Wonder Boy in Monster World
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| Wonder Boy in Monster World | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Westone |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Virtual Console |
| Release date | October 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Platform/RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | CERO: All ages (A) |
| Media | cartridge |
Wonder Boy in Monster World (Wonder Boy V Monster World III in Japan) is a title in the series of Wonder Boy games which were developed in the 1980s and 1990s by Sega and Westone. It is the fifth game in the Wonder Boy series, and the third game in the Monster World sub-series. It is also the last Wonder Boy game to be officially released in English. It was made available for download on Nintendo's Virtual Console service on April 23, 2007 in North America and on May 4, 2007 in Australia. The main article refers to the Mega Drive version, followed by a text about conversions and ports to other consoles.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
Wonder Boy In Monster World puts you in control of Shion in his quest to save Monster World from the evil BioMeka. It controls like your standard platform game: run, jump, and kill enemies. The game is filled with RPG elements such as talking to townsfolk, collecting money to buy items, extending your life bar, and equipping a large variety of armor, weapons and magic.
Shion travels through the many interconnected regions of Monster World, all the while collecting increasingly powerful equipment in the form of many different swords, spears, shields, suits of armor, and boots.
The game introduced a one slot save feature to save progress at inns throughout the game world. In the Japanese original Shion returned to the inn last saved at upon death (and was charged its fee accordingly), so returning to an inn in order to save is a simple matter of allowing Shion to be killed. In the English-language Megadrive versions this was changed to a "Game Over" screen; this made it often tedious to return to the inns early in the game when Return magic hadn't been obtained yet.
[edit] Plot
"Monster World was once a peaceful region. Then, the peace was shattered by an invading army of monsters. A young man named Shion vowed to defeat them and make his land peaceful again."
[edit] Characters
[edit] Travel companions
During his travels, Shion will often be joined by a small companion who follows you around. Each companion is bound to the region he or she belongs to, and will return to their respective homes when you leave said region. All travel companions will also temporarily stay out of action during boss fights.
| Priscilla A small fairy who hails from Alsedo, the Fairy village. She joins Shion when he talks to Queen Eleanora. Priscilla will randomly fly over to an enemy and bop the enemy with her wand, distracting it. Also, when Shion's health is getting low, she may conjure up a few small hearts for Shion to catch. |
| Hotta A dwarf kid, who lives in the Dwarf village of Lilypad. He will follow Shion around when you save him from the bushmen. Hotta can break open some walls, enabling Shion's entry in the nearby temple, as well as uncovering a couple hidden rooms in the said temple. He also randomly digs up a fountain of small coins and hearts. |
| Shabo A little summoned reaper, who Shion obtains in Childam, the Darkworld village. He will fly alongside Shion through the Ice Caverns, attacking enemies randomly with his throwing scythe. |
| The Elder Dragon's grandson A nameless dragon hatchling, who will accompany Shion in Begonia, the Dragon village. He will help him through the volcano, frequently attacking enemies with his fire breath. |
[edit] Other characters
| Fairy Queen Eleanora Her village is the first you encounter. She'll lend you Priscilla, one of her fairy companions, to aid you through your journey through the Mushroom infested forest lair near Alsedo. |
| Princess Shiela Purapril You save her early in the game from a Dark Knight. She'll give you advice at a few points throughout the game, if you care to visit her. Near the end, the game eventually suggests some sort of love interest, as well. |
| Elder Dwarf He's distraught about the kidnapping of Hotta, a young dwarf who lives in the village of Lilypad. |
| Elder Dragon This wise dragon will tell you how to obtain the materials for creating the Legendary Sword. He also sends his grandson along with you on your journey through the volcano. |
| The Darkworld Prince The Prince has gone missing recently. Rumor has it he was abducted by an evil force... |
[edit] Conversions and ports
The Sega Master System port was significantly different. It featured downgraded graphics, fewer and shorter stages, and a complex password system (approximately 40 digits in length) rather than a battery save. Because of its content reduction and inferior hit detection it is considered by many fans to be the inferior version. However, the game is considered to be one of the most advanced Master System games.
Hudson Soft later released a slightly re-branded version for the TurboGrafx-CD titled The Dynastic Hero. It featured palette-swapped visuals, new insect-themed graphics for main characters (and appropriately, insect's natural predators as bosses), a Redbook audio soundtrack which is completely different compared to the Wonder Boy original, and anime-style cutscenes at the intro and ending. Shion was renamed Dyna and was modeled after a Hercules Beetle, and the final boss was changed to a giant lizard king. An English-language version was also produced, but both were built off the Japanese version of Wonder Boy in Monster World so feature the same difficulty and mechanics as the Japanese version. The English version is one of the rarest Turbo CD games and frequently fetches high prices at online auctions. This particular version was released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service in Europe on November 30, 2007 and in North America on December 3, 2007.
Tec Toy, Sega's distributor in Brazil, altered the Mega Drive version and released it as Turma da Mônica na Terra Dos Monstros (translated as Monica's Gang in the Land of Monsters). Like other Wonder Boy-to-Monica conversions, the game is in Portuguese, the main character is Monica (Mônica in Portuguese) from the Monica's Gang (Turma da Mônica in Portuguese) comics, and other elements and characters from it were added.
[edit] See also
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[edit] External links
- Wonder Boy in Monster World guide at StrategyWiki
- The Wonder Boy Adventures by Per Myrsten, a page with the cover-art or title screen from almost every incarnation of Wonder Boy.
- Hardcore Gaming 101: Wonder Boy chronicling the history of the series.
- Wonderboy Land fan site
- The Misadventures of Wonderboy The Wonderboy sprite comic.
