Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a platformer game with RPG elements, developed by Game Atelier and published by FDG Entertainment, based on
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap—which got an HD remake last year in the form of
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap.
Today, the official FDG Entertainment website has posted a new developer's blog entry, which gives us a more in-depth look at their game design philosophy; especially in regards to platforming, grinding and loot, backtracking, and difficulty level.
In regards to Platforming, the first thing that the developer mentions is that
Monster Boy is not a game about insta-deaths, but this game will not be penalising wrong moves by making players lose a life and reloading the last checkpoint. The reason for this is because they want to emphasize exploration and they feel that penalising precision is more akin to level based titles.
As for Grinding and Loot, the devs tell us that we shouldn't worry too much about missing out on loot since the game is well-balanced so that reaching 100% on our first run will not be a chore that will have us spending more time grinding than actually enjoying the game. If players miss some loot, they'll always be able to backtrack their progress.
Monster boy and the Cursed Kingdom is an adventure game with heavy exploration elements, and Backtracking is an integral part of the game. What the devs assure us, though, is that backtracking should be fun, which is why they have made backtracking enjoyable for players by adding lots of shortcuts and allowing players to take advantage of special gear and other unlockable forms. The emphasize that they've designed the game so that players aren't bothered with unnecessary walking lengths.
And last but not least, Difficulty level in
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom has been integrated in a way that the game encourages players to think outside the box, always rethinking their strategy when they find themselves in a difficult situation. It's all about making good use of the proper gear, and combining these with other transformation forms. They want players to trick the game as much as possible in order to easily find solutions to the problems they may encounter in their adventure. The main thing that the developers want is that players complete the game and feel 100% accomplished, supporting smart play as much as they support skill play.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom has already seen a few delays, but the game is now officially going to be released on the 4th of December and it looks like the developers have really put a lot of thought on designing the game so all the delays will be wel-worth the waiting.
Can Jin save Monster World Kingdom? Help our young hero defeat challenging enemies, discover hidden locations, upgrade powerful equipment, and more! You'll also unlock special forms with unique skills used to open new paths where mighty bosses and secret treasures await.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom will be available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Steam on the 4th of December.