After celebrating more than 35 years of success, ININ and publisher Bliss Brain are releasing the digital version of the Wonder Boy Collection. This series is an iconic side-scroller where the Wonder Boy must collect items, dodge or attack enemies, and manage their way to the end of the level to win. Within this collection, new and nostalgic gamers alike can enjoy six full games of content across 21 system versions from different regions and platforms.
What is the Full Extent of the Content Inside This Collection?
As mentioned before, the Wonder Boy Collection comes with all six games that came out within the franchise. This includes Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, WonderBoy II: The Dragon’s Trap, Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV. Six complete games that come in different platform options within each version such as Sega, Genesis, Game Gear, Mega Drive and more.
But along with the games, the collection also includes exclusive illustrations both in a general artbook that includes drafts and final pictures of the characters Wonder Boy is greatly known for including the hero himself. And although the game itself can come in a version that is strictly Digital, you do get access to the multiple types of Box Art that each game was known for. There are multiple versions that come in both Japanese and English depending on which game you access as well as the manual that the game would have come with. It’s an interesting feature to include since if you were to attempt to collect a classic version of the game in a physical copy, they often don’t come along with the original box art and manual in a good condition. The art is a very classic and cute detail to include as well, you get to see multiple types of illustrations of both the heroes and enemies that you can encounter in the games.
System Features to Compliment the Arcade Gamestyle
Originally made for different systems, you’re bound to come across different buttons depending on which version you got the game for whether it’s for the Nintendo Switch or the PlayStation. For example, in Monster Boy on the Switch, you’ll use the Left Stick to input the Coin so that you can begin the game and then the controls are all relatively normal after that, using the + button as your Start Button, moving with the Arrow Pad and using Y and B for Attacking and Jumping respectively.
This version of the games comes with an additional mechanic where you can Save States. Often seen used in Emulators, Save States help you get back to a place where you saved prior before you lost multiple lives and actually managed to progress the game with relatively great progress. You can set Save States after you made great progress and if you happen to have a bad few runs, then you can go back to one of the Load States you saved prior to try it again.
In later versions, mechanics in the game increase as you achieve the ability to buy items, and upgrade your character similar to more modern games around the 90s and the controls subsequently reflect the same use as above. You are able to change certain buttons to make it easier for yourself by entering the settings.
The Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection can be seen as a joyous return to nostalgic games without having to narrow down your system and the sites that you go to hunt for those games in a physical copy. It’s access to play classic games that helped build up games to what they are now but in a way where you don’t need an arcade or older system in order to play the entire collection of Wonder Boy. In addition, you get adorable illustrations in many different artbooks within each version and for the current price of 29.99 dollars, the collection is a pretty good deal to return to a total of six games with special features attached.
Jordan is a student studying Digital and Print Journalism at the University of North Texas. After discovering how much fun gaming journalism can be, she hopes to make a career in it once she graduates. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys playing games such as Genshin Impact, Ace Attorney, and Fire Emblem or watching Murder, She Wrote late at night on weekdays.
