3/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Monkey Mole Panic.

System: Arcade Started: April 30, 2024 Ended: April 30, 2024 I spotted another arcade game that reminds me of Taito’s The First Funky Fighter since the cabinet has nine buttons. I found out immediately that Monkey Mole Panic was also made by Taito and this game came out before First Funky Fighter did. I gave this game a try and thought it was okay. It was something that Taito was testing waters before they made a better game with nine buttons. This plays like a party game as you get to whack either the monkeys or moles. The whole game is Whack-a-Mole but in a digital version as you hit the buttons that correspond to where the critters are standing. After finishing with that, you get to do a bonus round that stars a panda and a hippo to lift barbells and do chin-ups. After the game ends, it does tell your score based on how you played like your speed, power, and technique. This game can be played in single-player or two-player battles. If I had to say anything good about this game, it's the funny animations once you beat the crap out of these monkeys and moles. My personal favorite is Moles with their helmets on, as if they tried to protect themselves but failed after being bonked on the head. And that’s pretty much all there is. The bad news is that this game is terribly short, as it takes from 5 to 10 minutes to completely finish, and that is when you pick both the monkeys and moles. There is no story mode to this game as it plays like a mini-game, and I think it's meant to be played for two players. Monkey Mole Panic is a fun game for a short time, but it has nothing more to offer aside from the character sprite animations so it's something that is worth checking out. It's definitely fun if you play this game with a group or a date and just fight for the high score. However, I would rather be playing The First Funky Fighter than this game.