Support NeoGAF

[Freeman76]

Reviewing decently, I see. Will be a nice purchase on Thursday.

Just read the IGN review and saw this quote:

"With limited health, I had to attack cautiously, striking at just the right moment after learning and avoiding enemy attacks, which made combat feel more like Dark Souls than Donkey Kong."

Enough with the Dark Souls comparisons already. Striking at the right moment and avoiding enemy attacks is not exclusive to Souls games!

This should be obvious even to IGN, especially with this being a remake!

Man I think its a fair comparison, but not for that combat reason. Souls took a lot of influences from games like this. You can farm gold to buy better equipment if you are struggling for example. You need to realise that Souls took a LOT of inspiration from games like this, all the way up to RE1 era with the way hidden and obscure elements present themselves etc.

 

[Memory]

Reviews look solid, can't wait to play after work.

 

[Possumowner]

The reviews are looking pretty good,better than I expected.Shall definitely buy this now

 

[CoolS]

Bought it in a whim because i love the art style. Is it 1080p docked on Switch?

 

[AgentOtaku]

Bought it in a whim because i love the art style. Is it 1080p docked on Switch?

yup

 

[liquidtmd]

A lot of reviews are reading to me like

"Amazing. Beautiful. Had a blast. Great remake, how they should be done really" - 7 or 8 out of 10

I hear the minor quibbles but it's amusing in a way the disconnect that whilst not having much bad to say about it, it's not reaching 9 or 10s. And equally that's not to say I disagree with why they are scoring it this way.

 

[CrazyHal]

Reviewing decently, I see. Will be a nice purchase on Thursday.

Just read the IGN review and saw this quote:

"With limited health, I had to attack cautiously, striking at just the right moment after learning and avoiding enemy attacks, which made combat feel more like Dark Souls than Donkey Kong."

Enough with the Dark Souls comparisons already. Striking at the right moment and avoiding enemy attacks is not exclusive to Souls games!

This should be obvious even to IGN, especially with this being a remake!

WONDER BOY IS THE DARK SOULS OF 2D SIDE SCROLLERS.

https://youtu.be/f3d1nvKeTnU

 

[dark10x]

A lot of reviews are reading to me like

"Amazing. Beautiful. Had a blast. Great remake, how they should be done really" - 7 or 8 out of 10

I hear the minor quibbles but it's amusing in a way the disconnect that whilst not having much bad to say about it, it's not reaching 9 or 10s. And equally that's not to say I disagree with why they are scoring it this way.

While I would certainly rate it higher I can see how reviewers would come to that conclusion. I mean, if they are not fans of the original and aren't a huge fan of how the game plays, no amount of effort will change that. The reviewers recognize that the dev team did just about the best possible job in remaking the game but it's still basically a remake, right?

...I disagree completely, of course, but I'm sure that's where they're coming from.

 

[ggx2ac]

Added a couple of more reviews to the OP. Updated scores so far.

 

[Poimandres]

A lot of reviews are reading to me like

"Amazing. Beautiful. Had a blast. Great remake, how they should be done really" - 7 or 8 out of 10

I hear the minor quibbles but it's amusing in a way the disconnect that whilst not having much bad to say about it, it's not reaching 9 or 10s. And equally that's not to say I disagree with why they are scoring it this way.

Well I mean it's a pretty old game, and it's a very faithful remake. It's not super long and not everyone is a fan of the way it controls. It's also not as safely timeless as other games of the era that had far more exposure (ie; the big Nintendo games).

Reviews are almost exactly where I thought they would land.

 

[SMD]

An 8/10 for this is basically the ceiling bearing in mind this is a totally faithful remake.

It's actually incredible a game from the late 80s is getting a re-release and its mechanics are holding its own. It was fantastic at the time but between the NES being dominant in North America and Master System nostalgia not being as strong, I always felt Wonder Boy 3 was a bit niche.
This revival is wonderful and I hope people enjoy it now as much as I did first time round.

 

[ChackanKun]

The game looks to be Metroidvania. Is it?

 

[SMD]

Of sorts.

 

[Jonneh3003]

Sounds great! I'll hope to add this to my Switch library when I have the money

 

[Fess]

I don't have any nostalgia for the existing game. Any reviews tackle it from that angle?

No review but I've never played the original and I still love this game, it's absolutely wonderful!
Playing it on Switch btw. The first area was a bit frustrating though, I'm the kind of gamer who want to check out every corner for secrets but I was seriously punished for doing so at the start of this game, had to replay the same area like 10 times, didn't take long but it wasn't fun. Haven't seen any similar areas after that though.

