Wonder Boy Collection Review
Release Date: June 3rd, 2022
Developer: United Games Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch (Reviewed)
Price: $29.99
Wonder Boy, and its interchangeable title Monster World, has had a long history of providing a platforming and action-rpg experience that stood out back in its heyday of the early 90s thanks to a familiar yet fresh structure that brought with it a cute and recognizable art direction while adventuring to save those in peril from each respective entry in the franchise. It's a series that garnered quite a following and, despite not releasing any new entries or localizing in over two decades, stood the test of time rather than fading into obscurity. Though it may not have the global or immediate recognition of the likes of Mega Man, Castlevania, or Kirby, Wonder Boy did well to adapt to a digital age by becoming readily available on mobile devices early on as well as providing further availability through digital storefronts on multiple platforms to stay relevant and noticeable despite a lack of a new entry until 2018, which saw the series reemerge through multiple remakes and remasters since then. Now in 2022, we're getting not only one but TWO new remasters and ports this year in a collective format that compiles some of the classics in a way that celebrates the history of the series. The first of the two is the Wonder Boy Collection which sees four Wonder Boy games coming together, while the second serves as an anniversary compilation in the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection from a multitude of systems and housing a total of 21 ports. Regardless of your history or knowledge of Wonder Boy/Monster World, however, the series once held extreme importance and still holds value today, and these compilations are a perfect portal to go back in time and relive a portion of history that helped catapult the genre forward.
Wonder Boy Collection takes four fan favorites out of its initial six entries, comprising of Wonder Boy (1986), Wonder Boy in Monster Land (1987), Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991), and Monster World IV (1994). These are ported from their arcade versions for the first two respective entries, followed by Mega Drive/SEGA Genesis versions for the following two in the collection. Each hold enhancements to make the collection truly enjoyable for the modern day, bringing alongside it the ability to save at any point through save states, rewind capabilities similar to those seen in Nintendo Switch Online's legacy offerings, pixel perfect filters and shades, and an art gallery included celebrating the illustrations and concepts of each game included in the collection. With tweaks and enhancements made in the areas that count most, veterans and newcomers alike can jump into an accessible experience that won't feel entirely dated or suffering from the restrictions of the hardware during a game's initial release.
Those that have bought the original ports of the games through the eShop should more or less already know what to expect jumping into the Wonder Boy Collection as the games remain unchanged other than the aforementioned enhancements that are mainly to increase quality of life enjoyment with each respective title, so the collection may not seem as enticing for those that have already bought the multitude of ports and remakes that have been brought to the eShop over the last few years except for the most diehard fans or newcomers that would prefer to have most games available under one umbrella and application, but it's still a worthy entry and purchase for those that want to celebrate the games in a special way that feels more refreshing than grabbing each one individually.
The presentation of the games are really what stand out in this collection, however, providing the ability to play in a crisp way on both TV and handheld mode that look especially nice no matter what model of Nintendo Switch you’re playing on. Illustrations take the place of where natural letterboxing would occur due to the difference in aspect ratios from these older titles, and these illustrations are vibrant as they rest on each side of the screen with gameplay taking center stage. The biggest misfortune, though, is that each game in the collection doesn't have their own unique graphic - or even the ability to rotate between graphics - and instead all use the same wallpaper plastered across every game in the collection. It gives a sense of laziness when we've seen many collections come before from the likes of Mega Man, Street Fighter, Mana, Disney, and more provide a special showcase for each game to give that sense of a proper celebration with a bit of finesse. Even so, the options made available for every game make it so each can be experienced exactly how you'd like, with the type of emulation customization you would expect and be comfortable with when handling older retro titles like this. As mentioned before, this customization that includes a vareity of formatting options and remapping of buttons with even specific tweaks to how the image is processed makes it so you can play and experience each Wonder Boy/Monster World title exactly how you'd like.
The most important feature to me, however, are the save states and button remapping made available within each game. Because of the era they were in, controls can feel almost either too tight or too janky, and each game has their own set of flaws despite being such grand adventures that frustration is bound to occur due to being a product of its time, but being able to rewind on command to try again, or reload to an older save instantaneously helps tremendously to avoid a possible rage quit that would have otherwise happened with the more arcade-focused philosophies the first two games were designed with. Some of the platforming can require what feels like pixel-perfect precision to nail, and some of the jumps themselves can feel unresponsive. Thankfully if you're starting from the first and working your way up the collection chronologically, you can appreciate the evolution the series undergoes as well as the refinement as they become more action-RPG oriented rather than what can sometimes feel like a run-and-gun platformer of the first two. Platforming is still key with the later titles, but the adventure takes precedence - much like how Shantae would work.
Even with all the collection has to offer, however, some of the perks and bonuses still feel like they could use a bit of polish. The art gallery, for example, is a little underwhelming. With such a rich history here, one would expect vastly more content within these, and yet there is only a handful of illustrations available, and even worse is the fact that they can't be seen in fullscreen to appreciate them further, so if you're playing on, say, a Switch Lite, expect to use a magnifying glass. As someone who loves and appreciates art, art books, galleries, and collections of illustrations are very appealing to me, so I tend to buy many physically and love to look at them when they're bundled digitally as well, so it's a fair disappointment that the Wonder Boy Collection doesn't do more to celebrate all the great art is has because the games are so vibrant and visually appealing. For some, it may feel empty on the surface, but ultimately when you jump back into these games you'll find yourself having a ton of fun with every single one, even if the frustrations tend to build due to the era they come from, but they translate well to the Switch and look great on every model, making for a solid collection that's worth having for fans of the series and those wanting to educate themselves with a piece of history. Each game also takes just a few hours at most to beat, which is great because they never really feel like they're overstaying their welcome, and they're built perfectly for quick sessions if you can't spend hours in one sitting.
Overall, Wonder Boy Collection houses four classics of the localized Monster World series that bring us through a nostalgic trip through some of the most seminal platformers of their time. While we've seen remakes of quite a few Wonder Boy/Monster World entries over the course of the Nintendo Switch's lifespan, the Wonder Boy Collection is perfect for those who just want a more modern and remastered way to play the originals without too much alteration to the formula, and it's a treat from beginning to end for each of these titles, though the notorious inconsistent hitboxes and slight jank that vary from game to game are still present. Even with the inevitable quirks that come from that decade, Wonder Boy Collection has four great games within it that make you appreciate the evolution of a series and what it did for the hardware it was on at the time. Their vibrancy and charm would exude from their visuals, and that sense of adventure you get within each adds to the huge amount of fun to be had when revisiting these classics. I only wish that it was more celebratory and thoughtful as sometimes, despite a good presentation, it can feel like it was quickly put together as an appetizer before the main course of the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection releases later this year.
PROS:
A collection housing some of the best games in the series with modernized mechanics and functionalities to make them accessible to everyone
It's a simple yet effective presentation that celebrates the history of Wonder Boy
The platforming and adventure elements of Wonder Boy are fun and refreshing, even if a little repetitive at times
CONS:
Only four of the games are available, making it a somewhat incomplete collection, and for some odd reason *another* collection is coming out later this year that will actually house every game from every platform.
Just about every game has quirks within them that haven't stood the test of time, so while being important games, they certainly have design choices within each that are questionable even for its time.
There are some platforms and jumps where almost pixel perfect precision needs to come into play, so it can cause for immense frustration even with the aid of a rewind feature
Be sure to also check out our Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World review!
A massive thank you to ININ for sending us a copy of Wonder Boy Collection for the purposes of this review!