Monster Max

About

Monster Max is a 1994 Game Boy platformer that mixes puzzle-solving with side-scrolling action. You play as Max, a rockstar fighting to save music from Krond's ban. The game uses an isometric view, letting you navigate 29 levels filled with traps, enemies, and brain teasers. You’ll collect items like bombs to blast through walls and shields to dodge attacks. Each level ends with a credit reward that unlocks parts of the Mega Hero Academy map, pushing you toward the final showdown. Crafted by Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond, the game echoes their 1987 hit Head over Heels. Critics praised its clever level design and tool-based challenges, even if sales were weak. The Mega Hero Academy overworld adds a layer of progression, letting you revisit areas with new abilities. While its look is simple by today’s standards, the tight controls and varied puzzles still hold up. A forgotten gem with a clear legacy in Rare’s early work.

Storyline

Monster Max is a single-player adventure game that is presented from an isometric perspective, similar to Ultimate's Knight Lore. Players control the player character and guitarist Max as he attempts to defeat evil villain Krond, who threatens to ban all music from the world. The game is split into 29 levels in which the player must complete a number of challenges in order to progress, such as solving puzzles, jumping over obstacles, gathering objects, and defeating opponents. The levels also contain several helpful items, such as bombs, which can be used both as weapons and to open blocked or hidden rooms, a bag, to pick up or drop items in, and a force shield, which protects the player from enemies, among others. Upon completing a level, the player is rewarded with a certain amount of credits, which grant players access to new areas of the game's overworld, called the Mega Hero Academy.