 and Europe in May 1997. The game was re-released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in all major regions throughout 2012, and on Nintendo Classics in 2026.

›Story

A mole named Muddy Mole, whose wife and children have been kidnapped by the farmer, Jinbe. Muddy must find and rescue his wife and seven children by navigating his way through the seven worlds of Jinbe Land; avoiding enemies, solving puzzles, stealing cabbages, and defeating the boss of each world. Freeing his loved ones one by one before coming face-to-face with Jinbe himself.

Keywords

  • 2d
  • animal protagonist
  • battle
  • super game boy enhancement
  • virtual console
  • kidnapping
  • game boy link cable support
  • nintendo 3ds virtual console
  • underground

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In the game, Muddy has to move a black ball to a gate at the end of the screen in order to get to the next screen. He can push, pull, and throw the black ball. Muddy can also dig into soft ground to find underground paths around obstacles. Choosing where to dig is a crucial element of the game's various puzzles, as creating holes in the wrong areas could hinder the player's efforts to advance.

Dropping the ball into a hole would cause it to return to its starting point. Given the nature of Muddy's ability to move the ball, digging holes in the wrong places could make reaching the gate with the ball completely impossible, requiring Muddy to leave the screen and then return to try again. Along the way, there are many obstacles, such as moving enemies, pipes, barrels, weights, and bosses.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Game Boy21 July 1996Japan · North America 1 February 1997 · Europe 31 December 1997
Nintendo 3DS26 July 2012North America · Europe 4 October 2012 · Japan 7 November 2012

Editions and related releases

Built on it
Mole Mania DX

Games like this

Collections10 collections

Platform libraries

Years

Genres

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.