Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom review

Reviewed on: PC

Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom is a 2D platform game developed by Game Atelier with the collaboration of Ryuichi Nishizawa (creator of the Wonder Boy series), who acted as a consultant on the game. It can be considered a tribute to games of the 8- and 16-bit generation, being a spiritual successor to the Wonder Boy series (1986-1994). The game went through a 4-year development period, and you can notice the care put into the production right away, since all the character sprites were hand-drawn, giving the game a very beautiful and clean look.

Just like in the platform/adventure games of the 80s, the story is very simple and easy to understand. At the start of the game your character is turned into an animal and the one responsible is his own uncle, who stole a magic wand and began spreading disorder through the kingdom, turning everyone he saw into animals. It’s up to you to find the orbs that have the power to undo the curse, and each orb acquired gives Jin, the protagonist, the ability to transform into a different animal. This aspect of the game gives it a major Metroidvania feel, since there are several secrets and parts of the scenery that can only be reached with specific abilities. For example: transforming into a pig lets Jin sense (by smell) hidden doors, treasures and platforms, while the snake transformation lets Jin walk on some surfaces and pass through small holes.

Gameplay

Thanks to these varied transformations we see a mix of styles during gameplay. The game is classified by the developer as a 2D platformer, but expect to notice elements of other genres during the adventure, since the game has backtracking and RPG elements in character progression, noting that all these elements are very well thought out and add depth to the game without making it bureaucratic, that is, they knew how to dose each part of the game very well.

The platforming sections are also noteworthy and will demand precise timing from the player, as expected from games of the genre. The controls respond very well to commands and are quite intuitive… especially in some puzzles that require different abilities to be used in sequence, making the player change form at the right moment to solve them.
The only thing I missed during gameplay was a quick-swap menu for equipping items (swords, boots and armor) without having to go to the inventory screen.

Graphics/Sound

As already said above, the care Atelier put into this game is clear; the characters have fluid animations and the game’s image has a very clean and beautiful look; the scenery is also a show of its own without clashing with the retro style of the 80s 2D platform games. The soundtrack has the characteristic style of 8/16-bit games, with the improvements allowed by current technology.

Conclusion

Another game that recalls the “magic” of the great platformers of the 80s: the soundtrack and gameplay are nostalgic, the graphics are beautiful, the animations are fluid. Monster Boy Cursed Kingdom is a platformer that will certainly please those who enjoy the genre, whether for its simple and responsive gameplay, its Metroidvania elements, or its nostalgic feel. Play it!