Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

A love letter to the Sega Master systems best game. Its a fun way to fill an afternoon, but truthfully for a veteran gamer its max 4 hours of gameplay and that is generous. I played the original version on Sega Master system to death back in the day so i know the game like the back of my hand. I still have my original copy of the game on cart. The new charm stone secret locations don't really add much value to the game in my opinion and some of them are downright frustrating, not sure the new sword you get as the reward adds much to the game once you get the legendary sword. It is clear however that the developers really put a lot of thought and love into this game. The music is good, the scenery is nice, the foreground elements are nice, the retro mode switching feature is easily on par with other classic games that use the gimmick such as Monkey Island special edition and Command and Conquer Remastered. Overall its a fun way to spend the afternoon on a nostalgia trip, but its not going to have a ton of replay-ability once you finish the main quest. I bought it on special and I would recommend to everyone else to do the same, i don't think its worth full price as much as it pains me to say it.

Metroidvania isn't my best type of games, but this is not that bad actually. if you're Metroidvania enjoyer or an old person that plays the old 1980s version, this game is for you, otherwise you won't find something special in this game.

This was my very first game as a young kid on the og sega system, what an amazing redo and an absolute joy to play!! the art is beautiful and a masterpiece of color and composition. this game is a 10/10 all day long. I could only hope they will redo the other ones in the series:)

I have never played the classic game before, however that doesn't matter with this version. You can actually flick between both with a push of a button. The game felt great and you can see how much effort went into it. The attention to detail is great and the way everything is hand drawn gives it that modern yet retro feel. Unlocking all of the abilities and finding all of the secrets this game has to offer was fun to explore, no hand holding what so ever. 8/10

I discovered this game whilst browsing old video games on Youtube and viewing games from memory and I didn't know there was a Pc version. I used to play this years ago on the Sega Masters system round my friends house and loved it so I just had to buy it when I found it was on steam and it was on discount. My first impression was wow, this looks nice, runs smooth but was even more impressed when I put the old version on and the sound, just how I remember it. This setting will be something for the older generation. Don't ask why, I'm sure many others know what I mean. Advice for younger players, give it a try as it is a really fun game, you need to play it for a while to really get to enjoy it fully and appreciate it as [spoiler] you become different characters who has different abilities [/spoiler]. It's well worth every penny on the discount price I paid. Top game, I wish they would make the wonderland game remake too and I don't mean the asha game but a different version that I remember on the megadrive.

It has been years since I had played this version of the game and I have to say, I think it still holds up and then some. As someone who hasn't sat down to play the original I find the slight adjustments here pretty nice (You had to collect gems from enemies?) and god, the new art is so lovely. Really makes the game seem so much more full compared to the dark backgrounds (which were a limitation of the console) of the original game. I did have 3 or 4 random crashes playing the game which was odd, closing the game fixed that. One major gripe I have is the UI in the Retro mode, it not being integer is odd and makes it so it doesn't blend in with the OG graphics on display. Overall, it was nice to play this again and I still need to collect some gems while also completing the scary hard mode, I suggest Master System players or newbies to give this remake a go!

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is technically a remake of the original 1989 classic, but unlike a typical remake, the goal of this game is not to improve on the original but to prove that the original game design was always good. For those unfamiliar with the original Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, or the Wonder Boy series in general, this game is a side-scrolling action RPG and lite metroidvania (Think Zelda 2 without a world map). The story is that the final boss of the previous game, Meka Dragon, curses you into the form of a Lizard Man upon its death, and you have to hunt down an artifact called the Salamander Cross in order to undo the curse. To that end, you must travel Monster Land end to end to challenge the boss dragons, each of which curses you into a new animal form upon death. If you want a basic idea of how this game plays, think Shantae as this was the series that inspired the Shantae series (and which Shantae has failed to live up to in my opinion). In every form (except the Lizard Man) you have a sword and shield, as well as a selection of consumable magic attacks, and on top of that you have whatever traversal abilities your animal form grants you. There's some secrets and side activities to engage in, but the main structure is that you are a cursed into a new animal form after every boss and you have to proceed down the only path that you can really go down in order to find the next boss. The level design in this game is pretty much 1:1 to the original version, and it's just as old school and wkward as the original. Thankfully the original game was actually pretty well-designed so it actually does feel pretty good to go through every area. The primary difference is that the charm system was completely redone. In the original version you had to collect charm stones from defeating enemies before shopkeepers would sell you new gear. This was nothing more than padding, so it's definitely a good thing it's been redone. Now there are secret bonus stages for every animal form, and each rewards a charm stone. Once you collect all of them, you'll unlock a special weapon. Personally I think that's a great way to redo an originally bad mechanic. Graphically this game looks fantastic. The new handdrawn sketch art sprites and backgrounds are a joy to look at and they give the game a really unique look even amongst other handdrawn indies. If you prefer the retro look of the original, however, you can swap to it at any time with the touch of a button, Halo Anniversary style. It's the same with the music: the remixes are excellent however you can switch back to the original tracks at any time with a different button press. I'd definitely recommend Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. It's an excellent remake of an already great game. While it's not my go-to Wonder Boy game as Monster Boy and Aggelos have more modern design sensibilities, however this is a tight and compact experience that's a lot of fun regardless.