Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom took a while to release but it’s finally here. As the spiritual successor of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, the pressure is real. Can Monster Boy deliver the same solid gameplay? Is it as magical as the game it’s inspired on? I’ve played it for a couple of hours and will explain why Monster Boy is pure magic.
The Wonder Boy heritage
Back in 1989, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap released on the market. Right from the start, it was considered one of the best games of that era. Thanks to the transformations of the protagonist, the players never knew what to expect and kept falling from one surprise to the other. Years later, the game received a remake and was simply called Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, you can read our review of that one here. Now, one year later, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom hits the market as the spiritual successor of Wonder Boy. Just like the name, the game itself has a lot in common with its source material, even Ryuichi Nishizawa (the man behind Wonder Boy) worked on it. It won’t come as a surprise that the story feels rather familiar for those who played the Wonder Boy games.
You control Jin, who stumbles in one big adventure when his uncle Nabu transforms everybody into animals, including Jin. The first animal transformation isn’t the most glorious one since Jin simply transforms into a pig. During the game, you’ll gain new transformations along the way, with a total of six different transformations. These really are the beating heart of the game and offer an extremely fun new mechanism to explore. Every animal has its own strengths and weaknesses, the Pig is heavy for example, enabling it to easily operate switches, while the frog has its long tongue to his advantage. Every new transformation comes with its own perks and discovering them all is extremely fun while playing. Obviously, I won’t go into any further details since it would simply ruin the overall experience of the game. I can tell you one thing for sure, once you unlock one transformation, you’ll want to see them all!
Solid gameplay
Right from the start, it’s clear that a lot of love went into the creation of the game. Since it’s a platforming game featuring intense boss fights, every element needed to offer fun and challenges. While the first levels offer easy puzzles like switching on/off your heavy boots in the water, the later levels will involve some more difficult levels. What I like most about the platform segments is the variety. Thanks to the different transformations, you’ll constantly have new abilities to explore the world, reaching places you couldn’t reach before. It’s this constant innovation that will keep you hooked to the game from the first to the last second.
As if this type of gameplay isn’t enough to win us over, the game also features some intense boss battles. These battles offer a welcomed change to the regular platform segments and all revolve around getting to know the pattern of attacks. Just like many other games did before, you’ll need to study the movements of the boss closely if you want to counter its attacks. Although it’s all been done before, the game still manages to raise the bar thanks to its incredible visuals and audio.
A work of art
As you can see from the screenshots, the game looks amazing. The hand-drawn graphics in combination with the amazing soundtrack really elevate this game to new heights. It’s a pleasure playing this game, especially when you take the different environments into consideration. It’s clear that a lot of work and love went into this game and it’s amazing to see it all coming to life. I tested the game on Nintendo Switch and I must say it’s a great fit for the console. Not only does the game and the genre lean close to the most popular games on the system, the colorful animations really ‘explode’ from your screen, even in handheld mode. Monster Boy quickly became my favorite game to play in handheld mode while I was waiting on the train, chilling at home in my sofa, and many more occasions. I simply couldn’t put down the game and thanks to the Nintendo Switch, I never had to do so. Of course, I’m sure the other versions are incredible too but I like the Switch version a bit more thanks to its portability. That way, I never had to leave the game behind.
Conclusion:
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is one of those rare games you simply can’t stop playing. From the first to the last second, the game will have you hooked to your screen. It’s thanks to its combination of incredible visuals and solid gameplay that it’s this addictive. If you’re a fan of platforming games with a lot of variation, this is a game you need to play. It’s a work of art.
