The Wonder years
A NEW BOX SET COLLECTS THE VERY BEST INCARNATIONS OF AN ARCADE CLASSIC DOWN THE DECADES
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (PEGI 7) PS4, PS5, Switch ★★★★I
IN THE dim and distant past, to play the latest games meant hopping a bus, train or a lift from your parents to the nearest arcade.
Even then, you couldn’t be sure that that new game you’d be reading about would be available.
It’s such an odd concept now, when you can log on from the comfort of your own couch to instantly access the newest releases.
Arcades may feel like novelties these days, but some of the biggest game franchises started their lives there.
The Mario Bros, Mario and Luigi, started life as a Donkey Kong spinoff in arcades in 1983, while games like 1982’s Pole Position and 1986’s Out Run put racing games on the map.
Even modern day titles like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter have their roots squarely in arcade halls.
And that’s where the latest game I’ve been obsessed with made its debut, way back in 1986.
Wonder Boy is a side-scrolling platformer which went on to spawn several sequels after it graduated from neon-soaked arcades to home consoles.
This anniversary anthology is not to be confused with the Wonder Boy Collection which came out less than a year ago on the PS4 and Switch.
While that previous title featured just four of the most popular Wonder Boy games, this Anniversary Collection boasts so much more.
Here you’ll find an eye-watering 21 versions of the six most beloved Wonder Boy games, including Wonder Boy; Wonder Boy in Monster Land; Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair; Monster World II: The Dragon’s Trap; Monster World III, and Monster World IV, alongside an extensive art gallery, manual scans, and maps for each title.
As well as the original games, there’s a host of regional and console variations of the titles too, which are interesting to dip in and out of.
The 1986 arcade original remains wonderfully charming and is still surprisingly challenging to play through.
Like many games of its time, its plot is based around a boy setting out to rescue a girl – in this instance, a caveman named Tom-Tom is trying to save girlfriend, Tina, from the clutches of the Dark King.
It’s interesting to cycle through the game variants to see just how different some of the releases look, with some of them – like the Sega SG 1000 version – looking markedly different.
I was the most excited about the addition of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, which is one of my personal favourites.
I missed it when it was first released in 1989, but became genuinely obsessed with it when it got a remaster in 2017.
I dove straight into the original, and my muscle memory was utterly thrown by it, as I had no idea just how much gameplay had been altered for the remaster.
Turned into a lizard man, you have to find the magical Salamander Cross, the only item capable of lifting the curse. It’s a fabulous game, definitely one of the gems of the series.
It’s also great to see Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair getting some love too. The part running, part gunning game even features a co-op mode which ups the frenetic fun.
While some of the older versions look more than a little dated, developer ININ Games has included important quality-of-life upgrades, including the ability to rewind sections, so you can play them over, or zip forward through parts you’re rapidly becoming bored of. More importantly there’s now a save function, so you can pick up where you left off rather than having to repeat a section.
While this collection doesn’t feature every Wonder Boy game ever made, it does feel like the most comprehensive release to date.
If you’ve already invested in last June’s collection, then I can see why you’d be steaming that this one – which is overflowing with additional features – has landed so soon afterwards.
But if you’ve not yet taken the plunge – or indeed have never dipped your toe into the Wonder Boy waters – then this is the perfect place to start.
BUY IT: £44.99 fromnintendo.co.uk/ or £44.99 from store.playstation.com/ TREAT YOURSELF: Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection Ultra Collector’s Edition, including metal game ends, a music box, soundtracks, sheet music, art cards and much more – £135 from strictlylimitedgames.com/