Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom |OT| Pepelogoo in Wonder World [Now on PC]

[ghibli99]

The snake behaviour almost plays exactly the same as mouse-man in the Dragon's Trap. If you are landing on a stickable surface while holding the direction towards it, it will stick...otherwise, he'll fall. Kinda hard to explain, but it sometimes take a little bit to get used to. The decision to make it play exactly like mouse man I'm sure would have been intentional :)

Persevere with it, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it and it certainly isn't a reason to hate the entire game for.

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I last played two nights ago, and it legit took me a few hours to fully clear the Volcano. Loved, it though.
And the sequence immediately after. Man. lol

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Right after I posted this, I got through that section with no problems. These areas are difficult, but fun in a "I haven't had to do anything like this elsewhere in the game" kind of way, which makes them pretty memorable after the fact. Anyway, two gongs down. I'll hopefully finish this area tonight. :)

 

[Mejilan]

Hahaha, the adventure to get to the fourth gong sure was something. Enjoy!
And yeah, this game feels like it's as big as the other games in the franchise combined, but it does a great job of not recycling environmental puzzles over and over again. And even when it does repeat some mechanics, it's usually with a new, subversive twist. Good stuff.

 

[Ghost_Messiah]

Any word on that Q1 2019 Steam release just yet Thomas Kern - or will we potentially hear more come January?

So want to play this, beyond happy it's faring so well critically and commercially so far - and you have one guaranteed sale on Steam coming from me.

 

[Thomas Kern]

Any word on that Q1 2019 Steam release just yet Thomas Kern - or will we potentially hear more come January? So want to play this, beyond happy it's faring so well critically and commercially so far - and you have one guaranteed sale on Steam coming from me.

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Before finishing the PC version we're going to do some more fine tuning for console players. We'll make an exact announcement of the release date for Steam/PC when we know it. Thank you for your patience ^_^

 

[Fuzzy]

I believe you might have missed the power gem that you receive for free from an NPC (in front of the blacksmith/Lupia) ;)

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Yep, that was it. My 3rd time to 100% the game was 8:44:19 with only 12 Elixirs and 13 deaths. Game is so much easier when you get heart containers early:)

 

[ajcacio]

I recently saw the GB quick look and was really impressed (especially with the music). I'm looking for something relaxing to intercut RDR2 when I'm in the mood to play games but don't want to commit to several hours. I have no nostalgia for Wonder Boy (N64 was my first console) but I, in theory, like Metroidvanias. My exposure is really only limited to Guacamelee and Guac 2. I've heard some mentions of the difficultly of this game, in what sense is it difficult? I've beaten all the platforming challenges in the Guacamelee games without too much frustration but I tried to play Guac 2 on hard mode and just didn't have the patience for the combat challenges early on in the game.

Any input/guidance is appreciated.

 

[HyGogg]

I recently saw the GB quick look and was really impressed (especially with the music). I'm looking for something relaxing to intercut RDR2 when I'm in the mood to play games but don't want to commit to several hours. I have no nostalgia for Wonder Boy (N64 was my first console) but I, in theory, like Metroidvanias. My exposure is really only limited to Guacamelee and Guac 2. I've heard some mentions of the difficultly of this game, in what sense is it difficult? I've beaten all the platforming challenges in the Guacamelee games without too much frustration but I tried to play Guac 2 on hard mode and just didn't have the patience for the combat challenges early on in the game.

Any input/guidance is appreciated.

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Nostalgia not required, it's legit one of the best Metroidvanias on its own merits. There are tons of references and such for fans but none of it really impacts the story.

Difficulty ramps up gradually, and centers more on puzzles than combat (not that you won't get killed plenty, but it isn't what I found most challenging). Generally, if you know what to do, executing it isn't the hard part. The game is VERY puzzle intensive. At times it's almost Wario Land-level puzzle intensive.

 

[DatManOvaDer]

I know nothing of the Wonder Boy series at all and I picked this up a few days ago. This game is amazing. You can just tell how much love and polish went into it. So fun.

 

[shadowman16]

Only Wonderboy knowledge I have is through Dragon's Trap and that's just because it was remastered recently. Playing them both back to back let you appreciate the soundtrack even more (in my opinion) but you lose nothing by going into it blind. Its a brilliant game that only gets better the more you play.

 

[ajcacio]

Thanks y'all for the replies...a coworker gave me a PSN card for Christmas. I may have just found what to use it on 😏

 

[ghibli99]

Yeah, only WB game I've ever played is the first one... and this game brought back some wonderful (and funny) memories at one point from that game.

