This was a much under rated effort from Sega. A must have for fans of Wonderboy III on SMS!
Yes, he's been through alot this lad. His biological genes have been altered with in a big way. His girly has been nicked (what happened to her?) and he's now a well known hero. But now the question is, can he take on this new challenge? The monsters have suddenly come back as if for some reason they had never actually left. Plus the prince and princes has gone walkies. The world now has a case of monstervitis and are starting to doubt Wonderboy's healing powers! Wonderboy must search through all types of terrain in his quest for total peace. Terrains such as jungles, deserts, iceiands, deep seas volcanoes and more. Each terrain is long and difficult, making this the biggest Wcnderboy cart of the lot!
In this epic 6 Meg cart we see what could basically be described as the biggest cart Sega have ever put out! (yes, bigger then Sonic!) The gameplay is exactly the same as in Wonderboy III for the SMS but with the WBIML feel to it. The are some old monsters and some quite interesting new ones. The weapons are bought from the towns shops as in ail the other Wonderboy carts. Shops are seen through as you enter instead of a full screen which looks neat. Wonderboy has a new blue hair look which looks very spiffy! The creatures and characters all have a unique comical look and move very smoothly. There is no real change to the gameplay from Wonderboy III on the Master System except that there is more and it all looks and feels smooth!
There are no sprite flickers to talk of and the music is a great remix of the old Wonderboy games. The sound effects have that great arcade atmosphere to them and control method is an improvement on the previous titles. There are great little companions that help you along the way and lots of people (and creatures) to coast you in the right direction. I don't want to give away too much as I feel this game is going to be a huge seller judging by the sales of Wonderboy III for the Master System. But this game has lotsa twists and turns in the plot, especially the end. (oops better not say any more otherwise I'll blow the plot) After Mario IV's mass hype in other game mags I can safely say that Wonderboy in Monster World kicks the Italian plumber's butt into oblivion with it's better look, feel, gameplay, originality and entertainment! Wonderboy in Monster World is Sega's finest to date!
Brian Costelloe
As Printed In Megazone June July 1992
* I must admit since writing that I have appreciated Mario a lot more since back then. I hated Mario with a passion at the time but have learnt to love the Italian plumber since!