 

[Nanashrew]

Making your way through each sector is a satisfying exercise in patient advancement. With limited health, I had to attack cautiously, striking at just the right moment after learning and avoiding enemy attacks, which made combat feel more like Dark Souls than Donkey Kong.

I want to diiiiieeeee


--

Pretty good scores tho

 

[Aostia]

Mine, if someone is interested in an Italian review:

Switchitalia: 8/10

Pro: amazing restyle, great art direction, great animations, good OST, challenging without being frustrating, gorgeous Gallery, instant-switch for graphic and sounds
Cons: somehow "archaic" in terms of game structure (non-linear exploration, no checkpoints, weird controls/hitboxes); not too long

Summary: the resolution and the fluidity are able to make the great animations full justice; gorgeous-looking and sounding, it really is a (short) impressive experience.

 

[Felensis]

I could never manage to beat this on the Master System, if the price´s right I´ll give it a go on Switch. Crazy how it´s only taking people 6 hours to beat it when I remember spending weeks playing it and getting lost.

It's often downright accounted to your memory lane. I remember how it took me months to beat Super Mario Land on the Game Boy back in the days. Then I got it on 3DS VC and beat the game and it's new game+ without dying in 25 minutes without a hassle. Not all games from 8bit era were punishingly hard.

 

[ggx2ac]

Updated OP again with a couple of more reviews.

 

[nicoga3000]

Cannot wait to pick this up. Switch portable options are becoming more and more amazing with each release.

 

[polyh3dron]

As long as indie games like this perform just as well on the Switch as they do on the Bone and the PS4, I will get them on Switch every time, for the portability.

 

[da_stabbah]

waiting for xbox one / ps4 comparisons... then i can pull the trigger on either one.

 

[dcx4610]

7/8 is very good for a platformer not made by Nintendo. Sold me on the purchase.

 

[sugarless]

This was not on my radar at all, but looks and sounds gorgeous. In like Flynn on Switch for me.

 

[maxcriden]

It's often downright accounted to your memory lane. I remember how it took me months to beat Super Mario Land on the Game Boy back in the days. Then I got it on 3DS VC and beat the game and it's new game+ without dying in 25 minutes without a hassle. Not all games from 8bit era were punishingly hard.

Too true, with save states I was able to beat SML in an hour (my platforming skills in that game are not amazing) but compared to how poorly I did as a kid it was definitely a significant improvement in progress, even accounting for save states. I thought WB: TDS was considered decently difficult, though?

 

[Firebrand]

The game looks to be Metroidvania. Is it?

Yes. It's more of a hub / branching areas structure than exploring a maze of screens, but there's definitely incentive to go back to earlier areas even when you're not required.

Cons: somehow "archaic" in terms of game structure (non-linear exploration

This seems like a very odd complaint to me.

7/8 is very good for a platformer not made by Nintendo. Sold me on the purchase.

This game beats the crap out of anything on the NES, save for maybe SMB3. If you disagree, meet at the playground at recess.

 

[Grampasso]

I didn't follow it very much since the reveal (I'm more interested in Monster Boy tbh), but it's kind of a bummer it's a 1:1 port of the original... maybe it was declared since the beginning but I played the original and it was quite short, really short for this kind of game :/

 

[WITHE1982]

Great scores so far.

That's what happens when you remake something you genuinely love. It's such a great story how the whole thing came about and hopefully Lizardcube can now reap the rewards.

I'd be delighted if this kind of remake becomes the norm. Give me an updated Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone or Lucky Dime Caper and I'll be happy as a pig in sh*t.

 

[Tain]

Sounds nice. Looking forward to the PC release.

 

[SMD]

I didn't follow it very much since the reveal (I'm more interested in Monster Boy tbh), but it's kind of a bummer it's a 1:1 port of the original... maybe it was declared since the beginning but I played the original and it was quite short, really short for this kind of game :/

It was always a 1:1 port, even down to the password system. What they've done though is recreated a game in a way that stays faithful to the original as well as giving you the opportunity to play it as it was.

Honestly, for a re-release you can't ask for more without getting into remake territory.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I'll probably get this, though I kinda wish it was $15 instead of $20, given how short it is.

The question is which platform. Since they are all identical it would seem Switch is a no-brainer among the consoles given the flexibility of TV/portable play, but on the other hand I know I will end up double-dipping on PC eventually so why not wait until that version comes out and just buy it once. Decisions...

 

[Grampasso]

It was always a 1:1 port, even down to the password system. What they've done though is recreated a game in a way that stays faithful to the original as well as giving you the opportunity to play it as it was.

Honestly, for a re-release you can't ask for more without getting into remake territory.

