{"id":56082,"date":"2026-01-23T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56082"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:48:14","slug":"japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-use-your-stupid-little-hamster-as-a-war-weapon-of-mass-annihilation-launches-to-very-positive-score-on-steam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-use-your-stupid-little-hamster-as-a-war-weapon-of-mass-annihilation-launches-to-very-positive-score-on-steam\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese indie game in which you use your stupid little hamster as a war weapon of mass annihilation launches to Very Positive score on Steam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When your homeland is being invaded and the world is on the brink of destruction, the only thing left to do is squeeze your cute little hamster in your right hand and unleash its powers of mass annihilation to vanquish your country\u2019s oppressors. If this oddly specific situation still seems a bit difficult to imagine, don\u2019t worry, because Japanese independent developer Zxima has come out with a game that perfectly encapsulates\u2026just that. Published by Kodansha, <strong>MOCHI-O <\/strong>is a chaotic doomsday shooting\/pet-raising\/adventure game starring the eponymous hamster. The game launched on Steam on January 19, to a Very Positive review score of almost 100 reviews at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In MOCHI-O, you become the new handler of a cute little hamster-looking creature named MOCHI-O, and just like in almost every pet-raising game, you have to take care of it, feed it and shower it with love. However, once invaders attack your country, leaving you with no option but to defend yourself from foreign forces, the little guy will come in clutch. The cute critter is actually a portable homeland security weapon, and by raising it, you\u2019ll also be able to further unlock its potential for mass destruction and extermination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;MOCHI-O&quot; 2nd Trailer\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QIl96AJwlGY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The battles themselves play out in a shooter game-like format, where you literally have to hold your MOCHI-O in your right hand, aim at enemies, and shower them with bullets, rockets, and bombs. The game also incorporates some roguelike elements. By collecting enough sunflower seeds from enemy drops, you\u2019ll be able to level up your MOCHI-O and gain randomized skills to help you defend your homeland more efficiently. As the cute little hamster becomes stronger, you\u2019ll be able to unlock various new weapons like homing missiles and literal laser beams shot from space. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the cute pet-rearing gameplay that awaits you between each battle, the game also features many different interactions and dialogue between MOCHI-O, you (the player), and your mysterious superior dubbed \u201cthe Director.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a related note, MOCHI-O is just one game in developer Zxima\u2019s series of \u201ctender apocalypse\u201d video games. Some of their previous endeavors include titles like Catastrophe Restaurant, Flat Machine, Scrap Friends and Parasite Days, all revolving around the similar blend of heartwarming themes and a doomsday\/post-apocalyptic setting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MOCHI-O is currently available for PC (<a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3596670\/MOCHIO\/?l=english\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steam<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-live-action-romance-sim-lets-you-become-the-pampered-pet-hamster-of-three-sisters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Japanese live-action romance sim lets you become the pampered pet hamster of three sisters\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20220513-12545\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>One Japanese developer\u2019s hamster games have sold so well they established a hamster department<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/kirby-air-riders-playtesters-are-obsessed-with-rick-the-hamsters-uncontrollable-speed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Kirby Air Riders playtesters are obsessed with Rick the hamster\u2019s uncontrollable speed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japanese publisher Kodansha and solo developer Zxima released MOCHI-O on January 19, to a Very Positive Steam review score.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":56083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-56082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Japanese indie game in which you use your stupid little hamster as a war weapon of mass annihilation launches to Very Positive score on Steam - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Japanese publisher Kodansha and solo developer Zxima released MOCHI-O on January 19, to a Very Positive Steam review score.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-use-your-stupid-little-hamster-as-a-war-weapon-of-mass-annihilation-launches-to-very-positive-score-on-steam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japanese indie game in which you use your stupid little hamster as a war weapon of mass annihilation launches to Very Positive score on Steam - AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Japanese publisher Kodansha and solo developer Zxima released MOCHI-O on January 19, to a Very Positive Steam review score.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-use-your-stupid-little-hamster-as-a-war-weapon-of-mass-annihilation-launches-to-very-positive-score-on-steam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260123-56082-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"756\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u0110or\u0111e P\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u0110or\u0111e P\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Japanese indie game in which you use your stupid little hamster as a war weapon of mass annihilation launches to Very Positive score on Steam - 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