The Wonder Boy series was one of the Master System's most beloved franchises, though its cult-classic status hasn't prevented it from falling by the wayside. A convoluted history, including a tangle of complications regarding the rights to the series, meant a comeback would be virtually impossible. In spite of this, a tiny French developer named Lizardcube has teamed up with DotEmu to bring us a modern take on the third game, originally released in 1989.
The original game of the same name was very much a pioneer of what we now know as the popular sub-genre Metroidvania. You begin the game as the titular Wonder Boy on a quest to vanquish the Meka Dragon who, upon defeat, curses our hero, turning him into a sort of half-man, half-dragon. From then on, the game adopts a non-linear structure in which you explore Monster Land, gradually unlocking new areas and transforming into various creatures with unique abilities. These forms will, in turn, allow you to explore further and uncover hidden areas previously unaccessible. For example, once you transform into the mouse, you can defy gravity by walking any which way you like on the checkered blocks you'll see throughout the game.
Fans will fondly remember all this, of course, but what they may not be prepared for is how drastic the presentation has been updated. The structure, the gameplay, and the level design are practically identical to the original, but the music and visuals take huge artistic liberties. The hand-drawn art style is gorgeous, especially in motion where you can see the wonderfully old-school animation. Where the backgrounds used to simply be solid colours, we now see fully realised locations, adding a depth to the world that couldn't be achieved on an 8-bit system. The music has been totally re-imagined and accompanies the new aesthetic perfectly, and the sound design is also a significant step up.
What's quite remarkable is that the modernised presentation manages to both be totally fresh and nostalgic at the same time. You can witness this for yourself, as the game allows you to switch to the retro look and sounds at any time. The difference is staggering, but again, the new art and music certainly tip their hats at the almost 30-year-old original. If we could levy any criticism at the way the game looks, it would be that the blocks that form many of the platforms and obstacles juxtapose strangely with the environments. This was the case in the original, but it's far more pronounced with the vastly more detailed world. Still, we can appreciate Lizardcube's desire to stay as close to their inspiration as possible.
Perhaps even more impressive is what the developer has left untouched. The game plays more or less exactly as it did on the Master System. Fortunately, the world is still a fun one to explore, and there is no shortage of secrets to discover as you revisit old areas in new forms. That it holds up to modern standards speaks well of the game's design. The Dragon's Trap is such a faithful recreation, in fact, that you can input an old password and it will work just as it did on Sega's 8-bit console, and vice-versa. However, there is one thing the remake has inherited that isn't quite so desirable. The slippery character movement can make platforming a chore at times, and can also lead to some frustrating losses during the basic combat. This isn't a game-ruining problem, but it definitely takes some getting used to.
Still, you will get used to it as the game runs its course, which in our case was just over five hours. It may be short, but it's a well designed, imaginative Metroidvania with a good level of challenge and just enough meat on its bones to keep you engaged. The equipment with different stats for the different forms you take adds a thin layer of RPG-esque depth, the handful of creatures you play as have their own strengths and weaknesses, and new obstacles and enemies are sprinkled in at the same pace as you're given new abilities to toy with. The game's cohesive and concise design largely stands up today, and with the beautiful new coat of paint, this is a great way to play The Dragon's Trap again – or discover it anew.
Conclusion
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a ruthlessly faithful remake of the Master System classic that boasts a dramatic and beautiful audiovisual makeover. The game itself is still very enjoyable with a world map that's fun to work through and a lean Metroidvania structure that introduces new ideas right to the end. The controls are quite loose, which can lead to some frustration, but by and large this is a wonderful recreation that both fans and newcomers will enjoy.
Comments 27
Thank you for that Tenacious D reference
Actual review and score don't really make any sense. The review makes it sound like a 9/10 game but then it gets 7/10?
@Onion Does it really, though? The review makes the game sound good and a 7/10 is literally what we consider 'Good' on this site.
Looks good, but I'll have to get this later. The Disney afternoon collection comes first for me.
Pre-ordered it for the visuals alone. It feels fantastic to play, although the inertia and the (incredibly faithful) hitboxes can frustrate a bit.
All in all, the best way a 'faithful to the T' remake can be.
I like some of the art style but that's about it. This may have done well for PS Plus.
