Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Developer: Game Atelier
Publisher: FDG Entertainment
Genre: Action, Adventure, Platformer, Metroidvania, RPG
Number of Players: 1
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Dec. 04, 2018
Price: $39.99
Also Available On: PS4, XB1, Steam
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a side-scrolling 2D action adventure platformer, developed as a spiritual sequel to the Wonder Boy series from the 80s-90s released in Sega consoles. I personally have not played any of those old games, even the remake of Wonder Boy III that got released last year. I even got the names confused. When I heard that this game would be released this month, I thought “didn’t this already get released last year?” No, that’s Wonder Boy. This one’s Monster Boy. Could have been borderline plagiarism, if not for one of the creators of the original series got involved in this one. So here we go, we have a new, 2D platformer in this day and age where a lot of the new games are in 3D graphics. Not a lot of games go with the hand-drawn aesthetics anymore. One other notable example is Hollow Knight, probably the very best hand-drawn animated games ever released in history. But let’s not compare Monster Boy to that one. Let’s take this game and see how on its own stand up as an instant classic.
The game lets you play as a young boy named Jin who lives in the Monster Kingdom. One day, he wakes up and finds out that his drunkard uncle got so drunk with some magical potion-booze that he magically transformed all the citizens of the world into sentient animals. Jin tries to hunt down his uncle, only to get transformed himself while battling with him. He transforms into a pig with a patched eye and he then begins his awesome quest to save a cursed kingdom from the hands of his kin. Along the way, he gets to travel the kingdom and goes through a lot of maze-like paths and gathers sacred orbs, which give him the power to transform into other animals: a snake, a frog, a lion, and a dragon, each with its own unique set of abilities. With his new found skills and power to transform and becomes a true Monster Boy, will you be successful in leading Jin on his quest?
This game has lots of stuff to like and love. The first and foremost is its glorious look: its gorgeous hand-drawn aesthetics really hooks you in and won’t let you go. The characters look anime-ish and loveable. They look goofy at times, making funny faces here and there, especially when hit by enemies. The background illustrations and animation also shine along with the foreground: they really make you feel you are part of the world. Every bit of detail is there, from the patches of grass to the grains on rocks to the blue skies with soft stretches of clouds.
Complementing the visuals is the excellent soundtrack. Every area in this game has its own theme music that is catchy and highlights the ambience of the area you’re in. From the opening title screen to the end credits, the game really has very memorable songs that will always make you remember playing the game and how much fun you had playing it.
But of course, the game may look and sound awesome, but if the gameplay sucks, they are all for naught. Luckily, this game doesn’t suck. The gameplay is tight and easy to learn, though the difficulty curve tends to go sharp a bit early in the game. I personally encountered a few head-scratching moments, such as that part where Jin has too slide on ice to reach a hard-to-reach ledge or that boss fight that has a very ridiculously specific way to be beaten (it’s one of the best bass fights that I have ever encountered, by the way). But since the game plays well, any sort of challenge just makes you be better in the game. Every tricky platforming, area puzzle, or boss fight in the game can be overcome in due time if you have the patience, and it feels good once you get through them, especially on your own. Jin’s ability to transform into different kinds of animals, each with its own ability, keeps the gameplay varied and dynamic. And since this is also a metroidvania game, every dead end and yet-to-be opened areas make you look forward to learning new abilities that will help you in opening the said areas and discovering new ones. To aid in backtracking, fast travel points are located in the middle of every area in the world. Also, areas of interests, such as treasure chests and bonus/hidden areas are clearly marked in the map so as to help you remember where they are. Save points are also plenty, located at almost every entrance of new areas to explore. Some save points also have nearby shops where you can buy items that you can use in your adventure. These items can be magical items, weapons, or pieces of clothing. These items can be unlocked and collected throughout the world and also can be further upgraded by either discovering upgrades in hidden areas or paying for such in specialty shops.
Overall, this game truly shines on its own despite having to base itself from a past gaming series. It has added enough elements to stand on its own, and thus, gifting the world one of the best 2D platforming games in recent history. It may be an indie game, but if you didn’t know that it was, you would think that it is a AAA release from a famous game publisher. That’s how good it is. So gather up the courage, suit up, and explore the world of a cursed kingdom as Monster Boy and seek victory as you free the world in this epic adventure.
REPLAY VALUE: High
PROS
- Amazing hand-drawn and animated visuals that are reminiscent of anime and cartoons from the 80s and 90s
- Excellent soundtrack, composed by some of the top-notch video game musical composers
- Tight gameplay from start to finish
- The ability to transform to different animals, each having its own set of abilities, keep the gameplay varied and dynamic
- The metroidvania elements are put into good use
- Very good use of HD Rumble
- Looks and plays well both docked and on handheld mode
CONS
- The difficulty spikes a bit too early in the game, but not too much that it makes the game unfair
RATING: 5/5 monsterrific goodness
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