(This review assumes you're familiar with the source material and will mostly be comparing and highlighting gameplay differences)
I'm sure I'll catch a little heat for saying this, but I actually found myself enjoying this remake of the 1994 "hidden gem".
Graphically, I will always prefer the original game. The sprite art in monster world IV is fantastic and this remake definitely had big shoes to fill. There's nothing inherently wrong with the artistic direction they took here, which is a cel-shaded 2.5D aesthetic. That said, it looks and feels very budget-y. Character animations are kind of stiff and Asha's model looks a little off considering the perspective. It reminds me a bit of those "Hudson Selects" remakes of Bonk and Adventure Island that were Japanese exclusives in the early 2000's. The option to switch graphic styles like in the Dragon's Trap remake would have been nice.
I think the gameplay has been improved significantly after playing both the Genesis original and this remake back to back, which of course is more important than presentation. Movement feels far snappier, and even if I've never been a fan of double-tapping to run in any game like this, it seemed to work a bit better in this version. There's also a new "magical hit" mechanic that allows you to launch an extra strong attack after the meter builds up, with sword upgrades decreasing the amount of hits required to charge it. It's nothing major, but it does help add to the incredibly simple combat the Wonder Boy games always stuck to.
The original game did not allow you to backtrack for missing life drops, which was a common complaint even from the people praising it as the best of the series. Not only is this remedied here, but you're also given a tally after clearing each dungeon's boss. You can still be locked out of some due to an event that happens in the game's plot (no spoilers here- but I will say it happens shortly after Ice Pyramid 3 for those who want to save ahead of time) but it's still a nice improvement.
I'll admit that I still didn't care for the Ice Pyramid whatsoever, and it's still by far my least favorite dungeon in the series. There are some improvements that make it a little more bearable, thankfully. First, enemies don't respawn when you defeat them. This is a massive relief considering how confusing the pyramids are, and definitely helped in reducing the tedium for me. Second, instead of button prompts in the first pyramid, you're just working with the d-pad to input the commands to open the color coded doors. Kind of minor, but assured dummies like me wouldn't accidentally hit the wrong button. (An issue I've always had with more modern games with QTEs)
The biggest contemporary tweaks (which some will no doubt scoff at) are the ability to save anywhere and stack elixirs. In Monster World IV, if you discovered a chest with an elixir while already carrying one, you'd have to use up the one you already had and then backtrack to wherever that chest was to make use of it. Depending on where the chest was at (many of them are deep within the dungeons), you might not even be able to return to it. No such issue in this remake.
That being said, being able to stockpile elixirs on top of enemies dealing less damage (even on normal mode, which is described as being akin to the "classic" experience) means the game is much easier. So much so, in fact, that it's completely feasible to facetank all of the bosses without ever fearing a game over. Even without the best equipment, you can do this so long as you're thorough in exploring the dungeons and hang onto enough elixirs. Personally, I think axing the ability to save anywhere but perhaps keeping the original damage outputs and fixed save points of the original game would have made for a better balance on normal.
It still doesn't beat out Dragon's Trap for me, but I still had a lot of fun with this remake and would definitely recommend it if you can look past the somewhat unpolished presentation. (And you aren't the kind of person who gets upset over older games being made a little easier)
I'm sure I'll catch a little heat for saying this, but I actually found myself enjoying this remake of the 1994 "hidden gem".
Graphically, I will always prefer the original game. The sprite art in monster world IV is fantastic and this remake definitely had big shoes to fill. There's nothing inherently wrong with the artistic direction they took here, which is a cel-shaded 2.5D aesthetic. That said, it looks and feels very budget-y. Character animations are kind of stiff and Asha's model looks a little off considering the perspective. It reminds me a bit of those "Hudson Selects" remakes of Bonk and Adventure Island that were Japanese exclusives in the early 2000's. The option to switch graphic styles like in the Dragon's Trap remake would have been nice.
I think the gameplay has been improved significantly after playing both the Genesis original and this remake back to back, which of course is more important than presentation. Movement feels far snappier, and even if I've never been a fan of double-tapping to run in any game like this, it seemed to work a bit better in this version. There's also a new "magical hit" mechanic that allows you to launch an extra strong attack after the meter builds up, with sword upgrades decreasing the amount of hits required to charge it. It's nothing major, but it does help add to the incredibly simple combat the Wonder Boy games always stuck to.
The original game did not allow you to backtrack for missing life drops, which was a common complaint even from the people praising it as the best of the series. Not only is this remedied here, but you're also given a tally after clearing each dungeon's boss. You can still be locked out of some due to an event that happens in the game's plot (no spoilers here- but I will say it happens shortly after Ice Pyramid 3 for those who want to save ahead of time) but it's still a nice improvement.
I'll admit that I still didn't care for the Ice Pyramid whatsoever, and it's still by far my least favorite dungeon in the series. There are some improvements that make it a little more bearable, thankfully. First, enemies don't respawn when you defeat them. This is a massive relief considering how confusing the pyramids are, and definitely helped in reducing the tedium for me. Second, instead of button prompts in the first pyramid, you're just working with the d-pad to input the commands to open the color coded doors. Kind of minor, but assured dummies like me wouldn't accidentally hit the wrong button. (An issue I've always had with more modern games with QTEs)
The biggest contemporary tweaks (which some will no doubt scoff at) are the ability to save anywhere and stack elixirs. In Monster World IV, if you discovered a chest with an elixir while already carrying one, you'd have to use up the one you already had and then backtrack to wherever that chest was to make use of it. Depending on where the chest was at (many of them are deep within the dungeons), you might not even be able to return to it. No such issue in this remake.
That being said, being able to stockpile elixirs on top of enemies dealing less damage (even on normal mode, which is described as being akin to the "classic" experience) means the game is much easier. So much so, in fact, that it's completely feasible to facetank all of the bosses without ever fearing a game over. Even without the best equipment, you can do this so long as you're thorough in exploring the dungeons and hang onto enough elixirs. Personally, I think axing the ability to save anywhere but perhaps keeping the original damage outputs and fixed save points of the original game would have made for a better balance on normal.
It still doesn't beat out Dragon's Trap for me, but I still had a lot of fun with this remake and would definitely recommend it if you can look past the somewhat unpolished presentation. (And you aren't the kind of person who gets upset over older games being made a little easier)