![Wonder Boy](https://images.timeextension.com/22e26bd52e265/wonder-boy.900x.jpg)
When it began back in 1986, the Wonder Boy series showed little hint that it would become the cult classic franchise it is today. From its humble beginnings as a relatively straightforward action platformer, Wonder Boy evolved into something much bigger; a skilful fusion of action and RPG, influenced by creator Ryuichi Nishizawa's addiction to role-playing games during development.
After Wonder Boy in Monster Land, we'd see further refinement of this template via the peerless Master System outing Dragon's Trap (remade in 2017 to impressive effect) and – more recently – a modern-day retelling of the tale via Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, which was designed with Nishizawa's input and guidance.
But which Wonder Boy game is the best? We recently ran a poll asking you, our readers, that very same question; the results are shown below (and remember, almost all of these games are available on Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection).
7. Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (Arcade)
Released in arcades in 1988, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (not to be confused with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap on the Master System) marked something of a departure from Wonder Boy in Monster Land, and showed how willing Westone was to experiment with the series. The combination of action platforming and side-scrolling shooter isn't quite as effective as it perhaps should have been, which might account for the low placing of this title in this ranked list. Even so, it's well worth a blast – especially if you have access to the Hudson Soft-developed PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 version, which drops the 'Wonder Boy' branding and has a fantastic soundtrack. The Mega Drive / Genesis port is less essential, however.
6. Wonder Boy (Arcade)
The first Wonder Boy game might not have the light RPG elements and sense of exploration that made the series famous, but it's still a delightful action platformer in its own right. While it may not be as deep as the titles which followed it, it's nonetheless one of Sega's most famous arcade hits of the period and was duly ported to the SG-1000, Master System and Game Gear – as well as several home computer formats. The more recent remake – entitled Wonder Boy Returns – doesn't quite capture the same magic. Because Westone (then known as Escape) owned the rights to the game code (Sega only owned the Wonder Boy name), it was free to work with Hudson Soft to create 1988's Adventure Island, which is based on the same format and would branch off in its own direction.
5. Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Arcade)
Inspired by the likes of The Black Onyx and Wizardry, Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa decided to take the series in a new direction for its second outing. Instead of taking place in a jungle, Monster Land would be set in a European-style fantasy world complete with dragons and other monsters. In this sequel, the titular Wonder Boy must once again travel through linear levels, but this time around he can use gold to purchase improved gear to make the quest easier. A Master System port was released soon after, and was a critical and commercial success; like its predecessor, Monster Land would be licenced by Hudson and released on the PC Engine as Bikkuriman World.
4. Monster World IV (MD)
Originally released only in Japan, this is the first game in the series to drop the Wonder Boy name entirely – because the hero this time around isn't a boy, but a girl: Asha. Monster World IV also has a Middle Eastern setting which is a breath of fresh air compared to previous instalments. Seen by many as the ultimate refinement of the Wonder Boy template, it was eventually released in the West on the Wii Virtual Console in 2012 (sadly, this version is no longer available for download) and has since been remade as Wonder Boy: Asha In Monster World on modern platforms.
3. Wonder Boy in Monster World (MD)
A relatively early release for the Mega Drive / Genesis, Wonder Boy in Monster World abandons the animal transformations that made Dragon's Trap so appealing and instead introduces items and gear which allow players to get past certain roadblocks (a trident allows you to swim underwater, for example). A fine action RPG, Monster World (known as Wonder Boy V: Monster World III in Japan) was ported to the Master System in 1993 and the PC Engine / TG-16 in 1994, with the latter version being rebranded as The Dynastic Hero to avoid use of the Wonder Boy trademark.
2. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (Switch)
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a tremendous accomplishment. It’s a gorgeous looking game with a fantastic soundtrack and does its spiritual predecessors proud by nailing the Wonder Boy mechanics while still offering something that will appeal to modern audiences. As long as you can appreciate that it’s still very much an old-school game at heart and you’re going to get some 8-bit era platforming trickiness as a result, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy playing through this adventure for the 12-15 hours it’ll take you to beat it. It may not be Wonder Boy by name, but it’s definitely wonderful by nature.
1. Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS)
So here it is – the best Wonder Boy game, according to your votes. While you could argue that Monster World on the Mega Drive refines the action RPG template better and Monster Boy brings the whole series up to date with improved visuals and music, there's no denying that Dragon's Trap, for its time, is a stunning achievement. The animal transformations make it feel like an early 'Metroidvania', and the way in which the world is laid out is genius; there's a real sense of delight when you realise a new pathway is actually a shortcut to a previously-explored area, linking up the game world in a way that makes perfect sense. Ported to both the Game Gear and PC Engine / TG-16 back in the day (the latter being known as Dragon's Curse), this particular outing is worth seeking out in any form – but the 2017 remake is arguably the best way to experience it today.
Comments 19
I'd say this is not a series that goes through hits and misses given that almost all games are solid hits. I've enjoyed everything I played from the series so far (still need to play Monster World IV both original and remake)
For those who are into the Master System, I'd recommend Monica no Castelo do Dragao, a Brazilian version of the MS game Wonder Boy in Monster Land starring Monica, a classic Brazilian cartoon character. It's an official release
Number 1 is correct.
Just to clarify: the original version of MWIV was delisted on Wii, but it's still available in the Wonder Boy collections on all modern platforms.
