Wonder Boy in Monster Land SMS

DISCLAIMER: Well this is my first Sega Master System game that I will have ever reviewed as well as the first game that I have actually played for the system. So with that being said if I say something comparing it to something else and it is wrong, (not when stating my opinion), then please call me out on it. I do not want to make false claims because I do not know the system as well. Well on with my review.

Today I am going to talk to you about Wonder Boy in Monster Land. This is a plat forming game for the Sega Master System (SMS) and the first SMS game I have ever played. The game is in many ways very similar to Zelda II on the NES. Except in that game you have an open world to explore and in this one you are on a straight path though there are still shops and other things that you can buy. I will go more into the game play in a bit but first I would like to talk about how this game looks. The game has a very unique look to it. It is similar to a cartoon with all the bright colors and the different enemies. The game looks a lot better than most NES games and it also looks better than some of the other games on the system. Something that I really like is that this is one of the only retro games where as you change armor you actually can see a change in the characters appearance. The best armor is pink. I think that is weird as he is wonder boy but whatever he buys it from some really shady looking individuals because you actually get to see up close the monsters faces that you buy stuff from. This is actually really cool as you get to see inside of the shops and all that jazz. Makes it cool to see the wizards or lizards or other people you buy stuff from. Outside looks good too, everything has a cheery look so nothing is really scary. I have one minor complaint that is more of a pet peeve or something than anything else; the way your character runs before you get a sword. It is hard to explain but it made me laugh and also a little annoyed at the same time. I know that he may be a boy but he runs like a little girl with his arms out to the side. I can not accurately describe what it is like you just have to play it to the front to find out how it is…

Though from what I have heard and from the rants that I have heard on it I assume that most SMS games have pretty awful sound and music. Though either they were just being over dramatic or this is an exception in that fact. I actually found myself singing some of the songs that are played in the game and really music does not get trapped in my head all that easily unless it is (in my opinion) really good. I found many of the songs in the game very up beat just like the graphics and I also thought that they were very catchy and I enjoyed them quite a bit. The tunes are pretty simple but they are effective none the less. Then when you talk to someone in a shop or something they make a type writer esque sound. I love the main theme possibly the most. Just very old school and almost homey I would say. I do not know what it is about it but it just makes me feel good inside the whole game sound and all make me feel good. There are not a whole slew of tunes but all of them are good so quality over quantity is better. I also like the sound effects. They are typical jumping noises and things of that nature though when you kill an enemy it sounds like they are screaming a bit. This gives the game a little bit of flavor while battling and stuff. I do however have one weird thing to say. When you pause the game it makes a horrid crackling sound that is really grating on the ears. I do not know why that is but it just is. I hate it and that is one of the reasons that I never paused the game. I would have very much regretted doing it more than one time. The sound is very good in all aspects.

The game is addictive. You have 2 lives from what I can tell and you have to get through the whole game with them. That does not mean that the game is very difficult (Contra had one more live and it was harder) the game is actually pretty easy. I beat it the second time through the first time I jumped head long into battles to many times and got myself killed. The game makes it self a little bit easier by having shops all over that letter you upgrade weapons armor and even shoes. You can also by magic spells that you can use by hitting the down arrow. These can be very useful in the tougher boss battles when you are not sure if you can make it on your own skill. The worst part is I did not ever find a way to continue on from where you died before. Though this does make sense in retrospect as the game was originally an arcade game so if you could just continue it would break it’s old roots in almost every way. The game is fun to the greatest degree as well. You run around and kill monsters and gather coins and it reminds me of a retro version of Maple story. That is pretty cool I think. You do not level up which I would have liked to have seen though admittedly that would be really weird to have in an old arcade game. The game does have one bad little quirk in the game play though. Some games have it so if you have to go up you must use a ladder this game you can jump up there in rare cases. Though this is not the problem, the problem arises when you realize that the camera will follow you up there making it very hard to get to the ladder you need to go to. This happens only two times that I can recall but both times really slowed down my game which is bad because you lose health for being too slow. The gameplay is just solid.

All in all this game left a pretty good impression of the SMS and I think I might delve into the system a little bit more if I am greeted by a few more quirky little games like this one. I enjoyed the game a lot more than I thought I would at the front thinking that it would be very shallow and too easy but that was not the case. The game was just easy enough to be fun and just hard enough to provide a challenge. Then when you look at the shop systems I would say that it is plenty deep. The game is pretty fun though I did have my problems with it. Here is my rundown:

Graphics: 9 – Really good. This beats a lot of the other games that I have seen on the system it also kicks most other games that are on the NES (its main competitor) in the pants.

Sound: 8 – Sounded pretty good. I did have that weird problem with the pause menu though that might have been just me. The tunes are good but like I said there could have been a bit more of them and it would have been a bit better.

Addictiveness: 10 – I wanted to win. The second I got the sword and went off to fight I wanted to win very badly. Luckily you keep this feeling with each new area and you win in no time.

Depth: 9 – With the shops the different enemies as well as the combat it self that relies on you. The game is deeper then I first thought it could be. I was pleasantly surprised in this category.

Difficulty: 7 – The game is hard in some spots but easier in others. I really did like the game for doing that as it still felt like an arcade game keeping you on your toes. Congrats to the developers for knowing how to add hard parts but keep the game fun.

Overall: 9.1 – This is the best SMS game I have ever played. (Well the only I have played but what ever) This is a really fun game and if you like arcade games or games that are similar to Zelda 2 you need to do yourself a favor and check this one out. One of the best games I have played this week. (I play a lot of games a week)