Retro Yearly List #12 [1986: Wonder Boy]
Man, that was... awful.
The first entry of Wonder Boy is pretty bad, seriously, I struggled to beat this even with save states, the game looks nice at first and the first levels are really fun, the graphics are great, the movement is a bit frustrating, but there are fun sections when you use your running and jumping properly, WHEN the game design allows you to.
After a few levels it gets old pretty fast, the next ones are just recreations using the same assets placed differently and creating new challenges, but using the same stuff, the same mechanics, it's like they have worked hard on the first levels and then used a randomizer to generate the sufficient amount to have freaking 32 levels... yeah that's right, game has 8 worlds each one containing 4 "sub-levels" with repetition until the end, that's the definition of unnecessary. Also the bosses are all the same only with increased difficulty, so that's reciclated as well.
The axe mechanic is a mistake, you will start with it but if you die, you have to beat some sections just avoiding enemies positioned chaotically, without having a chance to knock them out, until you find another axe, the skate power up is just ok, is another hit to take and you will most likely press back to walk slowly with it anyway, there is no room to rush here, although they may have intended to create that feeling, it simply doesn't work since there are enemies everywhere doing hell-pattern movements.
Game design is also atrocious to the point that you have cloud platforms placed in crucial sections, that when you hit them, they fall off and you die, forcing you to do everything again, I did not expect to play I Wanna be the Guy or Cat Mario, but that's it.
The ONLY music that plays on the entire game is nice until you hear it again for the 5th time, it just gets to the point where you don't even bother anymore and just want to finish it.
Let's see how they will improve it for the next entries.
Man, that was... awful.
The first entry of Wonder Boy is pretty bad, seriously, I struggled to beat this even with save states, the game looks nice at first and the first levels are really fun, the graphics are great, the movement is a bit frustrating, but there are fun sections when you use your running and jumping properly, WHEN the game design allows you to.
After a few levels it gets old pretty fast, the next ones are just recreations using the same assets placed differently and creating new challenges, but using the same stuff, the same mechanics, it's like they have worked hard on the first levels and then used a randomizer to generate the sufficient amount to have freaking 32 levels... yeah that's right, game has 8 worlds each one containing 4 "sub-levels" with repetition until the end, that's the definition of unnecessary. Also the bosses are all the same only with increased difficulty, so that's reciclated as well.
The axe mechanic is a mistake, you will start with it but if you die, you have to beat some sections just avoiding enemies positioned chaotically, without having a chance to knock them out, until you find another axe, the skate power up is just ok, is another hit to take and you will most likely press back to walk slowly with it anyway, there is no room to rush here, although they may have intended to create that feeling, it simply doesn't work since there are enemies everywhere doing hell-pattern movements.
Game design is also atrocious to the point that you have cloud platforms placed in crucial sections, that when you hit them, they fall off and you die, forcing you to do everything again, I did not expect to play I Wanna be the Guy or Cat Mario, but that's it.
The ONLY music that plays on the entire game is nice until you hear it again for the 5th time, it just gets to the point where you don't even bother anymore and just want to finish it.
Let's see how they will improve it for the next entries.