On that topic, all of the games in this list are available one way or another, but it's an awkward patchwork unless you buy the Anniversary collection that released this year:
The previous Wonder Boy collection (from 2022) on PS4 and Switch lacks Monster Lair and Dragon's Trap, but it does have the original Wonder Boy, whereas the even older (and cheaper!) Sega Vintage one on Xbox systems doesn't have any of those three. Monster Lair wasn't in any actual Wonder Boy compilations prior to this year's Anniversary Collection, but can be purchased through "Sega Mega Drive and Genesis Classics".
For me Wonder Boy in Monster Land , Wonder Boy in Monster World, Monster Boy
This list is pretty good. Dragon's Trap is top for sure. Personally, I think it's the best game of the 8-bit console generation. Also Monster Boy at two, yes! I might flip Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV, though it's close. I don't think there's any chance I could have completed Monster World without savestates on the Genesis Mini. Apparently they significantly increased the difficulty of the final boss in the US version to the point of being almost impossible, in my opinion.
I think my order would be:
1) Wonder Boy in Monster World
2) Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
3) Dragon’s Trap
4) Monster World IV
I didn’t get to play Dragon’s Trap until the remake, while Wonder Boy is a childhood fave and my favorite game on the genesis, so it wins easily.
If we’re feeling a little loosely goosey I might swap Super Adventure Island 2 into second place though.
@no_donatello yeah that last boss in US Monster World is the worst. You should try beating him with only 3 hearts. I'm very curious about what the prince of Dark world says in the japanese version. Right when you get your power back, he says something else before he fades.
Truth be told...I pretty much whole heartedly agree with this list. WBiMW is my all time favorite, but I feel like Dragon's Trap did introduce alot of innovation after Monster Land and helped the series get new life and a formula that later games would follow. MWIV imo plays better than WBiMW but I feel it's a bit shorter and more linear compared to the other. Finally Monster Boy is amazing and should just be played.
@Pally356 Is that boss even possible to beat on 3 hearts? With the way Shion gets thrown around by everything (including a conveyor belt that moves as quickly as he can run), I would've thought it's impossible to avoid taking damage.
Heh, I bet the prince makes it clear that he's dying in the Japanese version. His English text is so hilariously casual that it must be censorship.
@smoreon Ive done it before. Its all about the timing and getting the rhythm down.
And those english lines are...yeah...not good. Old school censoring is cringeworthy at times.
@smoreon So I had a friend do a translation, here is what is said.
"Just as I thought!
I will create an opening for you to attack!"
dark Prince destroys blaster cannon
" Heh.... Don't worry... about me..
I had... to pay you back... somehow.."
"Dying isn't... in my repertoire..."
"Lastly, I'll.. heal you back... to full..."
Hero is healed
"So lo..ng! Legendary.. Hero !!!"
Very different from what was said in the american version.
@Pally356 Very impressive. I just watched the JP version of the boss, and he was a pushover. But they went too far the other way for sure.
Solid charismatic series with fantastic visuals. Asha in Monster World is definitely marred by the missables and PONR on stages/areas. Not sure why they never changed this for the remake.
The new Anniversary Collection with ALL games is in need of a few fixes in a patch ... namely the bad English menu information ( it was created in Germany I think ) I have contacted the developers who welcomed the feed back. They did not include SRAM on the arcade titles. So your high scores and initials are not saved. This is pretty much a big deal and needs fixing. I don't think save states are the alternative.
If you check out gamefaqs I have a topic for the Switch release if anyone knows any bugs, glitches ect. Let me know...
Monster World on the Megadrive (Shion) is my favourite! Beautiful game visually and the audio is amazing! Cute sprite work too.
Don't hate me, but I have always found these games to be thoroughly mediocre, the whole lot of them.
That being said, I still kind of have a soft spot for them... They're very charming and cute, and I can't help but like them... but I feel like they have some very questionable game design.
Other than Monster World IV and Dragon's Trap both of which had a remake, I didn't really enjoy the rest all which don't had a remake. I also don't like the first game cause it plays too much like Adventure Island, a series I thorough don't enjoy due to its endless runner style gameplay though I do enjoy the superior 16-Bit Super Adventure Island series due to it having better graphics and tighter control.
@smoreon Monster Lair and Dragon's Trap are on the Anniversary Collection, though? Annoyingly, they released two collections...
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/wonder-boy-anniversary-collection
Wonderboy 3 was the best platformer of the 8-bit generation.
@Damo Yeah, they're on the Anniversary Collection from 2023, but not the smaller collection from 2022. (I'll edit my previous comment for clarity.)
For anyone who's not a total completionist, your best bet is arguably to pick up the Sega Vintage series Wonder Boy collection on Xbox (around $10 at full price!), grab Monster Lair by itself on Steam ($1), and then get the remake of Dragon's Trap ($20). That covers all of the games from Anniversary except the original Wonder Boy.
@EarthboundBenjy I somewhat agree with you. The Wonder Boy series is like a solid 7/10 tier series for me. I prefer where Hudsonsoft went with the idea with Adventure Island, personally.
That said, I enjoyed Monster Boy considerably more than the mainline Wonder Boy titles as well.
Without nostalgia goggles, Monster Boy is easily a cut above all the rest. Great series
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