Review of Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess for Xbox 360

In Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess by Mediatonic, you play the role of a vampire aka "the Duke" who's lost his princess. And who could steal his beloved? Only a monster (probably).

Every level in Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess begins with quirky dialogue, which is arguably the most enjoyable part of this game. Actual gameplay consists of continuously jumping up as fast as possible to catch and defeat the level's monster. By double jumping into the monster three times before the monster reaches the top of the screen you defeat the level's one and only enemy. Failing results in your character dropping to his knees in agony and restarting the level.

Most Xbox Live Indie Games suffer from a lack of artistic appeal. This is not the case with Monsters (Probably) Stole my Princess. If this game was made into a short cartoon or film, then I would be hooked.

The story mode of Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess consists of five levels that can be beaten within fifteen minutes. The handful amount of levels in the game left me somewhat disappointed, however the important thing here to remember is that this is an Indie game and not an Arcade or Retail title.

Despite only featuring five short levels Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess does offer a bit of replay variety, mostly for achieving higher scores. In the second mode of Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess "score attack" you have you replay each of the five levels with three target scores to aim for. Achieving a higher score is a matter of achieving a high combo finish. Each time you jump from platform to platform your combo level builds. Land on a platform you've already been on or fail to land on a platform with one of your jumps and you'll be back to 0. In addition to combos offering extra points, they also make your character jump faster and higher (accompanied by lot of swirling purple smoke). Defeating a monster with a high combo also enables alternative endings to the level.

Controls in Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess are a bit touchy, and this problem is exacerbated by the Xbox 360 Controller's D-pad woes which are well documented. Using the analogue stick can often result in dropping down a platform unintentionally, ruining your perfect combo score.

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess is a lighthearted Xbox Live Indie Game that deserves a clever nod for its witty dialogue and cute artistic style. While there are only five short levels, the combination of replayability for completionists and its low price point as an Xbox Live Indie Game make Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess a worthy addition onto your Xbox 360 hard drive's game library.

You can demo Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess or purchase it from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 240 Microsoft Points here.

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