Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 149 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 114 out of 149
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 149
  3. Negative: 18 out of 149
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  1. TheDahaka
    Dec 7, 2018
    10
    A superb Metroidvania style platformer and an absolute blast for fans of Wonderboy. This was a long time coming. The devs knocked this one out of the park!
  2. dimzic
    Dec 4, 2018
    10
    The game provides an excellent challenge and while it is fun, it gives to the players some hard times, but never frustrating. It makes the game feel more substantial and provides a feeling of accomplishment. The form swapping complaints come from people who do not know that you can toggle settings to become able to change forms on the fly, without having to pause every single time. OneThe game provides an excellent challenge and while it is fun, it gives to the players some hard times, but never frustrating. It makes the game feel more substantial and provides a feeling of accomplishment. The form swapping complaints come from people who do not know that you can toggle settings to become able to change forms on the fly, without having to pause every single time. One thing that I really liked was the innovative and fresh, yet still wonderboy escue level design. I cannot see how the reviewer thinks that the level design is "BAD". The work and devotion to perfection are evident. Being a wonderboy fan I would give a 9.5 out of 10. As an unbiased reviewer, who has never played/heard the old games my scores would be: Graphics: 9.8 out of 10, Music/Sounds: 9.3 out of 10, Controls: 9 out of 10, Level Design: 8.8 out of 10, Pace/Addiction: 9 out of 10, VERDICT: 9 OUT OF 10… Expand
  3. Anon1024
    Dec 30, 2018
    10
    A true revival of a platforming legend, Monster Boy does for the Wonder Boy saga what Sonic Mania did for Sonic, but to a much greater and deeper extent. Rendered in amazing, 1080p hand-drawn, perfectly animated visuals and with a memorable, if upbeat and perhaps too modern soundtrack, this game does not only get a technical update, but a much deeper gameplay update where gameplay is nowA true revival of a platforming legend, Monster Boy does for the Wonder Boy saga what Sonic Mania did for Sonic, but to a much greater and deeper extent. Rendered in amazing, 1080p hand-drawn, perfectly animated visuals and with a memorable, if upbeat and perhaps too modern soundtrack, this game does not only get a technical update, but a much deeper gameplay update where gameplay is now less about repeated fighting against the same kinds of enemies in the same situations, but a combination of simpler and more complex puzzles requiring strategy, precision, speed and, most often, careful exploitation of different character traits and perks. On top of this, the game is huge, accounting for about 6 times the size of the MegaDrive games, and has more secrets and collectibles than ever.

    Wonder Boy has grown up, and it did so masterfully at the hands of people that very clearly played and loved the original games. You can tell the amount of love this team put into this project, which is clearly an "I want to create the perfect game"-type project, not a "let's sell another hedgehog thing to random kids; add swords, whatever, just get it done, it will sell anyways"-type business. There's no shortage of fan service and references to the previous games too!    … Expand
  4. Frogacuda
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    As a long time fan of the Wonder Boy/Monster World series, I was surely not going to miss the first official new entry in the series in decades, but Monster Boy has blown away my expectations. While it does manage to tickle all the nostalgia you would expect, with tons of references to the past games both big and small, classic music tracks, familiar enemies, etc, I'm also really impressedAs a long time fan of the Wonder Boy/Monster World series, I was surely not going to miss the first official new entry in the series in decades, but Monster Boy has blown away my expectations. While it does manage to tickle all the nostalgia you would expect, with tons of references to the past games both big and small, classic music tracks, familiar enemies, etc, I'm also really impressed with what a great game it is on its own merits. This one packs a ton of mechanics -- almost everything from the past games and then some -- and exploits them all with a lot of polished and clever level design. Dungeons are packed with puzzles, and they're well designed and smart, but never frustrating. While Metroidvania comparisons are apt, this game is really almost like a side-scrolling Zelda, with a focus on clever puzzles and simple hack-and-slash combat. It's similar to other WB-influenced games like Shantae, but honestly, this game is better than the Shantae series.… Expand
  5. mbestvina
    Mar 5, 2019
    8
    I wanted to love this game more than I did. I still had a good time with it but I can't say it's a must-play. I keep seeing people call this a MetroidVania and I don't think that's quite right... The structure is actually much closer to a Zelda game than a MetroidVania. There's a village in the middle of the map and you venture out in different directions to tackle a long list ofI wanted to love this game more than I did. I still had a good time with it but I can't say it's a must-play. I keep seeing people call this a MetroidVania and I don't think that's quite right... The structure is actually much closer to a Zelda game than a MetroidVania. There's a village in the middle of the map and you venture out in different directions to tackle a long list of self-contained dungeons. You constantly acquire new gear and monster-transformations that allow you to traverse new areas and solve more puzzles. There are secrets everywhere and the main quest could take you upwards of 20 hours to finish. That somewhat makes up for the 40 dollar price tag but compared to some indie games, Monster Boy falls short. Blossom Tales is a better Zelda clone, with a grander sense of adventure and Hollow Knight is a far better MetroidVania with better combat and infinitely superior level design and both games are much cheaper than Monster Boy. It delivers some good puzzles and platforming but the linearity and weak combat dragged it down for me.

