Slow Mole is an 8-bit NES Homebrew Platformer arcade game where you play as a mole and try to get past the challenges and obstacles of the screen. The game is developed by SlowMoleDev, which created the game around a unique and challenging checkpoint mechanic, with equally difficult hurdles per level.

The character’s movement stays true to the game’s title, but everything else is the opposite. There are two difficulty options you can choose from: Normal and Easier. However, non of the options are easy, as this game can be ridiculously difficult because some levels are almost impossible to beat.

Slow mole but fast gameplay

Contrary to the game’s title, Slow Mole is not a slow game. Its checkpoint mechanic is timer-based, which forces you to speedrun the game so you can finish the level fast enough to get the checkpoint flag. The game is pretty much just like other old-school NES games with simplistic gameplay where you basically just play and try your best not to die. 

However simple, the game can be extremely frustrating. You will die a lot of times before you can finish a level. What makes the game frustrating, however, is its seemingly simple gameplay of walking and jumping. Unfortunately, you can only do really tight and slow jumps and somehow have to manage to go past super fast enemies and obstacles. Moreover, choosing the “easier” option won’t slow down the challenges.

Additionally, the game doesn’t have any clear objective. You don’t know what awaits you in the end, so your only motivation for moving forward is your exasperation of trying to accomplish every level within the checkpoint’s time limit. However, the game doesn’t have a life system. So, you can keep playing and dying to your heart’s content, or until you finish the game.

Extremely challenging

While its gameplay is simple and straightforward, Slow Mole is far from being an easy game. It forces its players to be patient in learning how to overcome a level while making you finish the levels as fast as possible. The timer-based checkpoint mechanic makes the game really fun to play, but can also frustrate a player into just giving up because of its lack of clear objectives.