Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Critic Reviews

So overall Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a retro inspired platformer and shows the genre at its finest. Not to mention it feels right at home on the Switch despite being a multiplatform release. If you’ve never played a Monster Boy game but have been looking for anything to scratch that Metroid or Castlevania itch then this is for you. And if you’re a Monster Boy fan wondering if this installment is any good then you should probably already own it. But if you don’t then take it from me you won’t regret your time with Cursed Kingdom.

It is a game that reminds you how some titles earned their legendary status in the history of video games, and teaches you how it can be possible to implement that epic old school essence into the modern age of gaming. A truly superb and rewarding gem you should not let slip unnoticed.

We expected Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom to be good. But, honestly, not that good. Visually stunning, faithful to its ancestors but not chained to them, this game is a true masterpiece, full of great ideas and that can entertain you for a long time if you feel the need to discover all of its very well hidden secrets. A must play.

One of the best action platformers of the year. The title offers visual and sound quality, humor, entertainment, fun and love thanks to the work of its developers.

Wonder Boy is finally back, in his greatest adventure yet. An old-school, visually stunning, funny and engrossing adventure.

Monster Boy is a tremendous accomplishment. It’s a gorgeous looking game with a fantastic soundtrack and does its spiritual predecessors proud by nailing the Wonder Boy mechanics while still offering something that will appeal to modern audiences. As long as you can appreciate that it’s still very much an old-school game at heart and you’re going to get some 8-bit era platforming trickiness as a result, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy playing through this adventure for the 12-15 hours it’ll take you to beat it. It may not be Wonder Boy by name, but it’s definitely wonderful by nature.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is more than a simple tribute: it's a full fledged adventure well worth its price.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is one of the best surprises of 2018. A great adventure that everyone should play.



If you’re a fan of platformers, adventure games or Metroidvania style games, then this will be a great title for you. With a lengthy playtime, plenty of variety in its gameplay and has so much about it to enjoy, it is a title that does very little wrong and outdoes the game that it set out to emulate. It wasn’t on my radar in the build-up to release, but I love it now. It comes highly recommended.

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.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is the best example of how a development team can revitalize an old series. It is a must have game.

A great neo-retro game that manages to be fresh and a perfect homage to some old classic like Wonder Boy.

An excellent balance between old school adventures and what we expect from the modern times. If you are not afraid of challenges with a glimpse of complexity, you'll find a colorful, enjoyable adventure.

Some warts do show up, mostly stemming from a steep early difficulty curve and occasionally hard-to-judge hitboxes and jumps, but on the whole, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a fabulous entry in a relatively dormant series. My future-gazing hope is that this team can have another go and make it more of a bolder, modern game than a warm, loving throwback to a series clearly near and dear to them.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a shiny and colorful metroidvania that offers great gameplay with equipment swap and animal transformations that changes the gameplay possibilities.

With a lovely hand-drawn aesthetic and a modern, meticulous take on old-school design, Monster Boy is a smart and delightful game, both a fitting tribute and an exemplary example of the new breed of side-scrolling adventure games.

The beautiful platform exploration of Wonder Boy transcends into the present with Wonder Boy adding clever puzzle elements.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom appears to have been well worth the wait.

Both a faithful spiritual sequel and a fresh adventure, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is an excellent platformer with some truly gorgeous visuals.

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.