    One major flaw that almost ruined the game for me is the health system. It is just impossible to get your health back. Enemies will drop health occasionally but it's nowhere near enough to compensate for the damage they'll do to you. The platforming and puzzles can also drain your health in a hurry. You can buy and upgrade shields and armor but it never seemed to make much of a difference. By my count, there are 3 ways around the health system. You can go back to a store to purchase a health potion, which is often very out of your way and will waste a lot of time. However, you actually keep all of your progress when you die so you can usually just brute force it until you win (frustrating), or kill yourself after using your potion to get it back (tedious and immersion-breaking). All 3 of these strategies are a pain in the butt and easily could have been remedied by enemies simply dropping more health. I'm all for challenge, I already recommended you play Hollow Knight instead of this game. The important difference is that this game's challenge comes from tedium. Another user review mentioned the Volcano dungeon and this was the exact moment where the game fell apart for me too, almost entirely because of the health system.

    I know it seems ridiculous for me to spend half my review talking about health but it really turned the game into a slog in the second half and made me question how good the first half had actually been. It never stops your progress outright but it's always a lingering annoyance. Monster Boy is a Nintendo-style side-scrolling adventure that has a lot going for it but can never quite reach the heights of the big N.    … Expand
  6. setuis
    Mar 13, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I would say its a great platforming game. 100% a must own.

    The positives

    + Nice characters design
    +Nice environment design.
    + Challenging in some places
    + Lots of puzzles
    + nice map to ensure you can collect most of the collectibles
    + Good length took around 40 hours to complete by going for 100%..
    + good level design.
    + Opening and closing sound track.

    Negatives

    Races with certain non player character (annoying for people with disabilities cause reaction time it slightly slower reaction times.
    Skeleton annoying you at end of trial by stunning you. When collecting relics.
    Ice armor is for the most part more useful than gold armor (the best armor in game).
    Not enough anime cut scenes (1 at start one at end).
    40 minutes of farming gold coins required at castle entrance and hurting penguins.
    No fighting mystic cat.    … Expand
  7. flowbeus
    Jan 8, 2019
    10
    This game is a dream come true for me, I've been waiting a long time for a game with Wonder Boy III style gameplay.

    This game blew away all my expectations and delivered awesome platforming gold. The graphics are amazingly detailed, the music is phenomenal and the world is nicely fleshed out more than previous Wonder Boy games. The obvious criticism is that it is a bit too hard,    This game is a dream come true for me, I've been waiting a long time for a game with Wonder Boy III style gameplay.

    This game blew away all my expectations and delivered awesome platforming gold. The graphics are amazingly detailed, the music is phenomenal and the world is nicely fleshed out more than previous Wonder Boy games.

    The obvious criticism is that it is a bit too hard, it's easy to get lost or confused about what to do next. I embarrassingly got stuck for 30 minutes in the church trying to figure out what to do in there to progress the game. I spent another 40 minutes trying to find an optional hidden room in one of the dungeons. I also encountered a puzzle where I had a solution that should have worked, but the game seemed to not accept my solution and wanted me to find its intended solution. I think some of these puzzles should have more clues to help the player if they get stuck or there should be more than one solution to some of them.

