Comparison

Monster Boy vs Project Neon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monster Boy

Embark on a vibrant action-adventure as a young hero tasked with saving a magical kingdom. Utilize unique character forms, discover hidden secrets, and upgrade equipment in a sprawling, hand-drawn world. Enjoy an epic journey with a memorable soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Six unique character forms with special abilities
  • Unlock paths with magic weapons and items
  • Over 15 hours of interconnected exploration
  • Gorgeous hand-drawn animations
  • Supports game controllers and touch controls
  • Iconic Japanese composer soundtrack
Features
Read full description

A legendary series returns with a grand new adventure! Enjoy a colorful action-adventure game made alongside Ryuichi Nishizawa, creator of the original Wonder Boy in Monster World series. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom borrows the best from the classic series to deliver a fresh, modern adventure with fun gameplay, memorable music and gorgeous hand drawn animations. 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. Feature Overview: - Six awesome forms with unique combat and platforming abilities to make your adventure exciting from start to finish. - Unlock new paths and secrets with special equipment: look for magic weapons and items that gradually open up the world. - Over 15 hours of epic adventure: explore the new Monster World in a vast interconnected environment. - Hand Drawn animations: characters and enemies come to life with detailed animations and fun facial expressions. - Supports game controllers (Xbox, PlayStation, MFi) and touch controls. - Soundtrack from iconic Japanese composers: Yuzo Koshiro, Motoi Sakuraba, Michiru Yamane, Keiki Kobayashi and Takeshi Yanagawa.

About

Project Neon

Embark on a top-secret mission in this 16-bit shoot 'em up adventure. Navigate the cosmos to retrieve a recluse from Mars and dismantle his interplanetary defenses to save Earth from ecological collapse.

Highlights
  • Interplanetary defense dismantling
  • Boss battles
  • Intense 16-bit arcade action
  • Cosmic navigation
  • Shoot 'em up gameplay
Features
Read full description

PROJECT NEON is a retro arcade space shooter, built as a brand new game for the Neo Geo. It runs on original MVS and AES arcade hardware, on a cartridge we build ourselves, and players around the world play it on real cabinets today. This is that same game, now on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. BUY IT ONCE, OWN IT One price, the complete game. No ads, no in-app purchases, no timers, no account. Everything is in the box, just like an arcade cartridge. One purchase covers every Apple device you own. A REAL ARCADE SHMUP • Hand-drawn 16-bit pixel art, made inside the limits of the original hardware • A soundtrack composed for the Neo Geo sound chip • Fierce bosses guarding four planets on the way to Mars • Built for high-score chasing • Touch controls, game controller support and haptics Ready to fly to Mars and save Earth?

Screenshots

Monster Boy4 screens
Project Neon3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Project Neon at 100% against Monster Boy's 50%. Project Neon also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Monster Boy's advantage is price ($12.99 vs $14.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Monster Boy costs $12.99 and Project Neon $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Project Neon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Monster Boy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Project Neon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Monster Boy versus Project Neon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonster BoyProject Neon
Price$12.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.7 (9 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB15 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperFDG Entertainment GmbH & Co.KGFULLSET

Customer experience

Monster Boy

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%

Project Neon

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Monster Boy

No in-app purchases

None

Project Neon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monster Boy free?
Monster Boy costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Project Neon free?
Project Neon costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Monster Boy or Project Neon?
Project Neon is rated higher. Monster Boy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Project Neon averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Monster Boy or Project Neon have ads?
Neither Monster Boy nor Project Neon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monster Boy or Project Neon?
Monster Boy ships an update every 5 weeks, and Project Neon every 5 weeks. Most recently, Monster Boy was updated on November 9, 2026 and Project Neon on November 9, 2026.

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