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Retro|Spective 089: Wonder Boy

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    Retro|Spective 089: Wonder Boy

    Monster!



    Mainline Entry 01 - Wonder Boy
    Formats:
    Arcade, Amstrad, Spectrum, Commodore 64, Master System, Game Gear, Wii
    In time honoured fashion it's a hero rescuing the girl tale as Wonder Boy sets off to save his girlfriend Tina from the clutches of the dark King. With his hatchet and skateboard he traverses 7 levels to save her, an 8th available if you collect 28 dolls strewn throughout the game. The arcade original was a big hit and led the way over merely okay ports.



    Mainline Entry 02 - Wonder Boy in Monster Land
    Formats:
    Multiple
    Taking place 11 years after the original game thereby raising the obvious question as to how he's still referred to as a boy, Wonder Land is transformed into Monster Land and so a new journey begins across 12 areas to save the day. The sequel added in the collection of gold to buy items that would help you on your way



    Mainline Entry 03 - Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
    Formats:
    Arcade, Mega Drive and Wii
    The final entry released for arcades, the third game mixed in declining health fended off by collecting fruit as you progress through the game. The game continues the series blend of platforming and side shooting action but this time allows two players to take on two new characters defending their land from invading monsters.



    Spin Off Entry 01 - Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
    Formats:
    Master System, Game Gear and Others
    An alternate sequel to the first two games, this entry is a non-linear title that put Wonder Boy back in the lead role. Remade as recently as 2017, this title was better received than the other WB3.



    Spin Off Entry 02 - Wonder Boy in Monster World
    Formats:
    Mega Drive, Master System and Others
    Controlling new character Shion, players were tasked with saving Monster World from a new threat. The game took the series and stepped it closer to taking inspiration from the Zelda franchise with townsfolk and adventure elements added into the gameplay mix. It was another well received entry but some criticism came from how the series lacked the sense of advancement other franchises received from newer hardware.



    Mainline Entry 04 - Monster World IV
    Formats:
    Mega Drive
    The true fourth entry continued on from the direction that WBiMW had taken the series in with an increase on the RPG elements. A new character called Asha took the lead but this time the new game would see its release limited to Japan and therefore the sales figures coming in low. This brought the series to an end until 2016 when a remake of the original Wonder Boy was released. The following year a remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap followed.



    Mainline Entry 05 - Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
    Formats:
    Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC
    Releasing late in 2018, the latest sequel finally saw release of a sequel that saw new character Jin travel to the Dark Realm to defeat a cursed evil with the help of the spirits of past Wonder Boy's. Playing similar to Dragon's Trap the new game received solid reviews and opening sales potentially opening the door to new sequels.



    Share your thoughts and memories of Wonder Boy
    Clue for 090: Snaking around the blue planet

    #2
    You could spend a lifetime making your way through this series and its offshoots.

    I have a real soft spot for the first game, I'd always give it a go in holiday arcades and I had a great time with the SMS version on Wii VC when it came out. I do have Adventure Island on NES but never really put much time into it; the original Wonder Boy is just more appealing.

    I have Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair on MD and consider it a really fun game but I haven't beat it yet.

    The Dynastic Hero (Monster Boy in Wonderworld for PC Engine) was good as well. IIRC the MD version is considered better but I had a lot of fun with it.

    Ultimately though, I just find the original to be my favourite. It's simple but charming and somehow, the 5 second loop that always plays never grates on me; I actually quite like it.

    Comment


      #3
      I have a soft spot for the original Wonder Boy and the spinoff/inspired by Adventure Island series. Super Adventure Island is really good.

      I also really enjoyed Monster Land on the Amiga, which captivated me back in 1989.

      Dragon's Trap is easily one of the best Master System. It really shows off the hardware.



      (It came in a nice clamshell case, which was unusual for Amiga games)




      A Euro Amiga team made a Wonder Boy clone called 'Thunderboy', which I bought for a few quid at a computer fair in 1990. I can't remember if it was any good, so I guess it's probably rubbish.
      Last edited by Leon Retro; 09-05-2019, 00:35.

      Comment


        #4
        I've mentioned this before, but as kids, my sister and I loved the arcades, spending many a holiday down the sea front in Rhyl.

        I played loads and loads of different games, with only a few making me come back for more and learn to master them and learn their secrets.