    Also starting over with just 3 hearts from the last checkpoint is kind of a joke, it's very difficult to progress with just 3 hearts from a checkpoint, especially later in the game like in the fire area where there is fire everywhere. Yes there is a time-comsuming way to heal yourself that I won't get into due to spoilers, but I think if you started with more hearts - maybe half your max hearts (if that's greater than 3) at checkpoints it would make a lot more sense. Or just space out the checkpoints more and make more of them fully heal you. Or have Zeke deliver a potion to you after respawning too many times. Or make an easy mode where all the checkpoints heal you perhaps.

    Anyway, despite the difficult sections, the large majority of the game is platforming bliss and I'm really sad that it's over. I really hope that we see a sequel in the future! I'm giving this a 10 since it is such an over-the-top joy to play this game.    … Expand
  8. denisferro
    Jan 26, 2019
    9
    Jogo incrível!

    Mapa bem grande com uma excelente variedade, inclusive de inimigos! Dificuldade elevada... Não é qualquer "gamer" que irá conseguir zerar. Gráficos 2D bem bonitos! A cada novo personagem desbloqueado é quase como se um novo jogo estivesse surgindo! Ou seja, você não vai enjoar tão cedo! Trilha sonora incrível, sem palavras! Acredito que o único ponto    Jogo incrível!

    Mapa bem grande com uma excelente variedade, inclusive de inimigos!

    Dificuldade elevada... Não é qualquer "gamer" que irá conseguir zerar.

    Gráficos 2D bem bonitos!

    A cada novo personagem desbloqueado é quase como se um novo jogo estivesse surgindo! Ou seja, você não vai enjoar tão cedo!

    Trilha sonora incrível, sem palavras!

    Acredito que o único ponto negativo do jogo é que quantidade de horas para zerar passou um pouco do ponto... Perto do final você se sente meio "cansado"... Se o jogo tivesse umas 5h a menos, seria perfeito...

    De qualquer forma, é um dos melhores jogos da biblioteca do Switch!

    Com certeza vale a pena jogar! A diversão é garantida!    … Expand
  9. Lightwing
    Dec 18, 2018
    10
    Best platformer game ever! Inspired of the classic with a new take. Extremly fun with great game play!
  10. SNESFanForever
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    Played it until the 100%. This game is so fantastic I had to buy it day-1 on PC to 100% it again. Monster Boy is one of my favorite Metroidvanias of all time so don't miss this adventure-filled pure gem!
  11. SL36
    Feb 26, 2020
    10
    Criminally underrated game. A real gem, just a super fun and well thought out game. Perfect level of difficulty to keep you engaged and feel accomplished without being too punishing. If Zelda, mega Man and kid chameleon had a baby, it would be monster boy.
  12. rosnk30
    May 18, 2020
    10
    This game's absolute gorgeous, stunning visuals and a lot stuff to do. This game nowadays (like was in my childhood) is one of my favorite games. Monster Boy fit better in switch console instead anothers plataforms.

    Well, I confess that didnt believed in this Monster Boy...In fact the master system wonder boy was one of my first game have played in '90. Trought a bunch of years I played    This game's absolute gorgeous, stunning visuals and a lot stuff to do. This game nowadays (like was in my childhood) is one of my favorite games. Monster Boy fit better in switch console instead anothers plataforms.

