Monster in My Pocket (NES review)

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Released: 1992

Monster in My Pocket is an action game that's based on the comic book concept of the same name.

Playing as either the Vampire or Monster, your mission is to destroy Warlock who's threatening to turn the good ghouls against you. There's six stages and while your main attack is a punch (Monster) or an energy wave (Vampire), large keys and bolts can be picked up and tossed at enemies. The first two stages are fairly tame and a lot of the action is by-the-numbers hack-and-slash. However, from Stage 3 onward the developers upped their game by introducing boulders that chase you through portions of the level, enemies that appear by punching a hole in the background, and moving platforms with spiked ceilings that crush anything in their path. Where the level design succeeds is the zig-zag nature of its layouts to keep you guessing, as one minute you'll be wading through enemies on a horizontal plane and the next you're having to drop from platform to platform as you work your way downward. I also like that you can carry keys and bolts from one screen to the next, as it provides you with more ways to attack tough areas. You can even bring them into battle against bosses which is an incredibly cool idea for replayability! Speaking of which, having two characters does encourage you to play through the game multiple times, but unfortunately there's no discernible difference between them. Also, the bosses are great fun with neat attack patterns, but they're perhaps a little too easy. The Stage 6 boss rush is a blast though and I love the fake ending that appears at the end! The music is catchy throughout, the animation is some of the best on the NES and the parallax scrolling is mind-blowing.

Monster in My Pocket doesn't reach the lofty heights of other Konami classics on the NES and its level design isn't hugely inspired, but it has its moments and starts to pick up steam after a slow beginning. It's technically impressive too and the entire package is well crafted from a graphical and audio perspective.

Random trivia: The Game Genie code SKKLUKXT unlocks a hidden level select.