Wonder Boy in Monster Land 

Score:
by tommy1983

Wonder Boy in Monster Land is probably my all-time favourite video game, and it has been with me practically my whole life. I played it a lot as a kid, and I still play it from time to time, even though I now know all secrets, and would probably be able to finish it blindfolded. But it has taken me some hundred hours with it to get there.

The reason why I wanted it so much as a kid, was because my friend had it for his Commodore 64, and I knew there was a Master System-version of it as well. So one time when I was in the toy store where they sold Master System-games, I convinced my parents to buy it to me, even though it was the most expensive game they had. I remember not being so good at it at first, but I eventually got better and better. Discovering all it's secrets was fun - hidden coins, hidden doors ... And being able to buy better equipment - boots, shields and armours. Developing strategies for how to spend my gold - which equipment should be bought in which shop? Personally my strategy was, besides buying better equipment, to buy as many fire balls as I could, to use them on the dragon (final boss). Having to discover all these things by myself made me even more connected to the game, and one secret I didn't actually discover until I started playing the game on emulators - was where the boss with the legendary sword is.

And the final stage is, of course, a story of its own. I spent so much time on that level the music used to give me nightmares, and I was sure I was never going to find my way through that dreadful labyrinth castle. It's funny how I have memorized the way, so that I know it by heart now, even though I don't play the game as often. But back then it was a nightmare. Especially the jumping-up-on-the-moving-blocks part. One mistake and it was back to the beginning! And then the dragon. Woooh.. The dragon! He was hard. It wasn't until I developed my collect-fireballs strategy that I was able to beat him. And of course learning the way in the castle by heart, so I could select the ruby instead of the bell.

I guess it's hard to explain why you fall in love, and it's hard to explain why I fell in love with this game. It's one of those truly classic games from the late 80s, and I am willing to say the Master System version is as good as the arcade version. The music is fantastic, the graphics looks perfect for an 8-bit fan like me, and the game has mysteries, secrets, dragons and witches. It's a magic world this game throws us into, and the story is a classic one - an evil dragon has taken over the country and it's up to a young boy to get to him and kill him. A bit simple maybe, but it doesn't get much more classic than that. And "classic" is also the word I would use to describe this game.

EUROPE
English
Wonder Boy is back! But this time he's playing for keeps. No more cute dolls, fruit or milk. Now it's swords, armor, shields, labyrinths and fire-breathing dragons. Help Wonder Boy through 12 perilous, monster-filled levels of challenging adventure!

German
Der Wunderknabe ist zurück! Dieses Mal meint er es aber im Ernst. Keine niedlichen Puppen, Früchte oder Milch mehr. Jetzt geht es um Schwerter, Rüstungen, Schilder, Labyrinthe und feuerspeiende Drachen. Helfen Sie dem Wunderknaben durch 12 gefährliche, mit Ungeheuern gefüllte Etappen eines herausfordernden Abenteuers!

French
Wonder Boy est de retour! Mais cette fois il joue sa vie. Finies les jolies poupées, les fruits ou le lait. Maintenant, ce sont des épées, des armures, des boucliers, des labyrinthes et des dragons crachant le feu. Aidez Wonder Boy à franchir les 12 niveaux périlleux et remplis de monstres de son aventure exaltante.

Spanish
na

Italian
na