Yes, I didn't get the memo it was going to be a 1:1 port to begin with, hence the baffling. I'll get it at some point anyway since I liked the original

 

[Hero]

Wait, there's an option to play with the original SEGA Master System graphics?

 

[ggx2ac]

Wait, there's an option to play with the original SEGA Master System graphics?

Yes, and the sound/music too.

 

[ToastyFrog]

Not a scored review, but a review nevertheless:

http://www.retronauts.com/?p=2255

 

[liquidtmd]

Wait, there's an option to play with the original SEGA Master System graphics?

Yep, with widescreen supported as standard

 

[Hero]

Yes, and the sound/music too.

Yep, with widescreen supported as standard

That's awesome. Does SEGA still own the IP rights to this or?

 

[Grampasso]

That's awesome. Does SEGA still own the IP rights to this or?

Not sure about that, since Monster Boy is an official (I think) sequel co-developed with the original series creator, here's a quote from the latest entry in their development blog:

Is this an official successor ?
Yes, Monster Boy is an official successor in the series. We cooperate with the original series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa (former WESTONE) and licensed all assets from LAT corporation. Monster Boy continues the tradition of the last two Genesis games which offered a wide range of locations, many NPCs to help and various puzzles to solve. You'll even meet Pepelogoo!

 

[ggx2ac]

Not sure about that, since Monster Boy is an official (I think) sequel co-developed with the original series creator, here's a quote from the latest entry in their development blog:

If you look carefully at the Wonder boy image in the OP, it shows copyright holders. Sega is one of them since they own the Wonder Boy name, they just don't own the code like usual.

 

[DD]

Man, I really want to see a Monica's Gang version of that. =o

 

[jack....]

The game looks to be Metroidvania. Is it?

Kind of a proto-Metroidvania

 

[atmuh]

this game is THE model for any remaster of a classic game

 

[Aostia]

This seems like a very odd complaint to me.

It's a sum of factors, not only that one.
Extrapolated like that, from a quick summary of a more complex review, I'd agree.
As a reviewer, I try to offer a clear picture of what a game offers, because I don't personally know each and every reader. I have to advise that the game has some archaic issues here and there, built by the sum of different factors (the non linear exploration, the no-checkpoint structure, the hitbox/control grid...)
Neverless, the game got a 8/10 score, because if you accept what it is (gameplay wise), the game is very well done (as a game, as a piece of visual art, as a Switch port).

 

[Grampasso]

It's a sum of factors, not only that one.
Extrapolated like that, from a quick summary of a more complex review, I'd agree.
As a reviewer, I try to offer a clear picture of what a game offers, because I don't personally know each and every reader. I have to advise that the game has some archaic issues here and there, built by the sum of different factors (the non linear exploration, the no-checkpoint structure, the hitbox/control grid...)
Neverless, the game got a 8/10 score, because if you accept what it is (gameplay wise), the game is very well done (as a game, as a piece of visual art, as a Switch port).

Nice and deeply felt review, I agree with your way of thinking

 

[Firebrand]

It's a sum of factors, not only that one.
Extrapolated like that, from a quick summary of a more complex review, I'd agree.
As a reviewer, I try to offer a clear picture of what a game offers, because I don't personally know each and every reader. I have to advise that the game has some archaic issues here and there, built by the sum of different factors (the non linear exploration, the no-checkpoint structure, the hitbox/control grid...)
Neverless, the game got a 8/10 score, because if you accept what it is (gameplay wise), the game is very well done (as a game, as a piece of visual art, as a Switch port).

Sure, some aspects have aged less well than others, it was specifically the "non-linear exploration" bit I didn't quite understand. I don't speak the language unfortunately so can't read it myself Still seems like a fair review.

 

[antibolo]

Jeremy Parish's Retronauts review is fairly positive, making me want it now (on Switch of course).

For OP: http://www.retronauts.com/?p=2255

 

[Maneauleau]

Gamekult 7/10

 

[ggx2ac]

Jeremy Parish's Retronauts review is fairly positive, making me want it now (on Switch of course).

For OP: http://www.retronauts.com/?p=2255

Gamekult 7/10

Okay, added to the OP.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Huh. Didn't pay attention to this at all before, but it looks really nice.

 

[Aostia]

Nice and deeply felt review, I agree with your way of thinking

Sure, some aspects have aged less well than others, it was specifically the "non-linear exploration" bit I didn't quite understand. I don't speak the language unfortunately so can't read it myself Still seems like a fair review.

thak you both!
these are the risk to quickly summarize an Italian review if few snippets in English, my bad!!!