A few months ago, we covered the Wonder Boy Collection released by ININ Games, which was the digital version of a collection released by Strictly Limited Games, that also included a physical-only version entitled the Anniversary edition. This version contained even more games and has finally seen a widespread digital release on consoles for all to play. But is this worth getting, or should you stick to what was already available?
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection contains two additional games over the previous collection (well a bit more but we will explain), and they are some of the best in the franchise. To begin, we have Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, a truly underrated classic that is far more connected to the arcade roots of the first games than the Monster World games are more familiar with, which makes sense as this was originally an arcade game. This is an auto-scrolling game with both an on-foot section and a second section that is more of a shoot-em-up level. There is also a co-op multiplayer mode, and it is surprisingly excellent and provides a fun and frantic experience for both players.
The other addition is Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, one of the most well-regarded games in the entire series. This game has received a number of releases over the years, including its remaster in 2017. The 2017 version of the game actually touches up the gameplay quite a bit, with both the original and new graphics, so the original game may throw you off at first if you are used to the remaster. This is an absolute gem and contains some of the best gameplay in the series and some of the most amazing music as well.
So what else is new? It cannot just be two games added, right? Well no, because the Wonder Boy Collection only included 1 version of each game, but here all 6 games here include multiple versions that were originally released on a variety of platforms, including the arcade, SG-1000, Master System, Game Gear, and Sega Megadrive/Genesis. That is not all though, as regional versions are included as well, and this makes for a total of 21 versions to play in all.
This inclusion of all the different versions makes for a great time exploring what is different and while some of the versions are of course amazing, some are more than a little date so once again, ININ included quality-of-life upgrades including scan lines, full-screen options, as well as fast forward and rewind functionality. At the touch of a shoulder button, you can speed forward through a dull section or go back to where you messed up and try again. There are also default language settings for English, German, Spanish, French and Italian and save state functionality so you can easily pick up wherever you decide to leave off rather than go through cumbersome passwords.
The art gallery has been greatly expanded here compared to the original collection. In that collection, there were 20 select pieces from the games, but this collection has a lot more with tons of artwork, sketches, manual and cover scans and even developer notes ( in Japanese, but still a nice touch.) It would have been nice to have some more wallpapers or music player options, but what we do have is very good so there is not much reason to complain.
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection is one of the best compilations of a retro series in a while. While the release method for the various collections is a little strange, it is good that the complete version is now widely available for all to play. If you are a fan of the classics or want to try them for the first time, this is definitely one to get.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.