Cleared on July 13th, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 28/160)
Admittedly when I logged this game I did not expect it to be an auto-scroller shooter because I'm aware of the series being a 2D action adventure where you go exploring, but I didn't think I was going to be playing yet another one of those games except this time I'm on the ground until I get to the "monster's lair" where I ride some strange pink dino bird. Thrown off expectations aside, how is the game?
It's good. During the first half it seems like a pretty easy game for this genre's standards. There is some platforming involved which is different from all those auto-scroller arcade shooters, but nothing impossible. Along the way you get an array of weapons each of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. You have the standard shot which is infinite in ammo, but you can pick up a drill that pierces enemies, a twin-shot that can hit enemies from front and back, a spread shot that gets wider as it travels along, a short ranged star that circles around you (probably the weakest weapon in the game tbh), a missile that travels until you release the fire button, and an AoE fireball that circles around you and spreads in radius as it travels. Those weapons are limited in resources which often means that you won't be using them much in boss fights, but that doesn't matter since most of them are on the easy side.
But that doesn't mean the game itself is easy because two levels in particular can be a real pain. The Desert level is quite a difficulty spike compared to the ice level that came beforehand because you are dealing with these wave of birds that aim for where you stand and you have other ground enemies you need to worry about too. The boss itself is quite a challenge too. But then it goes back to being manageable during the town and 2nd beach level sequences, but then it cranks up the bull in the UFO level because there are these wave of enemies that if you miss the middle one when there's no platform to jump off of or on, you lose a life and you have very little time to react. Oh, and you decay your health overtime unless you get fruit although that decay pauses during the pink dino bird segments. When you get hit with projectiles, you lose that health and become stunned, but when you touch enemies, you get OHKO'd.
Some unfairness aside. I thought it was a fine game. The music was actually not too bad for a Sega Genesis game and it does look nice visually although the Arcade version did look better. That said, from what I can tell, it's different from other games in the series, but I am curious to know what the series is like, so I decided to buy the remakes for Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap and Wonder Boy IV (Asha in Monster World). I also plan to tackle Wonder Boy in Monster World for my next Sega Genesis review as soon as I clear the game.
Admittedly when I logged this game I did not expect it to be an auto-scroller shooter because I'm aware of the series being a 2D action adventure where you go exploring, but I didn't think I was going to be playing yet another one of those games except this time I'm on the ground until I get to the "monster's lair" where I ride some strange pink dino bird. Thrown off expectations aside, how is the game?
It's good. During the first half it seems like a pretty easy game for this genre's standards. There is some platforming involved which is different from all those auto-scroller arcade shooters, but nothing impossible. Along the way you get an array of weapons each of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. You have the standard shot which is infinite in ammo, but you can pick up a drill that pierces enemies, a twin-shot that can hit enemies from front and back, a spread shot that gets wider as it travels along, a short ranged star that circles around you (probably the weakest weapon in the game tbh), a missile that travels until you release the fire button, and an AoE fireball that circles around you and spreads in radius as it travels. Those weapons are limited in resources which often means that you won't be using them much in boss fights, but that doesn't matter since most of them are on the easy side.
But that doesn't mean the game itself is easy because two levels in particular can be a real pain. The Desert level is quite a difficulty spike compared to the ice level that came beforehand because you are dealing with these wave of birds that aim for where you stand and you have other ground enemies you need to worry about too. The boss itself is quite a challenge too. But then it goes back to being manageable during the town and 2nd beach level sequences, but then it cranks up the bull in the UFO level because there are these wave of enemies that if you miss the middle one when there's no platform to jump off of or on, you lose a life and you have very little time to react. Oh, and you decay your health overtime unless you get fruit although that decay pauses during the pink dino bird segments. When you get hit with projectiles, you lose that health and become stunned, but when you touch enemies, you get OHKO'd.
Some unfairness aside. I thought it was a fine game. The music was actually not too bad for a Sega Genesis game and it does look nice visually although the Arcade version did look better. That said, from what I can tell, it's different from other games in the series, but I am curious to know what the series is like, so I decided to buy the remakes for Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap and Wonder Boy IV (Asha in Monster World). I also plan to tackle Wonder Boy in Monster World for my next Sega Genesis review as soon as I clear the game.