In my opinion, it's an essential purchase for the PC-Engine CD or Turbografx CD.Fanzine, 96 pages. Wonderboy III: Monster Lair is a departure from the two previous games in the series, a departure from platformers, and a departure from shoot 'em ups. If that's not a compelling picture, this is one of the few shoot 'em ups on the PC-Engine (CD or otherwise) that has two-player simultaneous play, so it's a must-have if you like playing retro games with friends and don't dislike shoot 'em ups. You're not hurtling through the levels at an unreasonable pace, but shuffling quickly through each round trying to maximize your score and not die. This is really the perfect amount of chaos for the game like this. Two players (simultaneous play) are forced to cooperate against the same slew of enemies and bosses, but the players will probably feel compelled to compete when it comes to the fruit on the screen and the power-ups. While playing Monster Lair solo is fun enough (though this would honestly not even be close to my go-to solo shoot 'em up game), the game is excellent as a two-player game. There's nothing mind-blowing about the visuals or sound here, but they fit well and allow the gameplay to take the spotlight. The music is catchy but nothing to write home about, but the sounds are satisfyingly appropriate for the action. The game looks fantastic on the PC-Engine with bright, playful colors and endearing character and boss designs. The levels do alternate between running on foot and levels in which you ride a flying dragon and dodge enemies, the latter levels generally being more difficult (especially because they include a boss fight with a big fish, a giant serpent, etc.), but the game is a slow, pleasant ramp in difficulty. If this seems like too much to handle, Wonder Boy III lacks the breakneck speed of many shooters. The diverse set of patterns that the different projectiles create is perfect and gives you plenty to think about, but it's often hard (as it tends to be with this kind of game) to make the "right" decision in time before picking one up. Because of this, you're managing the speed of your progression through the level, the enemies that appear in front of you, and your ever-dwindling health bar. The only way to replenish your health is to pick up the fruit scattered around the level. While you progress through a given level, your health steadily drops. This game is more akin to a simple shmup your current weapon is dictated by the powerup you last picked up. Like a shoot 'em up, you need to use the projectiles and weapons you acquire to kill enemies. Like any platformer, you need to employ well-timed jumps to get through the levels. You still play as Wonder Boy (unless you're playing the second player, in which case you play as some lady named Princess Purapril), but the screen pushes you forward in a sense of urgency (though not too quickly). The series makes its transformation to the horizontal shooter or shoot 'em up genre excellently. Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (released for the arcades and PC-Engine CD) is as to the point as its blunt, in-your-face titling. Once again, Wonder Boy was a critical success with its second entry: a fully realized, sword-slinging RPG with a hefty dose of strategy and replay value.Īfter two notes in Wonder Boy's belt, where would he go next? Ah yes, to the Monster Land Lair. Instead of abiding by the "don't mess with success" principle, Monster Land was not a typical platformer like its predecessor but essentially a sidescrolling RPG, much like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link or Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (coincidentally all the second game in their respective series). Soon thereafter, the sequel Wonder Boy in Monster Land landed in Japanese arcades in 1987 and on the Master System in 1988. The game even got an HD remake on the modern gaming platform Steam. Wonder Boy was a success and subsequently ported to a slew of other consoles, including the Sega Master System, Commodore 64, and the Sega Game Gear. The game was a remarkably solid, responsive platformer with a pleasantly fast pace. You play as Wonder Boy, a caveman caveboy(?) on a mission to save your cavegirlfriend from some super evil badman, hurtling your hammer at foes as you speedwalk and skateboard through stages. The first game in the series (simply titled "Wonder Boy") was released in 1986 by Sega for the arcades. Before I get into the utterly superb gameplay of Monster Lair, an introduction to the Wonder Boy series:
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