Review for Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 04/12/2018 The version for PC came out on 25/07/2019
Last year we had the opportunity to tell you about the excellent work done by the guys from Lizardcube, capable of bringing back to gamers' screens a very successful classic in its new playful metamorphosis, that is Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap.
A year later we found ourselves in the hands Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, which already from the assonances in the title suggests the guru from which it draws inspiration: Monster Boy wants to be, according to the same development team, a spiritual heir of Wonder Boy in Monster Land. The project was born from the collaboration between FDG Entertainment and The Game Atelier, in addition to the important contribution that came from Ryuichi Nishizawa, the creator of the original Wonder Boy.
The choice adopted by the developers is simple: implement the features already seen in the last chapter that brought back the Nishizawa series and make use of them by exploiting the absence of the various limits imposed during the creation of a remake. Monster Boy manages to emerge immediately in its very simple mechanics, which, however, are articulated continuing in the adventure, shaping a title usable by a very wide type of user who will be able to appreciate the various aspects that make Monster Boy a little gem.
Narratively Monster Boy offers a simple story, in which we will go to impersonate Jin, a young blue-haired boy, in his adventure in pursuit of his uncle Nabu who, strangely mad and possessing a strange magical power, will sow panic in the kingdom turning all the inhabitants into animals. In addition to stopping his deranged uncle, Jin must find a way to return everything to normal, restoring his fellow citizens to human form and restoring peace to his native kingdom.
Among the various playful elements bequeathed by Wonder Boy and made their own by the title in question there is the ability of the protagonist to transform himself, taking on animal features and being able, at the same time, to exploit the different powers of each type. In addition to the basic human form, Jin will be able to transform into a pig, a snake, a toad, a lion e a dragon. All these varied features will not have a purely aesthetic purpose and their peculiar abilities will have to be exploited and combined properly to solve the various environmental puzzles.
Meticulous care is also paid to character animations and to the aspect of the various levels that the game presents, laudable care both stylistically and playfully: Monster Boy wants to encourage the player to explore every single corner of the varied levels where Jin will find himself and he must never be afraid to dare; many titles catechize the player by teaching him to pay attention to the various cliffs and leaps into the void that appear before him, comparing the latter to the certain death of the character. Here, on the other hand, we will always find something secret on the other side and the more the journey will be full of obstacles, the more precious the object obtained will be, creating in the user the conception of a game that always rewards those who are willing to deviate from their main route. Everything is rendered in a never frustrating way, thanks to a well-connected game world that allows you to drastically reduce backtracking times, required to complete the game 100%.
Feeding on particular roots scattered around the game world, Jin will also be able to unlock the use of various powers and objects: these will also have a aftertaste of already seen for those who have played the latest remake of Wonder Boy and can be exploited as combat support to the player, besides giving further variety in the way of solving some puzzles.
The same equipment the character will present several side effects, exploitable in turn in basic mechanics similar to those of an RPG, complete with rare craftable items - after collecting the necessary components hidden in the levels - in special shops scattered around the overworld. This part is not too deep, but it helps to give a further boost to the variety in the final amalgam.
A particular mention of merit for the boss fight of the game, rendered in an original way and almost never limited to a simple sequence of attacks by the player, who will have to be good at understanding how to play to his advantage with the arenas in which the various clashes will take place.
The general difficulty of Monster Boy it is not excessive, which makes the game accessible to a wide range of players. However, certain puzzles may be unclear and test the patience of some, but with a little meticulous examination of the surrounding environment we will arrive - in most cases - to the solution sought.
We conclude with the graphic sector: artistically, the game is really well done and the attention to detail can already be seen from the intro that anticipates the menus, presented with a painstaking anime style that will please many fans. Jin's various transformations are beautifully rendered on screen and the enemies are varied and endowed with very peculiar characteristics. Even the level design benefits from the artistic vein of the development team, showing scenarios and backgrounds that never give the side to smudges or uncertainties.
The cohesion of the various characteristics that make up Monster Boy takes place in an excellent way and the excellent artistic sector helps to act as a glue to the whole. The title is fun and can be played willingly, offering a good level of challenge and a fair attention to exploration. The commitment lavished in the five years of development is palpable, as is the love put into this work that makes it a great tribute and a worthy following of that Wonder Boy who had won the hearts of the players many years ago.
► Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is an Adventure-Platform game developed by The Game Atelier and published by FDG Entertainment for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 04/12/2018 The version for PC came out on 25/07/2019