I like how this site reviews, every "good" game can't be a 9, a 6 to 9 review is usually a decent game. 9 of course being a great game. Alot of sites just go with bad and good, not alot in between.
Keep up the good work!
Any questions about Wonder Boy, let me know!
@sajoey Had to be done
@Onion Thank you for reading. I could've made it a little clearer that the game itself is good but not amazing. It's a game from '89, which despite some fiddly controls is still a decent, fun adventure that's worth a play. I'll take your feedback onboard for future reviews
@VotesForCows She's there from the start. I did play briefly as her on a separate save to see if she plays any differently, which of course she doesn't. Nice of them to give the option of boy or girl!
@Quintumply I would extend the congratulations on the truly excellent tag line. My only complaint about the game (having not played it) is the absence of nasty man, who has powers comparable to wonder boy. Still, you can't have it all.
My favourite game from the Master System and I'm sure I'll spend half my time playing with the original graphics. This is the type of game I'd really want to buy for the Switch so I could play when the Mrs is watching TV but alas it doesn't have a dpad so it'll have to compete with Persona for my PS4 time
@Rudy_Manchego Haha, thanks
Favourite Master System game. The review makes it sound like exactly what I expected so... Getting it today! It will serve as a nice complement to those P5 sessions
@JoeBlogs oh I so wish Sony would just support that great little handheld
I played the Turbografx-16 version some years ago, it was decent but I dunno if I cared for it enough to give this one a shot.
@Quintumply noticed you playing this as well as Yakuza. Brilliant review, slippy platforming was part of the master system, I don't think any games on that system were good.
@Quintumply That reply makes you a class act man. That's awesome. And also thanks for the review.
Smashing Tenacious D reference! Gonna wait for a price drop, but looks great! Loved the one on the Megadrive back in the 90's!
@get2sammyb Interesting, this game has been listed on the Wii U eShop with the release date of 5/18. So this hasn't been cancelled for the Wii U? Or is that an erroneous listing?
@Reanfan7 A question better asked on Nintendo Life. I have absolutely no idea. Switch, PS4, and Xbone as far as I know.
My original cartridge was slightly broken, so that if you touched it at all, the game would crash. It will be nice to play it without worrying about someone knocking the console/cart!
Great to see this series getting some love, the previous game (WB in Monster Land) was the first game I truly lusted after. You never forget your first crush 😀
This is my kind of game, a beautiful and great 2D game like shantae half genie hero and transistor, rather than pixelated 2D games. The soundtrack seems great too.
A great looking game. Once again, I'll wait for a price drop.
Was loving this ... "WAS" ..... until I got transformed to the Lion ... then I accidentally went into The Unknown and got transformed back into the bloody Lizard again. Now I cant transform back to Lion again. I'm guessing I have to complete the Lizard's Unknown section ... which I cant seem to do .... keep getting killed over and over!!!
They've done an amazing, absolutely amazing job with the visuals on this, it just looks beautiful, i never played the game originally so i'm glad to hear it plays as good as it looks, i look forward to playing it at some point.
Man this year is not letting up with the great games but i'm close to admitting defeat with being able to keep up, i tried but i am skint now lol This will have to go onto the backlog of games to buy later along with many others, think i will make an exception for Splatoon 2 though, and have just ordered Nier Automata, i just haven't got enough time or money for 2017's great selection of games across all the different platforms haha
@fluggy In the village, head left (from where you start off) and go through the door before the spring by the windmill. In there is a block on the left. If you're the lizard, jump below it to destroy it - collect the question mark icon to reveal another door. Head in there and you can transform into any creature you've unlocked.
The Unknown sections are character specific and pretty challenging; you don't need to beat them at all to finish the game!
@get2sammyb
Judging by what I read, only one real flaw was listed and yet the final score is only 7/10? I'm not saying the score should be higher, I'm saying the review should be more clear and concise so I, the reader, understand why the score was given the way it was. In this case, one flaw was apparently enough to dock it 3 points? Seems fishy.
@Quintumply
Thank you. It's not an issue with your writing (It's a nice review in fact) it's more of an issue with the actual score, which seems misleading after reading the review. I agree with almost everything written, including how amazing the visuals are! ?/10 rating scales are really tricky for this reason, because different people will come away with different impressions of what the score should be.
That said, Dragon's Trap is an amazing remake so 7/10 or above is definitely fair.
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