        My sister was the opposite. Wonderboy was her jam. She could play it for aaaaages on one 10p, defeating level after level, boss after boss, keeping the skateboard for the whole level, finding the hidden bonuses, collecting all the dolls and making that game her beatch.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Cepp View Post

          I have a real soft spot for the first game, I'd always give it a go in holiday arcades and I had a great time with the SMS version on Wii VC when it came out. I do have Adventure Island on NES but never really put much time into it; the original Wonder Boy is just more appealing.
          It's similar for me. I prefer the original for its old-school coin-op charm if nothing else. The Spectrum port was the first version I ever played but I eventually played and loved the Game Gear port and OG coin-op.

          The sequels are obviously better game but I personally find their early Metroidvania adventure stylings to be fairly plain and generic.

          Super Adventure Island is a shout as well.

          Comment


            #6


            Doooooo DER dooooOooOo Der Dooodle doooooo der dooOooOOoO Dooo doodle doodle doodle dooOooOo der doo der doo der doo

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              #7
              Literally just finished Monster World IV a couple of weeks ago, it’s really great.
              Finished The Cursed Kingdom on its release too, that’s an AMAZING game IMO.
              Want to get round to the earlier versions, I’ve started a few of them but never really sat down with a plan to tackle them. Great series!

              Comment


                #8
                Absolutely adored the original on the Master System Bitd. Find it a bit hard to go back to these days as the difficulty doesn’t start ramping up for a while so it’s like playing on autopilot for the first few levels.

                Monster Land again I first played on the SMS and it blew me away. So much charm, great cartoony graphics, and a real diversion from the original’s purist platformer style.

                The third game (Dragon’s Trap, not the weird MD/PCE game) was an amazing advancement of ML that I really enjoyed.

                Monster World I remember playing on an old Nokia S60 smartphone (remember them before the days of iPhones?) via an SMS emulator when I was travelling across Peru/Ecuador/Colombia some years ago. Great memories.

                Comment


                  #9
                  So the original Wonder Boy and Adventure Island are essentially the same game, but all of the sequels are completely different?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by _SD_ View Post
                    So the original Wonder Boy and Adventure Island are essentially the same game
                    Yeah, Adventure Island just has a different protagonist sprite.




                    No-one talks about 'Super Adventure Island' on the SNES, but I've always really liked it. The graphics looks stunning using a scaler or CRT. It also has some pumping music by Yuzo Koshiro.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I used to enjoy playing the original Wonderboy when it was in my local arcade. I've played it more in recent years and it's still a good game, though the levels can be a bit same-y.

                      I'd never play any of the sequels until really recently when Dragon's Trap came out on the PS4. My friend was telling me how the Master System version was one of his all time favourite games, so I figured I should give it a go. I really enjoyed it even today and I can imagine it would've been brilliant at the time. Whilst the new style graphics on the PS4 version are beautifully drawn and animated, it felt better just using the retro look (and I ended up switching to retro audio as well!). This inspired me to pick it up for the PC Engine and play through it again (where it's called Adventure Island, but it's a port of Dragon's Trap, as opposed to a port of Wonderboy as it is on the NES!).

                      Planning to pick up a Mega SG soon and I'm looking forward to giving some of the other games a go!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post
                        No-one talks about 'Super Adventure Island' on the SNES, but I've always really liked it. The graphics looks stunning using a scaler or CRT. It also has some pumping music by Yuzo Koshiro.
                        I haven't played it loads, but I recently discovered New Adventure Island on the PC Engine, which so far seems good. I didn't like how they removed running from Super Adventure Island, it made it feel a bit too simple. New Adventure Island is plays more like a 16 bit version of the Wonderboy arcade game.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by ZipZap View Post
                          I didn't like how they removed running from Super Adventure Island, it made it feel a bit too simple.
                          At least there's the 'super jump' move. I would agree that the pace and overall gameplay design is a bit clunky, but the graphics and sound really help to make it a fun experience. It's not one of the best SNES games, but I would says it's pretty good.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post
                            I also really enjoyed Monster Land on the Amiga, which captivated me back in 1989.
                            This was one of the earliest videogames I remember playing; I loved it too; so much so that my parents got me the Game Gear WonderBoy when I first got that machine. Thinking back, the franchise actually occupied quite a bit of my childhood, though I rarely think about it these days.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I loved Wonderboy the best, I still play the game a lot on the Master System (for me its the best game on the system). Have many happy memories of me and my mates micthing off school to play Wonderboy II too (great days) I wasn't a fan of the latter titles as much, as more and more RPG style elements came into play

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