Anyway, just got through the volcano. This is the moment in Metroid-style games that I love... where I can now truly get to 'work'. :)

 

[Feenix]

I've been cruising along in this amazing game, never getting stumped for more than a few min, but I got a little stuck fighting the evil wizard in Dining room. Any advice?

 

[shadowman16]

In the Volcano I reached a room with a row of bats that your supposed to hop on/kill in a certain order but I can't figure out exactly what it means by "the solution is in the fire". Any tips?

 

[Fuzzy]

In the Volcano I reached a room with a row of bats that your supposed to hop on/kill in a certain order but I can't figure out exactly what it means by "the solution is in the fire". Any tips?

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Spoiler

Walk left and you'll see fire dripping from the ceiling. Count the drips and you'll know which 3 bats you're supposed to hit in order.

 

[shadowman16]

Spoiler

Walk left and you'll see fire dripping from the ceiling. Count the drips and you'll know which 3 bats you're supposed to hit in order.

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Ah, gotcha :) I did notice that but discounted it as a possibility (silly me!) I'll give it another shot tomorrow, thanks :)

 

[w00zey]

Lol. Where the hell is the green door that I have a key for after getting the first orb?

The only one I found had an impossible jump to get to.

 

[ghibli99]

Made it to the haunted manor... this is insane.

 

[No Depth]

In the Volcano I reached a room with a row of bats that your supposed to hop on/kill in a certain order but I can't figure out exactly what it means by "the solution is in the fire". Any tips?

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Wait I just cleared the volcano and moved on with the new form but don't recall this puzzle. Where was it?

 

[Mejilan]

Hey Thomas Kern, I wanted to let you know that I got another crash to desktop on my PS4 Pro. Like the firs two, it happened during a boss fight. Nabu, to be specific. Third such crash, all on bosses.

 

[Mejilan]

Holy crap. I'm missing ONE coin chest all the way in the beginning of the game, on Skullrock Beach.
I can't for the life of me figure out how to proc it. It's not the one that has you breathing fire from a ledge above a magic shop, also in Skullrock Beach.
It's a coin chest further west and closer to Zeke's Shop.

Anyone have ANY idea how to make it appear? I'm at 95% coin chest completion, and I'm pretty sure this is the last...

 

[Mejilan]

Found it. Go to the ? on the map. It's an island with a ladder on the right-hand ledge. Jump off that ladder (or the water) into a little nook under and to the left of the ladder to reveal a hidden mini-cave with the chest. And that's the platinum.

 

[cucholix]

Yay!

 

[mindsale]

I put this game down for a couple weeks and I'm going back in a little cold. I'm at an underwater section after doing the pirate pig soup thing.

I'm at a room with five crystals and five switches, and each time I hit them none register. Can anyone help?

 

[Disclaimer]

I put this game down for a couple weeks and I'm going back in a little cold. I'm at an underwater section after doing the pirate pig soup thing.

I'm at a room with five crystals and five switches, and each time I hit them none register. Can anyone help?

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Sometimes it takes two hits for a lever to switch. There's a specific order to hit them in, and hitting a wrong one will reset them all.

 

[mindsale]

Sometimes it takes two hits for a lever to switch. There's a specific order to hit them in, and hitting a wrong one will reset them all.

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Thank you, just got past it.

 

[shadowman16]

Wait I just cleared the volcano and moved on with the new form but don't recall this puzzle. Where was it?

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From the main "hub" area (just above the boss" I think you need to go right on the second floor and then continue going all the way right. I'm a bit hazy on that as I've mainly been exploring the left side of the Volcano today.

Speaking of which, the bit you do right after the Volcano boss was such a nice break from the normal action. Looked beautiful as well. I've mainly been exploring the game world again and getting items I missed. This is definitely up there as one of the best Metroidvania games I've played, as I just really love how great the platforming and puzzles feel. I'd say its the best Metroidvania I played this year... but Hollow Knight was damn good as well for different reasons (bigger focus on combat and boss battles).

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

x

 

[Mejilan]

Hmm, I've returned to the starting area and found something I need help with.

Spoiler

There's an underwater ship with a hidden chest, and I can see that I might have to spin the ship's wheel to access it, but I can't seem to get my snake's spit to hit it through the grate on the right-hand side. Any tips?

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Flame Blade when fully healed? Sword might need an upgrade first. Fire spell while driving with Piggy might work.

 

[Tainted]

Hmm, I've returned to the starting area and found something I need help with.

Spoiler

There's an underwater ship with a hidden chest, and I can see that I might have to spin the ship's wheel to access it, but I can't seem to get my snake's spit to hit it through the grate on the right-hand side. Any tips?

