An overlooked Nintendo puzzler supervised by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Muddy the mole digs, pushes barrels, swaps between surface and underground. Original dig mechanics, levels with perfectly dosed logic. Charming, clever, unjustly forgotten. A real Game Boy gem to absolutely discover.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle1 player3+
Description
Puzzle game with mole Muddy seeking to free his kidnapped family from gardener Epsilon by moving barrels through underground passages. Published by Nintendo/Pax Softnica, with Shigeru Miyamoto's involvement, released in 1996 in Europe and North America. Underground logic levels, barrels to push, and tunnels to dig.
Late Game Boy puzzler designed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself, a credit often overshadowed by his more visible EAD output. Released in 1996 at the twilight of the monochrome era, with Super Game Boy support that paints an already sharp puzzle grid. Modest print run, never reissued or rolled into an official collection, which turns it into a niche piece chased by fans of Nintendo's quieter design work and Miyamoto completists.
An underrated gem
It's hard to believe Shigeru Miyamoto co-created this little gem of underground logic, so rarely is it mentioned. Muddy the mole digs, pushes barrels and shuttles between surface and basement in puzzles of fearsome finesse. Released at the very end of the console's life, it's made for fans of clever puzzles and retro charm.
Is Mole Mania still worth playing in 2026?
Supervised by Shigeru Miyamoto and largely overlooked at release, Mole Mania remains one of the cleverest puzzlers ever published on Game Boy. Muddy the mole switches between surface and underground galleries, pushes barrels, evades obstacles and solves spatial puzzles tuned with surprising precision. The pacing is gentle, the visual humour warm and the length generous. Even today almost nothing resembles its concept, and the design curiosity stays intact. A genuine Nintendo gem, worth discovering for anyone who loves thoughtful puzzles with a real personality.
