Monster Boy vs Duskborne
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Duskborne
Engage in skill-based combat within a dark fantasy world. Explore a three-act story with unique characters and face challenging bosses. Test your mettle in an endless mode with global leaderboards.
- Skill-based side-scrolling combat
- 3 playable characters with unique abilities
- 3-act story with character-specific dialogue
- Epic boss fights with two phases
- Endless mode with global leaderboard
- Roguelite progression with Remnant buffs
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Duskborne is a dark fantasy action roguelite with skill-based combat, a three-act story, and an endless mode with global leaderboards. MASTER THE COMBAT Chain combos, juggle enemies in the air, and time your parries to survive. Button mashing won't save you here - Duskborne rewards precision and skill. THREE KNIGHTS, ONE STORY Play as Sir Aldric the Crusader, Korrath the Berserker, or Velorum the Duskborne. Each knight has unique abilities, a personal connection to the fallen fourth knight, and character-specific dialogue throughout the story. EPIC BOSS FIGHTS Face the Warchief's charge attacks, dodge Varek's projectile spreads, and survive Drakhar's Void shockwaves. Three bosses with two phases each - learn their patterns or fall. ROGUELITE PROGRESSION Collect Remnants that reshape your build each run. Make strategic choices at events. Manage your health across floors. Every run plays different. ENDLESS MODE Think you've mastered the story? Endless mode cycles through all three stages with scaling difficulty, bosses every 10 floors, and one life. No revives. Compete on the global leaderboard and prove your skill. FEATURES • Skill-based side-scrolling combat with parry system • 3 playable characters with unique abilities • 3 story stages with character-specific dialogue • 3 epic boss fights with two phases each • Endless mode with global leaderboard • 10 Remnant buffs for roguelite build variety • Exclusive cosmetics and slash colors • No paywalls - play the full story for free
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Duskborne at 100% against Monster Boy's 50%. Duskborne also leads on price (Free vs $12.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Monster Boy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume and device support 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
Duskborne is free to download; Monster Boy costs $12.99 up front. Duskborne sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Monster Boy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Duskborne holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Monster Boy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Duskborne's.
Monster Boy ships an update every 5 weeks, Duskborne every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Monster Boy | Duskborne |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.8 GB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | FDG Entertainment GmbH & Co.KG | BDKM LLC |
Customer experience
Monster Boy
Duskborne
In-app purchases
Monster Boy
No in-app purchases
Duskborne
- Unlock Berserker$0.99
- Unlock Velorum$0.99
- 100 Void Shards$0.99
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- Knight's Oath Pack$2.99
- 350 Void Shards$2.99
- 1,500 Void Shards$9.99