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It's the same area i'm thinking of (and I'm pretty sure it is)

Hint:

Spoiler

Getting that chest has nothing to do with the ship's wheel. All you need is frog-man form

 

[Deleted member 24929]

Hmm, I've returned to the starting area and found something I need help with.

Spoiler

There's an underwater ship with a hidden chest, and I can see that I might have to spin the ship's wheel to access it, but I can't seem to get my snake's spit to hit it through the grate on the right-hand side. Any tips?

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If it's the same chest I'm thinking about, you have to use the Pig's Fire spell to spin the ships wheel.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

x

 

[Mejilan]

There are two sunken ships with loot. One with a wheel, one without.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

i'm starting to warm up to the game a lot -- just up to the pirate ship now. starting the game with a mechanic that is implemented in the *exact same way* as the most famously shitty mechanic in an otherwise GOAT contender, Ocarina of Time, was such a catastrophe of a decision I almost uninstalled the game on sight. then spending several hours as the pig and dealing with autoscrollers on top of instant death water without a checkpoint nearly got me there again but -- but now I'm either experiencing stockholm syndrome, or genuinely liking the way the different powers all come together.

Spoiler

also I turned the music down so low that it's almost turned off entirely -- it's just too much :(

 

[ghibli99]

One design bit I think should be changed in the manor:

Spoiler

After you get the talisman, you see skeletons run out to the left and it tells you to head to the dining room. But it's so easy to miss the room on the right to get Pepelogoo (even though there is a puff of dust showing that there's something over there). I ran around for like an hour before I realized I could head back in there with the snake.

I don't know... maybe I'm just dumb. There *always* seems to be a moment like this in every Metroid-style game I play, so it's probably just me. LOL

That being said, I'm pretty deep into the area after that. Awesome game, but I'm feeling like I'm ready to be done soon. Will likely be finishing #2 or #3 for the year for me after Celeste.

 

[Hawk269]

Is this "X" enhanced? Are all 3 platform versions the same?

 

[Psxphile]

Now that I'm finished with Phantasy Star, it's back to Monster Boy. But it didn't take me long to get stuck. I'm in the Haunted Mansion, got the purple key and then the Dragon Talisman. I went around and used fire breath on all the statues like the one in the main room that let me finally move that statue from in front of the door but I can't seem to figure out what else I need to do in the large left-most room. Activating the statue and portal made a purple ghost pop out of hiding but he took off and I lost sight of him. Not even sure if he was defeated or not since Scythe ghost knocked me around. I also noticed in my menu that Ghost Translator option so I turned that on and was finally able to read the books, though I'm not sure what some of them mean.

I assume I have to find a way to break or move those big blocks scattered around but I can't figure out how to do that.

 

[Whales]

started the game today and im already not a fan of the whole "make enemies pop out of nowhere for free damage" tactics being used every once in a while

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

x

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

I can't for the life of me figure out how to break the underwater bomb blocks behind the fake wall just a screen over from the graveyard entrance. There's a moveable green block and two switches that launch a mine and change current direction. Anyone work this out? The mine keeps exploding a few tiles away from the bomb blocks.

 

[dock]

I've been stuck in this spooky mansion forever omg.

How can I crack the safe in the timer limit?

[edit] okay got it. You don't need to turn the opposite way, like a real safe. The time limit is also really tight.

 

[dock]

Now that I'm finished with Phantasy Star, it's back to Monster Boy. But it didn't take me long to get stuck. I'm in the Haunted Mansion, got the purple key and then the Dragon Talisman. I went around and used fire breath on all the statues like the one in the main room that let me finally move that statue from in front of the door but I can't seem to figure out what else I need to do in the large left-most room. Activating the statue and portal made a purple ghost pop out of hiding but he took off and I lost sight of him. Not even sure if he was defeated or not since Scythe ghost knocked me around. I also noticed in my menu that Ghost Translator option so I turned that on and was finally able to read the books, though I'm not sure what some of them mean.

I assume I have to find a way to break or move those big blocks scattered around but I can't figure out how to do that.

Click to shrink...

I was stuck on the haunted mansion for days until I realised that some (not all) of the possession objects have an action button on Y or can jump with B (switch) This is probably the solution to your big blocks.

 

[dock]

At the bottom right of the haunted mansion there is a snake hole with a block over the exit. Above this there is another snake exit, but no entrance to be found in any of the rooms to the left. There's also no access to the water from the right. How do I get in there?

