Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Reviews
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom brings a long dormant franchise back into the limelight for a whole new generation to enjoy.
A delightful platforming game for the PS4!
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom perfectly bridges the gap between old and new, delivering the same style and charm of games from the Master System and Mega Drive, but including the same style of platforming and puzzle solving that have made modern indie titles stand out from the crowd. Essentially, it has captured the heart and soul of the original, and given it a breath of fresh life.
A terrific, substantial, imaginative package.
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.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a wonderful modern reimagination of the Wonder Boy franchise. The story and graphics are filled with nods to the franchise’s long history.
I did mostly enjoy the game as a whole and don’t regret my time with it, but it feels uneven and frustrating to me a lot of the time.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom may come as a surprise for some but the game's overall quality design and structure quickly become obvious, especially to fans of 2D platformers and metroidvania-style games. With its good level design, high quality cartoonish art style and several mechanics from its predecessor, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom should be on the radar of 2D platformer and metroidvania enthusiasts.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For those with a great deal of patience looking for a challenging 2D platformer with huge amounts of character, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is great. For everyone else, it’s likely to be frustrating just as often as it is fun, severely putting a dampener on the whole affair.
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
Cursed Kingdom is a fun, occasionally frustrating, romp through a world I hope we get to revisit one day.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
One of gaming's great neglected oldies gets a spiritual successor crafted with care and imagination.
Still, the overall experience should prove enjoyable for those looking for a retro inspired action-platformer with a beautifully produced visage; there are just some hurdles you’ll need to clear first.
The action is faster, the controls more responsive, the visuals are sharper and the music is more full and lush. It improves on the original in every way. It’s even a little more sadistic.
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