Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Reviews

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10
Dec 4, 2018

Monster Boy stands alongside the likes of Celeste and Yoku’s Island Express as truly fantastic representations of the genre, doing enough differently and with enough style, polish and care to ensure it’s kicking and screaming on the doors of the Game of the Year contenders.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2018
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Nintendo Switch Review (One of the BEST platformers!) video thumbnail
Evan Norris
Top Critic
8 / 10
Dec 9, 2018

A terrific, substantial, imaginative package.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2018

Colorful, stylish and ultimately delightful. a spiritual sequel that manages to bring nearly forgotten pages of video game history to the 8th gen and improve it in every way possible. that's right, Monster Boy is game that lots of old franchises dream to be reborn as.

Review in Persian | Read full review

Dec 10, 2018

The early game has been a treat but as progress is made and dungeons seem to drag on, the enjoyment lessens, especially with the inclusion of puzzles ruined by poor design and lack of clarity

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8 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2018

Despite the concerns and some frustrations Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a very well-designed and gorgeous title as a whole. When you’re in the groove it feels absolutely brilliant and up to a point I appreciate the fact that you won’t be able to get through many sections on the first try as you may need to experiment a bit. The boss battles are challenging but often pretty smart and really none of them play out in the same way or even as you may expect due to their creativity. While I would have rated it higher if it either outright toned down its spikes in challenge or added a means to alter or skip them I’d recommend it without reservations. If you’re willing to either gut it out or assume that the game could get patched at some point to help out you’re in for a treat, just be aware that it can have a mean streak in places.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2018

At last our consoles come Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, it has been a long wait but without a doubt the result has been worth every minute of our patience our hype has been pleasantly satisfied.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10
Dec 28, 2018

EXCELLENT - Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is one of the best Metroidvania games yet for the Nintendo Switch. The graphics are amazing, the music is memorable, the controls are impeccable, and the ability to change into different monsters makes for fresh and exciting gameplay. Difficulty spikes and timed puzzles can be frustrating at times, but they’re a slight blemish on an otherwise fantastic game!

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8.4 / 10.0
Dec 16, 2018

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is different, but otherwise goes in all respects as a legitimate successor to the last Wonderboy games through. Connoisseurs of the old games, especially of Dragon`s Trap, feel immediately at home and immediately recognize the numerous references. Monsterboy is almost unconditionally recommended. However, those who only grew up with "modern" games should complain here and there about the "old-fashioned" level of difficulty.

Review in German | Read full review

Essential
Jan 8, 2019

There is just so much to this game that it'd take me about three or four thousand words just to describe all of this to you. I mean if you complete one level you move on, right? In most cases that is true for platformers. This is like an open world platformer. You can go back to a level that you might have missed something on or if you just feel like going back, you can. I have never experienced a game like this. Not in this type of genre. So, I can say out of all games I've played, this is one of a kind. To have such freedom to roam back and forth on a platformer, it's brilliant. I'm sure if you are a vet gamer like myself, you'll agree, I'd like to see more games like this. This had some time put into it and I'm not really sure if it's big in the gaming world. If I had the option, I'd promote this game in all channels of gaming.

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Loved
Feb 21, 2019

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom not only does justice to the Wonder Boy series, but improves the familiar concept in many areas. The game has convinced me from the first to the last minute, and it's a pleasure to jump through the beautiful kingdom with Jin, solve puzzles and defeat demanding bosses. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a must-have title for anyone who likes jump'n'runs or classic action-adventures.

Review in German | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2018

Cursed Kingdom is a fun, occasionally frustrating, romp through a world I hope we get to revisit one day.

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Essential
Dec 4, 2018

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom fully succeeds in its mission to capture the spirit of Wonder Boy 3 and successfully carry the franchise into the modern era. Every strength the original games had, the developers of Monster Boy went out of their way to expand upon or enhance. They have crafted a game world that is vibrant, lively, and full of riches to be discovered.

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Aug 3, 2019

This is a game that’s half a brilliant homage to the old-school Wonder Boy games—particularly Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Wonder Boy in Monster World—and half a game seeking to artificially inflate its length with gimmicks and mandatory busywork. I wholeheartedly recommend one of those halves while having nothing but disdain for the other.

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90%
Aug 24, 2019

Despite Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom being a revival of a 30-year old franchise, it doesn't show at all. It takes only the good parts of the original Wonder Boy games and feels modern in every way.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

9 / 10
Jan 21, 2019

If you’re a fan of platformers, adventure games or Metroidvania style games, then this will be a great title for you. With a lengthy playtime, plenty of variety in its gameplay and has so much about it to enjoy, it is a title that does very little wrong and outdoes the game that it set out to emulate. It wasn’t on my radar in the build-up to release, but I love it now. It comes highly recommended.

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90 / 100
Sep 10, 2019

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a great metroidvania. It's got just about everything: tight duration, many characters (although it's really only one with several shapes) with a variety of moves, varied settings and tight gameplay. If you liked Wonder Boy, buy it. And if not, man!

Review in Spanish | Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
Jan 4, 2019

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is an entertaining, colorful, and delightful platformer. The journey it took to reach its current incarnation may have been long, but it has most certainly been worth it. If you enjoy pigs with eye patches, this is the right game for you.

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Dec 14, 2018

Despite some problems I found with the game, I did enjoy Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Though it’s not a deep or particularly compelling story, it’s still a fun nod to games of the past with some new bells and whistles. There’s a lot of replay value if you want to 100% the game, including solving all the puzzles, finding all the items and upgrading all the equipment. The charm mostly shines through, and I’m still happy to see games like this on modern consoles. It’s also worth noting this was far more enjoyable than Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, as far as successors go. For $39.99 you’ll get a meaty adventure with lots of platforming, boss slaying and drunken wizardry. So long as you can look past the rough last part of the game and some frustrating dungeons, you’ll get along with Jin and company just fine.

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Unscored
Mar 18, 2019

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a very good game and one of the best metroidvanias I have been able to play. It is a game made of fans for fans and the truth is that it shows. A more than adjusted difficulty, sometimes a little difficult, but fortunately it has checkpoints that facilitate the average user. If you like the franchise or if you are fans of the previous installments, it is a mandatory purchase.

Review in Spanish | Read full review