    Well, I confess that didnt believed in this Monster Boy...In fact the master system wonder boy was one of my first game have played in '90. Trought a bunch of years I played Wonder Boy Dragon's Trap and Wonder Boy Remaster Remix that be amazing games but NOTHING if compared with MB in the cursed kingdom.    … Expand
  13. gq_foine
    Oct 24, 2021
    10
    Absolutely amazing! Must play for any Metroidvania fans! The story is very charming. The level design is creative and fun! And the challenge is a perfect balance! The music is amazing and the graphics is outstanding!
  14. porcodepre
    May 22, 2023
    9
    Metroidvania, honrado, com uma linda arte.
    Com a essência dos jogos, da era 16 bits.
    Não trata o jogador como idiota.
  15. Afenger
    May 12, 2019
    8
    Uma aventura viciante com uma pitada do bom e velho monster boy da 16bits, este ta muito melhor em relacao a versao de wonder boy. Trilha sonora bem simples mas com qualidade.
  16. derlangrisser66
    Sep 27, 2019
    10
    If you did enjoy a 80's childhood properly, arcades, video games and stuff like that, you know the Monster Boy franchise and if you got it into it, you loved it and if you loved it then, you gonna love Monster Boy And The Cursed Kingdom! All the magic is here, with nice graphics, polished gameplay and controls, a superb soundtrack, seriously, buy it, do yourself this favor! 10 out 10!
  17. ophone
    Jul 30, 2021
    9
    A top of the notch homage to the Wonder Boy games on Master System and Mega Drive.
    Right at the beginning you can hear the initial tune of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, the first game of the franchise with RPG elements. You definitely know you're playing a Wonder Boy game, even if it doesn't carry the name.
    An improvement to Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is to be able to change back    A top of the notch homage to the Wonder Boy games on Master System and Mega Drive.
    Right at the beginning you can hear the initial tune of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, the first game of the franchise with RPG elements. You definitely know you're playing a Wonder Boy game, even if it doesn't carry the name.
    An improvement to Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is to be able to change back and forth between the animal appearances at almost any moment as soon the orbs enabling the different morphs are obtained. Furthermore many puzzles are added to the known formula of the franchise it refers to.
    The graphics and animations are colourful and anime-like, the sounds and musics are of excellent quality and the game is fun to play. The only downsides I see are the rather lifeless animations of the frog swimming and that some parts are pretty cryptic as in: How should I know I need the golden sword to destroy certain blocks at the end of the game?

    In the end it's an excellent platformer with some backtracking and many references to the Wonder Boy games, even the first which is quite different to its sequels.    … Expand
  18. Lightning6
    Aug 14, 2021
    10
    A game I really enjoyed playing. The difficulty can be a bit high sometimes but never hitting a frustrating point. The places/dungeons you go through are different and each will bring new tricks and items. I loved the creativity coming from the combined story, soundtracks and art work.
    I didn't play Wonderboy however I am a big fan of platform and adventure games and this one truly    A game I really enjoyed playing. The difficulty can be a bit high sometimes but never hitting a frustrating point. The places/dungeons you go through are different and each will bring new tricks and items. I loved the creativity coming from the combined story, soundtracks and art work.
    I didn't play Wonderboy however I am a big fan of platform and adventure games and this one truly delivered.
    Another "detail" I would mention is the collectibles that are well included in the game. There is a variety of armors with improvements that can help in dungeons, the music sheets,... and the drops that can help complete the game at 100%.
    All in all, the hours I spent on this game were fun and I would highly recommend it    … Expand
  19. Unclouded
    Sep 21, 2021
    10
    The best Wonder Boy game ever made! Everything about this game just oozes charm and effort. I can't think of a single Metroidvania that has impressed me this much!
  20. SOHusky
    Nov 23, 2021
    8
    A long time Wonder Boy series fan since mid 90s! But first the TL;DR parts.

    Pros: Lovely art direction, Great music especially from Yuzo Koshiro and Banjo Ollie, Great looking game for gamer furries, Choc full of details n gamer content, pretty good animation. Cons: Buggy hit-detection, Too many harsh difficulty spikes, no easy or adaptive difficulty for casuals/kids/pros, constant    A long time Wonder Boy series fan since mid 90s! But first the TL;DR parts.

    Pros:
    Lovely art direction, Great music especially from Yuzo Koshiro and Banjo Ollie, Great looking game for gamer furries, Choc full of details n gamer content, pretty good animation.

    Cons: Buggy hit-detection, Too many harsh difficulty spikes, no easy or adaptive difficulty for casuals/kids/pros, constant chalenge is welcomed but does go too far with em.

    8/10

    TLDR is over

    I'm pretty mixed with this game but I lean more into the positive. I do love this game but there are times where the creators should've dialed it down a bit to give gamers a rest n more easier time to explore rather than have them constantly switch it up too much when it comes to gameplay styles and sudden challenge rooms the player has to do.

