Before Sonic and even before Alex Kidd, there was Wonder Boy. Wonder Boy, also known as Monster World, was a series of arcade and later console games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment that mixed platforming and action RPG elements together for a really fun experience and gives a look into how gaming was in the past. Now for the most part several of the games have seen various ports to other systems over the years and have been included in several SEGA classic compilations, so it comes to no surprise as two new compilations have been released: the Wonder Boy Collection and the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. For this review we will be looking at the base Wonder Boy Collection as this was the version of the compilation that I received for review.
Wonder Boy (1986, SEGA System 1 arcade hardware)
This version of Wonder Boy is the original arcade version running on the SEGA System 1 arcade hardware. As for the story, you are Tom Tom who must save his girlfriend Tina from demons and monsters. Gameplay for Wonder Boy is very simple as you walk across the screen, attacking enemies with power ups and jumping on platforms. Each area/level has four rounds with the fourth round having a boss fight at the end of the stage. While the gameplay is simple, it’s still a lot of fun.
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (1987, SEGA System 2 arcade hardware)
One year later the sequel to Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, was released. This version of the game is running on the SEGA System 2 arcade hardware. For this game’s story, peace has been enjoyed by Wonderland for eleven years. Then one day a dragon named MEKA Dragon appears and terrorizes the land with his minions. They eventually takeover Wonderland and rename it Monster Land. Tom Tom, now a teenager, is called up to help save the people and reclaim Wonderland back. Gameplay is very similar to the first game with the exception of the now added adventure elements such as leveling up and the ability for Tom Tom to equip armor and weapons. And just like the first Wonder Boy game, gameplay is super simple but fun.
Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991, SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis)
Four years sees the release of the first non-arcade sequel, Wonder Boy in Monster World. This version of the game is running on SEGA’s latest home console, the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis. In the game players take control of Shion, who answers the call of Fairy Queen Eleanora as monsters have been attacking the land. Wonder Boy in Monster World adds in more adventuring elements. Gameplay is simple yet fun and having various companions following you along the way make the game much more interesting. My one complaint about the game is that as this is the North American version of the game, once you die its game over and in order to pick up from a save point a password system is used.
Monster World IV (1991, SEGA Mega Drive)
Lastly we have Monster World IV, which happens to the the fourth game under the Monster World sub-series. In this game, players take on the role of Asha, who goes off on an adventure to save the world after hearing the wind spirits whispers for help. The game take on a more action adventure style of gameplay with some lite RPG elements and puzzle solving. Out of the four games, I enjoyed Monster World IV the most as everything is simplified and focus on the action.
Overall the Wonder Boy Collection is a pretty decent albeit an incomplete collection. The reason being is that there is another collection, The Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, that includes 21 ports of the game that range from systems like the Game Gear to SEGA’s very first console the SG-!000. Normally I would give a game a score but will not since the collection only has the base four games in the series. If you want to have the core Wonder Boy experience, then I’d recommend checking this collection out. But if you want all 21 games, I’d suggest trying out the anniversary collection.
