Wonderboy Anniversary Collection Review (Switch)

Written by Dan Gill

When I received the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, I was initially a little confused. Hadn’t this come out a few months ago? Imagine my embarrassment when I realised, I was thinking of the Wonder Boy Collection which was released in the sweltering summer of 2022. I should have known really, as the selection on games on offer here is quite different from that collection. Well, OK, not so different. It seems that the difference between the Anniversary Collection and the plain old vanilla Collection is that the former contains a comprehensive selection of Wonder Boy titles, spread across several different versions each of 6 games from the Wonder Boy/Monster World series.

If you’ve purchased any kind of retro collection in the past few years, you’ll know the drill, classic games with modern conveniences. The WBAC has the usual bells and whistles we’ve come to expect including save states, concept art, promotional material from the time and various settings to emulate a CRT. The number of games on offer is generous, as the 6 different games have platform and region variations, bringing the game count to 21. Emulated systems range from the original arcade version through the Master System, Game Gear and Mega Drive/Genesis. It’s a package to cater for every Wonder Boy fan, as you’re likely to pick your favourite version. You want the Game Gear version of the original game? You’ve got it. You want to play Monster World IV as it was on the Japanese Mega Drive? Fill your boots. This is as comprehensive a package for Wonder Boy as you can get, at least without chucking all the Adventure Island games in there too.

The games themselves are great. The original Wonder Boy is showing its age now, but it’s the foundation on which the series is built and proves to be an interesting curio for those that want to see what platform games were like in the wake of Super Mario Brothers. Wonder Boy in Monster Land shook things up by introducing some RPG-lite elements, while Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair combines platforming with shoot-em-up sections. Probably the most revered title is Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, due to its Metroidvania style of gameplay. Monster World III and IV continue in a similar vein, playing out like an ARPG. Each game is still worth playing since their influence can be seen in so many other games.

However, here’s the problem. If you forked out for the previous collection, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little seen off. This is the definitive collection for these titles, and the old collection’s paltry collection of four games feels decidedly stingy in comparison. The release of the newer package so soon after the old one feels like a poke in the eye for early adopters, as they’re now left with just a few tasty scraps rather than a sumptuous banquet.

Is it worth your money? Based on what’s on offer here, yes. The games themselves are great, and the variety of ports is excellent. However, if you’ve already shelled out for the previous collection, you’d likely feel stung by having to hand over money twice over to complete the set of games. The price of the collection (£45 in the eShop) isn’t exactly small change, so you’d either need to be an avid fan or wait for a sale before picking this up and leaving yourself with a redundant collection that’s not even a year old. For everyone else, the package comes highly recommended. A bit more spit and polish in the presentation department would have been appreciated, but the amount of gameplay on offer here is generous and is pretty much essential for any Wonder Boy fan.

8/10

Wonder Boy Collection Review (Switch)

ININ games are well versed now in the release of retro compilations. We’ve had Space Invaders, Darius, Turrican and now Wonder Boy gets the treatment. As before, this collection comes in two forms. You can go the Strickly Limited physical route and get a pretty comprehensive collection which includes more games and multiple versions of each, or this one which is far stingier in its content.

The standard Wonder Boy Collection contains four games. You get the arcade versions of the original Wonder Boy and Wonder Boy in Monster Land and the Genesis versions of Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV. The biggest and most obvious omission is Wonder Boy III: The Dragons Trap, but it is available as a separate release. Monster World IV is also available elsewhere with a recent remake, the physical version for which also includes the Genesis version and of course you can get the two arcade games as arcade releases as well. Confused? We won’t mention Monster Boy in the Cursed Kingdom or the fact the two Genesis titles were originally going to be on the Switch Mega Drive collection then.

The four games come with the usual selection of extras now expected as standard with these types of collections. That means save states, display options and the ability to remap controls. There’s also a rewind function. There’s gallery content which is a bit weird as it’s full of box art and instructions for versions of games not included but it’s nice to have.

