Overview
, originally released in English as Hidden my game by mom, is a 2016 puzzle video game developed and published by hap inc. for iOS and Android and later localized and published by Kemco for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch in 2017. Later in 2020, the game was released on PlayStation 4.
Gameplay
The game features the player as a young boy looking for his video game console (which heavily resembles a Nintendo DS), which was hidden by his mother. The game console is found by solving puzzles, such as moving items to certain spots to be able to reach the console. In the Nintendo Switch release, a mode involving a man swinging around a pole was added. The minigame is presumably a reference to hap inc's older game Crazy Horizontal bar.
Development
In an interview with The Verge in 2018, the game's developer, Yuusaku Ishimoto, stated that the game was inspired by manga, with each level being designed as if they were comic strips. In the same interview, Ishimoto stated that the game's characters were modeled after his childhood. Initially, the game was released as Hidden My Game By Mom for iOS and Android. The game was developed by a one man team created by Yuusaku Ishimoto, with a grammatically incorrect title being taken with a help of Google Translate. The publisher for the console versions pointed out that the translation was off, prompting Ishimoto to correct the mistake. Later in early December 2017, the game was put on the Nintendo Switch eShop's "coming soon" list.
Reception
Mom Hid My Game! received "mixed or average reviews" from critics, receiving a 73/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. In July 2018, GameSpots Chris Reed stated that Mom Hid My Game! was one of the best Nintendo Switch eShop games available in North America that were on sale. In a review for Destructoid, Dan Roemer criticized the game's graphics and how the game feels "tame" compared to the mobile releases in the Hidden game by mom series but praised the game's sense of Japanese humor.