Monster in My Pocket (NES) Review

When it comes to 8-Bit action platformers, the NES was filled with heavyweights like Chip n Dale, DuckTales, MegaMan, Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.

Then you have the ones that fall a bit short on the list like Kickmaster, just look at the extension of the leg, I would seriously injure myself if I ever tried anything like that.

There’s Iron Sword that everyone and their grandmother had. It’s not that it’s a terrible game it’s just that everyone was sold on the cover with Fabio wielding that giant sword, hair blowing in the wind.

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Then we have today’s game monster in my pocket. This franchise is based off of the bite sized toys that would come in a pack of 4 that would well like you guessed it, fit in your pocket. It’s almost like the B tier of toys for the kids who’s parents didn’t buy them GI Joes or Ninja Turtles. There was also this cartoon produced that only had one episode come to light as a pilot where these monsters get are shrunk down and are somehow able to transform back to normal size. There’s also some sort of mind control of a dog taking place. Yeah I can’t say it was any good but yeah it brought us the game by Konami so at least it had that going for it.

So what do you get when you mix a C tiered toy slash cartoon with an A tiered developer and publisher? You get yourself one heck of a decent game. Anyways released in 1992 by Konami Monster in my pocket lets you choose between one of two incredibly generic names Vampire or The Monster. Oh I’ll just say it, why not they’re Dracula and Frankenstein. Anyway these tiny action figures then sit in front of a Konami branded tv and are greeted by this Christopher Mayer lookalike by the name of warlock who tells you that the henchmen are on the loose and laughs in your face. Dracula and Frankenstein I mean the monster and the vampire then run off and into action.

The gameplay is straight forward for an NES game. You run around using the Dpad, Press A to jump or double tap a to double jump or the B button to punch which had such a short range. It was almost like doing that tiny fireball in street fighter that does just the right amount of damage. There were also these keys or bolts you could grab and throw but they really weren’t found too often so you’ll really have to rely on the tiny punch each of the characters are stuck with.

As you make your way through the 6 stages in the game, fighting monsters or avoiding obstacles. The levels are well laid out and colorful. Most in typical big world small person areas. Here you’re running down a staircase railing since you’re a honey I shrunk the kids sized toy. Or on the kitchen countertop, watch out for that boiling pot!

The bosses are nothing to write home about. Here we have the evil ice cube next to what appears to be an unbranded Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

Then there’s a boss rush in stage 6 where you’ll have to fight them all again before the final boss who flies around like an asshole and shoots lightning your way.

The tracks were catchy at best. It wasn’t Konami’s best work on the music side but didn’t bore me enough to turn off the game after a couple of stages. When the bar is set to Castlevania’s Bloody Tears level of effort, I wouldn’t consider the tracks anything to write home about.

Did you know that There were at least 20 unreleased figures including 4 only available by purchasing certain products like the NES video game, going to certain restaurants, sending in 5$ for a grab-bag offer, and even going to local Radio & TV offers to obtain them.

Konami did a great job in turning a toy series into a fun action platformer game. It’s also got got a co-op mode where you can grab a buddy and breeze through this game.

It’s just that it’s incredibly easy. Once you get the hang of it, expect to finish it in less than half an hour. There’s so many heart jars lying around it’s so hard to lose all your health. There’s also a ton of continues you get if you do manage to lose your lives.