 

[No Depth]

Now that I'm finished with Phantasy Star, it's back to Monster Boy. But it didn't take me long to get stuck. I'm in the Haunted Mansion, got the purple key and then the Dragon Talisman. I went around and used fire breath on all the statues like the one in the main room that let me finally move that statue from in front of the door but I can't seem to figure out what else I need to do in the large left-most room. Activating the statue and portal made a purple ghost pop out of hiding but he took off and I lost sight of him. Not even sure if he was defeated or not since Scythe ghost knocked me around. I also noticed in my menu that Ghost Translator option so I turned that on and was finally able to read the books, though I'm not sure what some of them mean.

I assume I have to find a way to break or move those big blocks scattered around but I can't figure out how to do that.

Click to shrink...

Follow that ghost and keep attacking. He creates a new portal to use in the room that is a help for solving some other stuff.

The music notes will be a bit apparent nearby in something else you possess.

 

[Fuzzy]

At the bottom right of the haunted mansion there is a snake hole with a block over the exit. Above this there is another snake exit, but no entrance to be found in any of the rooms to the left. There's also no access to the water from the right. How do I get in there?

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

Bath tub a couple of screens above.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

i feel like a left quite lot unfinished in the manor -- does the game ever revisit the area, or should I go back for an item roundup now?

I just collected revisited three items from around the map and returned to the sanctum before calling it a night. the variety of things to do in this game is excellent -- i haven't seen a game improve as quickly as this game has in a while. Super impressed.

 

[dock]

I'm loving this game but I wish it was a bit more consistent with things like destructible environment. Some are immune to bombs, some can be pushed, and there are so many flimsy wooden beams that should be easy to destroy with lion charge.

It's also a bit vague with puzzles. I have no idea what I solved (?) by doing all the things in the telescope. Did it open anything? What was I even aiming for?

Spoiler

Bath tub a couple of screens above.

Click to shrink...

Oh geez. This game has a real problem with giving no hints to its puzzles, or introducing methods that aren't used elsewhere. A pipe leading up would have been smart here, rather than all the other cases where the weird snake teleport tunnel was aligned vertically.

 

[No Depth]

I'm loving this game but I wish it was a bit more consistent with things like destructible environment. Some are immune to bombs, some can be pushed, and there are so many flimsy wooden beams that should be easy to destroy with lion charge.

It's also a bit vague with puzzles. I have no idea what I solved (?) by doing all the things in the telescope. Did it open anything? What was I even aiming for?


Oh geez. This game has a real problem with giving no hints to its puzzles, or introducing methods that aren't used elsewhere. A pipe leading up would have been smart here, rather than all the other cases where the weird snake teleport tunnel was aligned vertically.

Click to shrink...

The spoiled hint mentioned in your post is something you stumble on through exploration. It isn't apparent based on the clue given. In the large area with the poison fountain at the very top of the screen there is a n iron ball you possess that is used to access other areas of the level, but there is also another wall to break that you may have missed...

As for the telescope...yea that one is vague, but sort of clicks together once you do some stuff in the level that gives an ability exclusive to that area. It's one of the more obtuse in the game, but a hint is that the solution is directly related to the poll in this thread.

 

[dock]

As for the telescope...yea that one is vague, but sort of clicks together once you do some stuff in the level that gives an ability exclusive to that area. It's one of the more obtuse in the game, but a hint is that the solution is directly related to the poll in this thread.

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I actually tried using that... probably not correctly, and figured I was barking up the wrong tree again. I had that earlier with a destructible floor where I tried to destroy it with the correct tool in the wrong way, and no near miss feedback.

All of these are 'my fault' for being a bad player, but I'm putting in plenty of hours. This is one of my favourite games in a long time, but I've lost my trust in its puzzle design.

 

[No Depth]

I actually tried using that... probably not correctly, and figured I was barking up the wrong tree again. I had that earlier with a destructible floor where I tried to destroy it with the correct tool in the wrong way, and no near miss feedback.

All of these are 'my fault' for being a bad player, but I'm putting in plenty of hours. This is one of my favourite games in a long time, but I've lost my trust in its puzzle design.

Click to shrink...

Admittedly, the telescope is really obtuse and I'd bet 90% of players either ignore it or look up the solution(it's completely optional outside of going for 100%). I doubt very few figure out how to solve it proper.

I too have been stumped plenty, including the safe on the mansion. I spent at least an hour wandering looking for subtle clue's in the environment to the combination without realizing I just futz around with the dial and it's easy to solve. I raged a bit internally realizing what waste of time it was to assume something more clever.

But yea, it doesn't always make apparent what the goal or the puzzles are asking. Most do, but now and again it can be a bit tough sussing it all out.

 

[shadowman16]

Man, this mansion is definitely more complicated than any other level in the game. I'm having a blast exploring and slowly solving more of its puzzles. I'm getting there (I think).