Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom not only pays faithful homage to Wonder Boy, particularly The Dragon's Trap, but by refining the solid foundations of its spiritual predecessors with modern affordances, it becomes a rich platforming adventure in its own right. With a well-realized world filled to the brim with secrets and excellent platforming mechanics that always keeps things interesting, the Cursed Kingdom is a place you will want to discover every corner of.

That’s what Monster Boy’s final hours feel like. They’re a clunky conclusion clogging up an otherwise slimy sleek progression. Usually in Metroidvanias, your progress stops because you’re missing something you need. In Monster Boy, progress slows because The Game Atelier and FDG Entertainment have given you far too much.

Overall, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom met my expectations and exceeded them in certain aspects. While the game does get off to a bit of a slow start, the various puzzles, bosses, platforming sequences, transformations, and much more eventually tie together into an exquisite title. The game is both technically and artistically crafted to provide a focused experience to players quite unlike many other games that captivated me this year.