Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess! review

You take the role of The Duke, pitched as a ‘sexy aristocratic demon’ or as we like to think of him, the Count’s offspring from Sesame Street. The title of the game gives away the main incentive and why you must overcome a series of imaginative monsters to free your love.

The land of The Duke is home to many demons and monsters, but these creatures all have one thing in common, namely a fear of The Duke himself. Regardless of whether they are guilty or innocent, the monsters will scamper as quickly as possible up the screen towards safety. Fortunately, the Duke is a nimble fella and his domain, while devoid of lifts, features numerous platforms to aide the ascent.

Whichever level you attempt, the aim of each is extremely simple; climb as quickly as possible after the monster and land three knockout blows before they escape. Platforms come in various sizes and will often feature hazards to knock you off your stride. As well as being a prime exponent of one button gameplay, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess is also about rhythm. Simply hammering jump will not result in success; a keen eye and judgement are key ingredients.

At first glance the game is very limited and for experienced players, it won’t take that long to complete the main mode. There is however, a surprising level of depth, with single jumps being much quicker than a double tap. The temptation is to double jump all the time, but this often leads to the monster pulling ahead. Then you begin to use the walls as a brief landing spot, which can open up new routes to the summit. Gold medals are also up for grabs for players that really show off their skills and a scrapbook that adds a little more back-story to proceedings. Sadly, no Achievements or an online versus mode but it’s a credit to Mediatonic that you often forget that is game is in the Indie category.

Score Attack becomes the real challenge as you try to improve on previous scores for each level. Bonuses are awarded for the number of successive jumps you land onto a new platform. Just like Snakes & Ladders, one slip or misjudgement can often result in you sliding back down the level. At first this is annoying, but then you realise that the game is balanced and fair.

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess has an addictive quality assisted by its simple gameplay and evident ‘just one more go’ factor that played a huge part in its success on the PSP Minis format. We could criticise the analogue stick, which lacks the precision of the d-pad (its all too easy to pan the camera upwards by accident), or the shortness of the main mode. Yet the sign of a good game is one that leaves you asking for more.

Visually the hand drawn graphics look especially vibrant in high definition and the soundtrack matches the fun feel of the storyline. It is amazing what the team have managed to squeeze into such a small download of 128mb. While it’s disappointing that no exclusive features were included in this Xbox 360 edition, it still remains the definitive release and has never looked better.

For only 240 MS Points you have a release that will offer enjoyment and a challenge whenever you reach for the controller. With all these AAA titles offering free MS point cards at certain retailers nowadays, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess is a worthy recipient. Alongside Blade Kitten and Limbo, it’ll be featuring in our collective minds when we discuss the ‘best of’ category for downloadable titles.