Wonder Boy was one of the first games I got for my beloved Sega Master System. Having played the original arcade game on seaside weekends of my youth it seemed amazing to have such a faithful conversion of the game in my bedroom at the time.
The hero of the game, Tom-Tom isn’t known for providing in-car navigation, rather he is tasked with the job of rescuing the fair maiden Tanya who has been kidnapped by some nasty piece of work. The gameplay takes the form of a classic left-to-right scroller. There is no retracing your steps here, you have to keep moving on! To ensure that you stay on your toes your vitality bar continually diminishes ensuring that the pressure is always on to move forwards and collect more fruit to keep your bar topped up.
You can jump over baddies that block your path or throw axes at them which you find hidden in eggs along the way. You can also find a skateboard which speeds up your progress (But makes it impossible to stop moving) and allows you to take a hit without dying. The levels are fast and furious as you jump over rolling stones, hop over clouds and negotiate fiendish ice caverns.
In later levels you will really need to keep your wits about you to navigate the moving platforms and pixel perfect jumps you will need to do. Before long you will start to learn the ropes and watch out for that jumping octopus and still make your cloud jump! At the end of each area you’ll run into a generic boss. Simply lob several axes in his head to finish him off and proceed to the next section.
The history of the Wonder Boy series needs a wet towel around your head to understand but this is basically were it all started. Basically a company called Escape developed Wonder Boy originally for Sega and then cheekily licensed the game to Hudson Soft and just changed the hero to Master Higgins and some of the enemies for the Adventure Island game.
The Wonder Boy and Adventure Island series then evolved into two completely different series of games but in terms of which is the best version of this game it is fair to say that the Master System version is probably better than the first Adventure Island on the NES by a small margin mostly because of the superior graphics and character of the game.
Wikipedia history 101 lesson over! Wonder Boy comes highly recommended to all. The game is a little rough around the edges now, the game mechanics feel rustier than it once did, but the core gameplay is still a joy to behold. This is really one of the best Master System games there is and the start of a great series. Well worth a look!
1. ICEknight
05 Mar 2008, 15:13 GMT
Amazing... If it's going to run at 60Hz in PAL systems.
Else, not so amazing. =P
2. Rossi
06 Mar 2008, 17:17 GMT
I found this game very pointless.. dont know why but i enjoy adventure island better.. colours to me looked better...
3. vader75
06 Mar 2008, 17:37 GMT
I like Wonder Boy better game than Adventure Island. I will be getting this when it comes out. I did not get Adventure Island, because I was hopping Wonder Boy would be released. There are 2 more levels in Wonder Boy when compared to Adventure Island.
4. DEMON212
09 Mar 2008, 00:51 GMT
Really wish I'd known this was coming. Much better music than Ad Isle. And for the same dosh too :cry:
5. Jupiter Adept
25 Mar 2008, 21:45 GMT
Is this better or worse than Adventure Island? I'll probably get this, since it costs less, though.
6. Adamant
26 Mar 2008, 00:53 GMT
^It's better.
7. BrandonG
26 Mar 2008, 03:29 GMT
Wonderboy was the first game I played on the Master System! I can't wait! And then soon will come Wonder Boy 2: In Monster Land! The real Wonderboy 2!
8. That Guy from Faxanadu
26 Mar 2008, 11:53 GMT
Wonderboy is indeed better than Adventure Island. The graphics are colorfull, bonus stages are enjoyable, and continues make it less frustrating. I like the music a little better in Adventure Island though, but it´s probably because I played it first.
9. Jupiter Adept
28 Mar 2008, 19:37 GMT
If there are 32 levels, how long will it be?
10. Link79
29 Mar 2008, 06:08 GMT
So, if this is almost exactly like Adventure Island on NES and I was considering getting one or the other which should I get? Both look pretty good.
11. ARK1
29 Mar 2008, 17:08 GMT
I was actually able to play this game using an old issue of Nintendo Power. They're THAT similar.
12. BrandonG
29 Mar 2008, 18:52 GMT
To Link79:
Get the Master System version. It is better!
13. Bass X0
29 Mar 2008, 20:17 GMT
doesn't seem to be much variation in gameplay in that video. and it looks very easy unless the person playing it is really good. and my eyes went funny watching it because of how fast it scrolled when he was on the skateboard.
14. Dazza
29 Mar 2008, 20:44 GMT
Well no, there isn't much variation in the gameplay, but then again there isn't with Mario 1 really. The fun is in mastering the jumps and getting your timing right, etc
The guy in the video is very skilled, Wonder Boy can actually be fairly difficult for the novice player and requires a bit of memorisation to perfect.
15. mehzemo
29 Mar 2008, 21:20 GMT
WB is one of the greatest!
I'm a pure Nintendo fanboy and I grew up in the 8-bit console war (NES vs. MS) but I love this game so much, you can't define yourself a player if you haven't played WB untill death.
Sadly, like MD games, I think it will be released here in EU at 50Hz without optimizations
16. ICEknight
29 Mar 2008, 21:29 GMT
It wouldn't be acceptable in the least if they release it running at 50Hz, considering the European versions of these SMS games were never optimized, except perhaps for a few European exclusives (so all of these games will even have slower music when in 50Hz mode).
