When it released on the Sega Master System in 1989,
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap was a forward-thinking game.
The nonlinear adventure is crammed with secrets and light RPG elements.
Yet what’s really endeared so many to Wonder Boy III is its style.
Featuring pig shopkeepers with eyepatches and an invitingly bright world,
Wonder Boy III certainly isn’t lacking charm.
Now in 2017, developer Lizardcube
has tapped into the endearing nature of the original game
and made it even more appealing in this remake
with fantastic hand-drawn art and an updated soundtrack.
The basic setup for Wonder Boy is appropriately straightforward.
You play as a male, or for the first time female, warrior,
turned into a lizard by dragon’s horrible curse.
The only way to remove the curse
is by finding an item known as the Salamander Cross.
Along the way, the player ends up getting turned
into several different creatures: a mouse, fish, lion, and hawk.
These different forms allow you to access parts of the world
that were previously closed off.
For example, as the mouse, you can cling to special blocks,
essentially crawling up walls and ceilings like a spider.
It’s a very Metroid-like progression,
where the world slowly gets bigger as you gain new abilities.
The dramatic shift in playstyles is a simple but effective way
of keeping the platforming and monster slaying entertaining.
It’s especially interesting because the various forms
all have different strengths and weaknesses.
The small and meager mouse form
is much, much less capable in combat than the burly lion for instance.
As a mouse, you have a tiny sword
and therefore a very limited range of attack.
The wide sweeping vertical slice of the lion’s sword
makes it much easier to take on enemies,
especially ones that like to attack from above or below.
Killing things slowly nets players gold
that can be used to purchase new weapons and armor
that greatly augment how much damage you can both do and take.
Sub-weapons help cover any shortcomings during fights.
The upward shooting arrows clear the skies,
and tornadoes can easily deal with out-of-reach foes below
as they cling to the ground.
Yet easily the best of the sub-weapons is the boomerang.
It boasts quite the range and unlike the other sub-weapons,
it can be used indefinitely if you catch it on the way back.
The easily acquired projectile singlehandedly
makes otherwise difficult sections of the game much more manageable,
perhaps even a little too much.
Since it can go through walls and hit multiple foes at once,
there’s little finesse required.
Wonder Boy can at times be obtuse
when it comes to discerning a path forward or finding several of its secrets.
Since the game lacks any sort of map,
it can be difficult figuring out which areas you need to return to and when,
leading to moments where you’re beating your head against the wall just to move on.
There are hints available in town, but they do little to ease the frustration.
That’s not to say the remake hasn’t modernized Wonder Boy in some crucial ways.
Instead of relying on passwords, it auto-saves at regular intervals.
There are also three difficulty levels,
with the easiest providing more life potions
and lowering the number of hits needed to kill monsters.
It’s a welcome change, especially for those who may not be accustomed
to the difficulty of games from the Master System era.
One of the best additions, however,
is the ability to switch sub-weapons on the fly without needing to pause
and interrupt the action like the original game required.
The new visuals and soundtrack
show the love Lizardcube has for the original game.
Backgrounds are painstakingly detailed, featuring tons of new embellishments
without taking away or misinterpreting the original look.
What was once only a barren field in the original game
now has a massive statue in the background,
making the area feel much more meaningful, imposing, and alive.
Even the most basic of enemies
is exceptionally expressive thanks to the wonderful animation.
Hitting a giant ogre and watching its face pucker up in surprise is always adorable.
Even more impressive is the ability to switch between the modern visuals
and the original look at the push of a button.
Switching between the new and classic soundtrack can be done in a similar manner.
The transition for both is instantaneous
and it makes Lizardcube’s admirable efforts even more noticeable.
For the three to four hours that it lasts, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
is a largely pleasant return to a series that deserves a bit more attention.
With that said, although the gorgeous art and the other updates are welcome,
the game has too many points of frustration to rise to a truly great level.
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