Ring menu monster boy9/9/2023 ![]() I was getting tired of trudging through each area. Right out the gate I’m charging through bricks and quickly launching from swing ring to bow launch. The volcano area is where the game becomes interesting and much more enjoyable. 4 part sword slash, quickness and warp ability Dragon Man – can fly without cooldown, shoot fireballs, flamethrower.Lion Man – charge run, stands up with sword and shield.Frog Man – swim/breathe underwater, stands up with sword and shield, double jump.Snake Man – spit poison, stick to green walls, headbutt.Pig Man – weak physical combat, sniffs out secret doors, throw attacks (bomb, boomerang, fireball), not the best.Travelling underwater and underground were great touches to the game but I wanted something more. That would make this game much more interesting. Those games were 2D-ish left to right games that added pivoting layers to the world, allowing the player to turn corners and see new aspects of the level. It took a bit to think of what could be done to improve this, then I thought of Tomba and Paper Mario. I pressed on thinking I would get passed it, but I didn’t. I got bored of the left to right game-play pretty quick to be honest. Memorise all characters abilities and don’t forget them or you’ll get stuck. I initially thought it was cool switching to each character for a certain ability, but it grew to be a hassle since it stops game-play. The game will require the player to use each unlocked character at any given time to progress. I’m out here looking for a switch I missed or hidden area and all I need to do was kill ’em all. Killing every enemy in the room is something you should always do, that’s what this newbie to the series found out. ![]() The animations are amusing and look great. Puzzles make up the bulk of Monster Boy – traverse back and forth from room to room looking for a switch to activate that lever and so forth. If you carefully look at the main village background, there are many layers that create a depth and distance to the town. That’s not to say the others aren’t impressive. It looks great and takes my attention from the mid and background. There are characters with small animations such as wagging their tail or moving their head from side to side. Level design is less of a feat compared to the foreground design. There is a meter for air that quickly depletes so keep an eye on that. The game may seem too easy and then BOSS FIGHT! Even smaller bosses will put up a good battle and require the player to utilise the infinite lives feature. In addition to infinite lives, if you fall off a cliff you will not die but reappear with less HP than before. Underwater exploration is great and being required to find air bubbles reminds me of Sonic. Truffles can be eaten to obtain spells or to upgrade spells to cast upon enemies. The starting weapon is a sword and in addition to the good ‘ol basic swing, you can ground pound like Shovel Knight (or Zelda 2 heh). They aren’t auto collected so be aware of your surroundings and gather them quickly. ![]() If all heart points are lost, Monster Boy will respawn at the previous save point, which looks like a shrine or fountain. Coins are the currency and can be collected from barrels or enemies defeated. Pretty impressive for what could be called a simple platformer. Weapons, Shields, Armor, Bracelets, Boots, and Items are all of the things that can be customised, very cool. Press the + button to see loads of information regarding your character and customisation options. It’s not a guessing game as to when your foe will be defeated. Press the – button to see the World Map that gives a percentage of your exploration. The soundtrack is perfectly fitting to the colourful level design. Enemies have a health bar that is visible while fighting and I love that. You get to see this prior to the start menu and it continues in game luckily for us. The cut scenes are absolutely insane, there should be an anime created for Monster Boy immediately. Transform into six different monsters to fight your way through enemies and puzzles to bring the Cursed Kingdom back to their normal human selves. Monster Boy is about saving a kingdom that has been transformed into monsters by your crazy uncle. This game was in development for almost five years, Game Atelier and FDG are very proud of Monster Boy. I love when developers/publishers respond, they even helped out with tips and tricks for those that were stuck. The developer FDG Entertainment has been active on Twitter prior to the release and after, interacting with fans and reposting images/videos which is the absolute best. I recently purchased Wonder Boy: Dragon’s Trap but was given Monster Boy to review so it took precedence. This is the first time I’ve played a game in the Wonder Boy series, and what better way to begin than on the Nintendo Switch.
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