I really want Wonder Boy and Shinobi 1 running as fast as they should. =(
17. mehzemo
29 Mar 2008, 21:49 GMT
Who was scared by Sonic?
Why people downloaded Sonic?
Our European SEGA and NEO·GEO channels are a real scandal.
I really want WB saga running as they were meant to be played!
18. mehzemo
29 Mar 2008, 21:55 GMT
Who was scared by Sonic?
Why people downloaded Sonic?
Our European SEGA and NEO·GEO channels are a real scandal.
I really want WB saga running as they were meant to be played!
19. Adamant
29 Mar 2008, 23:48 GMT
Bass X0: "it looks very easy unless the person playing it is really good"
He is. This video isn't very representative of the game at all.
And hey, SMB1's first few levels were really easy too.
20. Kirk
30 Mar 2008, 02:14 GMT
What is great about Wonder Boy is how responsive and precise it feels even after all this time. Imo that is the sign of a great game.
It's simple but what is there is still a lot of fun and highly polished for what it is, and it's still challenging and has that one more go appeal.
21. StarDust
30 Mar 2008, 11:41 GMT
I don't like the idea of collecting items to buy more time. Sometimes you waste more time hunting for objects than you gain. I hate games with strict time limits, so I'll probably pass this one up. Not to mention that the title screen looks a little bit fruity, in a bad sense.
Thank goodness Nintendo gave ample time to complete all of the levels in the 2D Mario platformers, unless you try to explore every nook and cranny - only a real problem for backtracking maze castles and secret exits. Also the scrolling levels were paced so that time limit was not an issue.
22. mehzemo
30 Mar 2008, 18:47 GMT
Saying that in WB you have to hunt for objects (fruits) for buying time is very limitative. Fruits appear when Tom-Tom runs, you have time to correctly jump to collect fruits and, if you correctly collect fruits you pass obstacles and so on. The right timing makes you look like a pro, and makes this game so brilliant even if it's about 20 years old.
Try it!
23. That Guy from Faxanadu
30 Mar 2008, 20:33 GMT
Actually I think a constantly starving hero is rather classy. This game is pretty weird too with the politically incorrect "Coalkids". They are replaced with ballerina pigs in Adventure Island.
24. President_Leever
30 Mar 2008, 22:07 GMT
The japanese cover art is so much nicer!
25. GameAddict
31 Mar 2008, 16:39 GMT
Ah such memories! I loved this game when I was a kid, alongside Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Golvellius: Valley of Doom.
I hope we'll get the game here in Europe.
EDIT: And just listen to that music, it's awesome! IMO that is. =D
26. link64
01 Apr 2008, 20:45 GMT
so is it 500 or 400 points
27. Adamant
01 Apr 2008, 22:18 GMT
500.
28. Marvel_Maniac
02 Apr 2008, 02:46 GMT
What's this I hear about Wonder Boy sequels? Are they better? Do they change format? Should I wait for them?
29. Pocketim
02 Apr 2008, 03:33 GMT
I live in NZ where there is no C64 OR MS, So should I wait for Wonder Boy or should I get Adventure Island?
30. PRP
02 Apr 2008, 15:26 GMT
@Marvel_Maniac : the sequels are a bit different from the first WB, introducing small rpg elements: you have a sword to stab enemies, you can enter shops to buy or upgrade your current equipment, becoming more powerful as you progress in the game.
They're just different in terms of gameplay. I prefer them over the original, but if you're looking for a pure platformer try the first one.
I hope Wonderboy 2 will be released soon on the VC, I loved the arcade version and the SMS conversion was very faithful (although the PC-engine version was even better, but with different characters and japanese texts).
31. Adamant
07 Apr 2008, 04:04 GMT
For those wanting to access the hidden 10th world, you'll need to find the doll in each stage. While it's often found out in the open, sometimes you'll need to trip over a fake rock in order to locate it - in orderto find this rock, try tossing your axe at every rock in the stages with no visible doll - if the axe goes through the rock instead of bouncing off, it's the fake rock, and can be tripped over for the doll.
Oh, and no, the location of the doll is not always the same as the location of the pot in Adventure Island.
Also, I'm not sure what's up with the description, but you DO want to pick up the mushrooms you find every now and then - if you get one, all the fruit you collect from that point on until you either die or beat the level will be worth 500 points each.
32. AndreasWii
14 Apr 2008, 15:36 GMT
i have donwload it this game today and it look too me slower rather than when i used to play it in the past years, does anybody knows the reason?
33. Clayfrd
19 Apr 2008, 01:21 GMT
I downloaded this on your recommendation, and I instantly found it very enjoyable. I used SEVERAL continues, though, I think the control is a bit awkward, but that is pretty much my biggest complaint. Other than that, I think the levels require a great deal of play through, memorize, play through again, rinse, and repeat. However, despite these complaints, I find the core gameplay to be very fun. It bears many resemblances to Mario: Similar boss every time, dungeon levels, athletic levels, and the like split up into segments of four. Hatchets = Fireballs. Anyway, that is part of what makes the platforming so fun. After playing through the first 3 "areas" I can already recommend it easy, though it is somewhat hard. It grants unlimited continues, if I'm not mistaken.
34. Jona
08 Jun 2008, 18:16 GMT
this game is pretty good 4 a sega master system game.
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