Magical Monster Land

[b]Magical Monster Land[/b] is about as good as a casual platformer can get. In terms of mechanics it does not do anything new, but what it does is very polished. It's somewhat similar to games like Super Mario, Mr.Nutz or Alex Kidd - fun but not very difficult. According to the store page we only have 8 stages which is only a small chunk from the planned content. You can beat this current Early Access in less than one hour, but overall quality makes it easy to recommend. The controls are perfect in my opinion, and the game has a lot of secrets. Even this version already has a minigame and a mine riding level, so it looks very promising. The game also has a classic top-down level select, shops and hidden medals. Stores have several items that can make the game easier if you find it too difficult. Right now it is hard to tell how much variety will be in the final release, but I am optimistic based on what I see so far. As far as I can tell the continues are unlimited, and frankly the developer clearly did not want the game to be punishing. Each level has a fun level design, good platforming elements and many well placed secrets. Everything in this title comes together perfectly, it's clearly made by someone that appreciates casual retro games and the design behind them. [h1] Pros: [/h1] + good controls / smooth movement + can rebind controller and keyboard + CRT effect + nice animation + lots of secrets + fair difficulty [h1] Cons: [/h1] - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ [b] Early Access State: (updated on 16/Oct/2018) [/b] So far this casual platformer is perfect in terms of gameplay, despite lacking most of its content. For $2 I am very happy to participate in this Early Access regardless of what may happen. If the developer finish all 5 maps, very good deal for anything under $10 (based on quality). It seems to me that most players are not looking for this kind of game anymore, but if you love those simple platformers from the past, it is definitely worth it. [code]For more hidden gems: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

Update: This game appears to have been abandoned by the devs. While it is still quite cheap, its incredibly short (unfinished) and there are plenty of 2-D platformers you could play that are much higher quality, more creative, and are far more complete. Magical Monster Land has the solid foundations to be a good casual Platformer, albeit a bit generic. Only two worlds (only the first is finished) are available at this time, running about an hour of playtime realistically. With that in mind, its hard to say where the game will go from here. There is a massive amount of work ahead for the single developer to complete and flesh out the five-world goal. The game is similar to the SNES era Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario 2-D platformers. Although as of now the game plays more casual version of those. The weapon power ups do trivialize the enemies to a large extent, the strength of the playable character is vastly different without them. Keep in mind these earlier worlds are intended to easy. It's hard to say how the difficult curve will develop. Notably, the first boss is a step up in difficulty compared to everything else in the game and is welcome challenge. I’m happy to say the game works great with a Xbox-360 gamepad and I had zero problems getting it to work, and the controls can be rebound as desired. I’m excited to see how this game develops.

It unashamedly wears the influences from Mario and and the Donkey Kong series on it's sleeve and mechanically it feels like a balance of the two. You get a little more running speed and more height on the jump, which - combined with the springs and jumps populating the world - give it a speedy flow, distinguishing it from the aforementioned titles. When you can't buy Mario or DK on Steam, emulating Mario and DK is not the worst thing. This is the closest experience I've found to it, and that put that put a smile on my face. The game encourages lots of exploration with hidden walls and doors, and is quite rewarding when you find them. Music is perhaps the only thing that lacks a little. It's not bad, but when the game stands up to Mario and DK mechanically, the music can feel lacking. All in all if this had 10x more content it could be my favourite 2D platformer on steam. Mechanics are fluid, level design and power-ups are awesome. As it stands it's a solid and polished experience reminiscent of old classic platforming titles, it just need more content.

UPDATE: The dev has abandoned this game, so I basically spent my money for a demo. Such a shame. DON'T BUY THIS. Great platformer with lots of moments of nostalgia. Grab it while it's still only 2 bucks.

This negative review will most likely change if the developer finishes the game. But it looks like this game is abandoned.

Игра превосходная! Самое настоящее путешествие в детство… аля 90-е. В принципе все, что представляет из себя игра, прекрасно видно на главной странице в магазине, могу лишь добавить, что управление удобное, не как у некоторых игр подобного рода. Игра прекрасно зайдет как детям, так и ностальгирующим папам, и мамам, вспомнить былые времена игры в денди.

Потрясающий, красивый, разнообразный платформер с кучей различных геймплейных вышек и атмосферой старого доброго Марио. Очень жаль, что проект стал очередной жертвой раннего доступа и так и не был закончен. Разработчик просто положил болт на игру, что лично меня очень печалит. Мог получится потенциальный хит, а но получился недоделанный кусок.

At the time of writing this review, only 2 areas are available. Long story short - I whole heartedly recommend this game. It's not complete, but it's certainly worth picking up and playing through, and I can only imagine the full game will be even greater. If you've played a few Mario games you'll be pretty familiar with what's going on. Standard platforming, and holding down the attack button to run. However the game has other elements - just like in Ghosts And Goblins you can pick up armour that will tank one hit, and the powerups/weapons won't protect you from a hit (unlike in Mario). The hidden areas are not too hard to find, but not overly easy. The game rewards picking up a powerup later in the level backtracking to destroy obstacles. The ability to buy things from the shop is helpful, especially if you're struggling to find the last medalions. The graphics are fantastic. I can't put my finger on it, but it reminds me of something. My only irk so far is one that I'm not sure is the game's problem or my laptop's. I can't jump when holding Left + Run/Attack. If someone could check out if it's my or the game's problem that'd be swell.

Allthough still at an early stage of development this game really does recreate a very authentic 16-bit platformer experiance. Good physics, level design and the understanding that retro doesn't mean punishingly hard difficulty. Some of the secrets (of wich ther are quite a few on everly level so far) reward more skilled play and require a higher level of skill than simply finishing the level. A very true retro gaming experiance for nostalgia junkies and a good introduction for those who are too young to have played this type of game. Great sprite work and overall presentation, the optional crt filter is perfect for bringing back those SNES memories and looks perfect if you still have a 4:3 monitor. For this price you can't go wrong, especially with more content on the way.

Cute and fun but diffacult at times. Has a nice retro feel with some nice groovy music. Very much enjoying this charming game.