    The artwork, animation, alternate art styles for some hidden areas are super well done, in 2D wise this is one of the best looking furry games I've seen.

    The game does need an easy mode for children or people with low tolerance with being cheap shot with brutal challenges where most of them are mandatory to beat the game, if these hard challenges were reserved mostly for optional side quests then that's fine.

    Having an easy option in the game menus would be a great mercy for low tolerant gamers also tho this game is marketed to retro gamers n furries, it's also marketed to kids where accessibility in that field of gaming is way more taken seriously.

    Reason I bring up the flaws of the constant too much bloated hard trial and error difficulty is because this is a big issue, especially when you've done one task you're now forced to do something you're not prepared for in gameplay wise and will fail alot and sadly you cannot skip these.
    I do commend the creators for putting so much time and effort into the entire game front to back... but there is a saying that "less is more" and there are times where I felt like the game wasn't letting me breathe n just do some exploring without having challenges constantly thrown in my face.
    And at times I have gotten frustrated and had to take a break.

    This game is also considered to be the hardest in the Wonder boy series, wonder boy is no stranger to having some easy entries having very hard sections or just being hard in general but this one takes the no.1 spot for being hard and sadly most of the time it's for the wrong reasons. I can only see really determined gamers like myself actually beat the game or in my case "Complete" it where I assume about 2% of people have done that... and... that's not a good thing for this type of game in the modern era.

    I do have very good tolerance for gamer **** but I have mentioned this game does have buggy hit detection where you've clearly dodged or blocked something but you still hit and end up dying/failing a challenge area.

    Sadly this is one of the few games i actually got angry at because of failures that aren't my fault because the game's constant gameplay tone shifts it doesn't condition the player to adapt to in time.

    The reason why so many great very hard games are so well favoured because through visual n gameplay (without text in some games) they explain and prepare the player for what they can come across tho they are no stranger to pull off some cheap hits but you have to but only in those games it feels natural and if you got hit by some cheap shots then... it's your fault.

    Sure if you're doing repeat runs of this game and have a very very good memory of what events are going to trigger (seriously there is so much. I do love the determination the crew had for adding so much stuff to this game but... dial it down a tad bit) then your experience will be slightly better.

    I've gone on and on about the biggest flaw of this game so I just wanna end off with praise for it.
    I really love this game, it's super charming, tons of well respectable call backs, the art direction is really damn good, story is simple to the point, the music!!! ***Does a sexy pose to my Yuzo Koshiro poster while I kiss my streets of rage games.*** lol haha, the attention to detail is fantastic, n tho i'e said too much content made this game too bloated and frustrating... I can't help but appreciate the work this indie team has put into.

    Alot of love and care has been put into this game but when I was thinking of how others struggle with this game I do wish there was an easy difficulty option or have an adaptive difficulty program feature added like in Resident Evil 4.

    Worthy entry to the series (just have patience to the end) 8/10

    -SOHusky    … Expand
  21. Sun_Sun
    Mar 22, 2023
    9
    One of the best platforming-metroidivania games in recent years. Gameplay is very fun and anime style art is beautiful. Soundtrack is excellent, especially the opening song (English version). Fun story, big map with many things to explore, well-designed bosses, and interesting puzzles keep you enjoying this game from the beginning to the end.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best Switch Game of 2018
51
#51 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
72
#72 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 22, 2019
    85
    Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom appears to have been well worth the wait. [Issue #38 – March/April 2019, p. 71]
  2. Cubed3
    May 22, 2019
    90
    Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is not on the budget side of the indie spectrum, but what Game Atelier and FDG Entertainment have released is far from a cheap experience. The beautifully hand drawn art style, rocking soundtrack, rewarding boss battles, excellent progression system, and thrilling adventure, offers the very best of what makes a great action-adventure platformer, and turns it into a must own for anyone interested in the genre.
    Read full review
  3. FNintendo
    Apr 13, 2019
    70
    Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a rather surprising and very enjoyable 2D platformer that openly dresses the skin of a metroidvania-style of game, with a well-structured experience, a high quality cartoon-like art style and well implemented gameplay mechanics. It does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to 2D platformers but it certainly does a very good job at delivering a quality metroidvania type of game.
    Read full review
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