Monster Hunt

Monster Hunt is a 2D flip-screen platformer in which the player controls Maxi on a journey to rescue his girlfriend Mini from the clutches of the evil Popaukel. Maxi must travel through a variety of regions, navigating platforms, avoiding hazards, and dealing with ghosts and monsters while racing against a limited time.

Along the way, Maxi should collect as many bonus hearts as possible to improve his initial three lives. Every 99 bonus hearts grant an extra life. Specially marked stones can be hit to reveal ATARI symbols that should be collected quickly, each with a specific effect explained in the in-game legend. Hidden entrances to bonus levels are scattered throughout the game. These areas contain no enemies and allow Maxi to gather bonus hearts safely, but the entrances are difficult to find and sometimes only hinted at by directional arrows in certain levels. Time is critical: if it runs out, Maxi loses a life. A life is also lost through contact with monsters or ghosts, falling into the depths, or touching fire, water, or dust. Secret doors can be used to skip levels, but they are invisible and hard to discover. Each time Maxi loses a life, all bonuses and extras are lost and must be collected again.

Popaukel also randomly places magnetic stones in some areas. If Maxi comes too close, he becomes trapped and can only escape by self-destructing, which costs a life. At the start of the game, Maxi can jump onto pillars or stones and climb them, but this ability is lost in later levels. Not all monsters are hostile at first.