In terms of the games themselves they hold up well. The first Wonder Boy is very different to the rest of course. Here you simply run along a route trying to avoid obstacles and throwing things to hit enemies. It’s a classic arcade style game and lacks much depth. It’s unlikely you’ll spend much time with it as it was never a massively great game in the first place.

Wonder Boy in Monster Land is where the series starts to really take shape. Despite being an arcade game it’s an adventure platformer where you can pick up armour and spells as you make your way through linear platform levels with explorations elements. It’s a really strange choice for an arcade game and the timer element seems forced but it’s great fun. Sadly, if you want the home Master System version, you’ll need to buy the more deluxe collection.

Monster World and Monster World IV see the series move to fully fledged console game adventure platformers. Both are good and will keep you occupied for a fair while. The only real complaint is that the reach of your sword is so tiny that combat can be frustrating at times. But there’s a lot to explore and find and there is enough inventiveness on show to set them aside from the Metroid’s and 2D Zelda games of the world.  

The biggest issue is who will buy this. It’s considerably cheaper than the deluxe version of course but it relies on people not having bought the three already available games or just really wanting to get hold of Wonder Boy in Monster World. The fact Wonder Boy III isn’t here is also a big issue. That said, if you have avoided all the previous releases and don’t want to go for the deluxe version then what’s here is good and provides a shot of quality retro fun for a near budget price.

Overall 7/10

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Review (Nintendo Switch)

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, is one of the most iconic and sort after games on Sega’s Master System. As such, a great deal of care needed to be taken in order to make sure that the new version of the game lived up to fans expectations. We are happy to report that right from the off it is clear that pretty much everything is right from a retro fans point of view and very little of the core magic has changed from the original. 

For those who are unfamiliar ‘The Dragon’s Trap’ starts at the end of Wonder Boy in Monster Land where, as you deal the final blow to that games end boss, you are cursed to take the form of a lizard. You then spend the game exploring the world trying to return yourself to human form. As you explore you pick up other forms which grant abilities that allow you to explore previously unreachable places in a kind of Metroidvania lite way.

As you progress you can also pick up new armour, shields and swords that enhance your attack and defence stats. This along with extra hearts and perishable special weapons such as fireballs, arrows and whirlwinds form the basis of your offense against the many beasties you encounter along the way. As a concession to modern audiences equipment can now be purchased at any time rather than requiring magical stones to be found first. This certainly streamlines the experience for the better.

The game has been reversed engineered using the code from the original Master System game and so remains pretty much identical in terms of how it plays. This means Wonder Boy handles much the same in terms of leaping around platforms and the difficulty remains challenging. This may take some getting used to for those unaccustomed with 8-bit games but it’s certainly fair and beatable by most people. The one thing that is a very welcome removal is the flickering and slow down that haunted the original in places. The lack of other changes is a relief as the game holds up remarkably well in terms of core platform/adventure gameplay. 

The one thing it really is crying out for is some kind of quick save function as newcomers may soon tire of having to repeat sections over and over when they die. While you can save in the main village you will need to go on your adventure to a part of the world, defeat the enemy, and return in one piece in order to make sure you don’t lose and progress. The individual areas of the world aren’t huge so after practice it should be fairly straightforward but having to battle back to end of area bosses is something we’ve never been particularly fond of. As an added bonus the game accepts original passwords from the Master System version of the game. (As a side note – the developer didn’t have the rights to use assets from the Turbo Grafx version)

With the core experience the same the major new addition is the gorgeous graphical face lift the game has been given. Environments now look highly detailed and full of character and help to enhance the strengths of the game. There are options present to switch between the new and old graphics and music so you can play with any combination you like at the touch of a button. It also allows for a quick comparison between the old and new look of the game and the difference is unsurprisingly staggering. 

Overall, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a considered and excellent remake of a classic game. A few slight changes to stream line the experience and a graphical overhaul were all that was really needed and the developer has taken great care to make sure the game is as faithful to the original as possible. The structure of the game is undeniably 8-bit but then that is no bad thing when the original is one of the most iconic games of the era. This does everything it sets out to do excellently and both fans and newcomers should have great fun exploring the world and taking on a game of rare quality.

Overall 8/10