Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

I didn’t really get a lot of games until later into my teens, but in the earlier days I had an old Sega Master System that my granda picked up from a Car Boot Sale for me, and he would scour for games every time he went. One day, he came home with a boxed copy of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap for me, and I played it a lot. Between Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Psycho Fox and Wonder Boy, I was rarely off the Sega whenever I stayed over. Game Atelier’s Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a spiritual successor to the Wonder Boy series, in that it was developed in collaboration with original series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa (who also assisted with Dotemu’s remake of The Dragon’s Trap in 2017).

You play as Jin, a young, blue-haired boy who discovers that his Uncle Nabu has gone and turned everyone in the kingdom into animals - including your brother! - using magic. In his attempt to stop his Uncle from causing more chaos, you are turned into a pig, leading you on a quest to find out how to get everybody back to normal - and stop your Uncle for good. Through the course of the game, you will take on five different animal forms (Pig, Snake, Frog, Lion and Dragon) in addition to your normal human form. Each of these forms has their own pros and cons, such as the Pig having the ability to sniff out hidden clues but having a rubbish jump, and the Frog being able to swing to reach other areas.

Depending on which animal-form you currently possess, this will change how things play and what areas of the world you will have access to. The metroidvania style means that you’ll be travelling left and right on screen as well as up and down platforms to reach higher and lower areas. Sometimes areas will be cut off as you don’t have the correct form unlocked (as some can jump higher than others) or you require the use of a spell. Different spells available to you range from flame attacks that can be used to burn through vines, as well as attack enemies; lightning bolts that can zap enemies in the area; or even a boomerang that you can toss at enemies and cut rope with. It’s a lot of fun navigating the world of Monster Boy, trying to figure out just where to go next or what to do - and whilst it definitely has the nostalgia factor, there’s plenty to set it apart from the originals and the 2017 remake to keep it from feeling stale.

Everything in Monster Boy is gorgeous, with fantastic use of colours and bold anime-like visuals. With absolutely stunning hand-drawn animations, every single character and location is a joy to look at. Combat looks and feels great, and taking advantage of weapon and item upgrades when you can is important, as it’s definitely not an easy game by any means. The score perfectly blends with the world and its inhabitants, immersing you in the magic.

One of my favourite things about this game is that you can switch between all of Jin’s unlocked forms at any time, taking advantage of each of their skills and abilities and allowing you to solve the numerous puzzles with the help of multiple forms at once. If you have a preferred form too, this allows you to remain in that form for the most part - until you need to change - without worrying that you’re gonna cause yourself an issue further down the line. There’s tonnes of secrets, including chests with loot and other optional things to do such as tasks for various characters, so even when you’re trailing off from the main storyline there’s a lot to keep you going.

At £34.99 on the Xbox Store, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is more expensive than a lot of indie titles we’ve played, but with 20-40+ hours of playtime, it works out to be well worth it. Plus, there’s even a Free Demo available on Xbox so you can try it out first. Even without the nostalgia, it’s a fantastic game to play - both of our kids really enjoyed playing (although it was a little bit too difficult for Eva at times) and I certainly find myself playing it regularly as a fan of the original series.

In the end, we decided to give Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom the Collecting Asylum rating of 10/10.

Have you played Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to FDG Entertainment for the Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Xbox review code!