Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World
Developer: Monkey Craft
Publisher: StudioArtDrink
Genre: action adventure, platformer, RPG
Number of Players: 1
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 28 May 2021
Price: $34.99
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a 2D side-scrolling platformer which is a full remake of the original Monster World IV game that was released on the Sega Mega Drive in the 90s. The remake was handled by the original makers and producers of the original, thus the game retains most of the original gameplay and feel of the game but with a new coat of paint. Of course, I was not able to play the original, but if that game was anywhere to be as close as this remake, then it must be a really good game.
After speaking to the princess in the capital city of Rapadagna, who briefs you of the task at hand, you will have access to multiple dungeons that you need to unlock one at a time. Each of the dungeons has distinct motifs or biomes, like one would be resembling a fortress while another would consist of interconnected pipes filled with water, etc. The dungeons have excellent level design, with sprawling rooms that will require backtracking and having to collect items to open up new paths to progress further. Scattered throughout are treasure chests, coins, and other collectibles. Of course, there will be enemies that you will need to defeat. Slash them with your sword and defend yourself from their attacks with your shield. They offer not much challenge, but a few may land a few hits on you, so you better be at the top of your game at all times.
Asha can equip different swords and shields of differing attack power and magical characteristics. You can also wear bracelets that increase your HP. This gears are sold by NPCs in the city. The more you progress into the game, the better gears you get the chance to buy. Collecting coins in this game is not hard, as enemies drop them when they get defeated, and they respawn whenever you return to an area. You can grind for coins if you want, but it is not really necessary.
Rapadagna serves as the hub word and in here you will interact with most of the NPCs of the game. One of these NPCs is an old Sage that provides you expositions, such as what you need to do and where to go next. You will also encounter him at various points inside the dungeons, often reminding you of what lies ahead. Unlike in Shantae, with which this game kind of share a lot of its aesthetics, the old Sage doesn’t save your game or heal you (he used to do it in the original). You do can save at any point in the game, though, so that is a welcome change. However, the game doesn’t provide auto-saving nor offer any sort of mid-dungeon checkpoints, so if ever you die, you will respawn where you last save, no matter how far it is from where you already are in the game.
I had to learn this the hard way during my gameplay. I died near the end of the first dungeon, and had to respawn at my last save point… near the very beginning of the game. I lost about 30 minutes of progress, which was quite a bummer. Good thing the game is not very hard in its difficulty. It has its fair share of quite challenging platforming sections and area puzzles, but nothing too tough to really stump you dead square at your tracks. Even the cool boss fights has some easy-to-figure out attack patterns that you will, well, figure out in no time.
So this game seems to be not much different from the rest of the other platforming games available out there in the wild. But this game has an x-factor up its sleeves.
Pepelogoo is most useful inside dungeons. The dungeons are designed to be tackled in a fairly linear manner, one room at a time. There would be some branching paths here and there, but you will most likely not miss anything of much importance, as it will be impossible to progress if you overlook collecting some item, such as bombs to break walls or a bucket to fill water with to extinguish flames blocking pathways. Pepelogoo makes your adventuring easier, as you will be able to access hard-to-reach areas with it, saving you time in opening treasure chests that contain items that you need, as well as bonus items that serve as reward to your inquisitive nature.
At the end of each dungeon is a boss that you need to defeat in order for you to free its captured spirit that you need to free. As previously mentioned, they are not very hard to beat, but can still quite tricky to fight as they do pack a punch and can hit Asha with ease due to their size. But once you have figured out their attack patterns, you will be able to beat them in no time, and you will then be able to unlock the next one. All unlocked dungeons can be accessed again, and you will probably want to tackle them again if you want to collect everything, specifically the Life Drops. Like coins, they are scattered everywhere, with some located at hard to reach areas or even hidden. Collect 10 and an additional heart gets added to Asha’s HP meter. There are 200 Life Drops scattered in the world, and this is one incentive for you to try your luck again in previously-visited areas.
Outside of the dungeons, you can also get additional sub-quests from NPCs, often with monetary rewards or Life Drops. They are not very hard to accomplish, but they do encourage you to explore the hub world. You can travel backward to the background and back, thus expanding the areas that you can explore.
Overall, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, despite its slightly confusing title, is one fun game to play. It offers enough challenge to keep your interest up but not too much to dissuade you from finishing the game. It is simple in much of its execution, but somehow still makes the gameplay, game design, and overall aesthetics shine. If only all remakes can have this much care and faithfulness to the original. Special thanks to the original design team, who provided enough quality of life changes to the game without compromising the game’s overall quality. This is one game that any fan of the platforming should not miss out. It is quite pricey for its relatively short length, so maybe wait for a sale before buying the game. And when you play this game, may you enjoy a good adventure.
REPLAY VALUE: High
PROS
- Bright and colorful visuals, improved from the original but since the original team handled the remake, it still looks faithful to the original game
- Catchy music, also remade for the games current audience
- Multiple difficulty options
- Excellent voice acting, although the audio is only available in Japanese
- Very stable performance on Switch
- We-designed dungeons
- Pepelogoo is one adorable companion that makes adventuring more fun
- You can save anywhere, and the game offers up to 12 save slots
- Works great in handheld mode
CONS
- No dedicated run button
- Controls can be floaty at times
- No mini-map
- The vending machines are few and far in between, with only up to three items being offered at a time
- No auto-saves and checkpoints, and you will have to respawn at the last point you saved in no matter how far away or how long ago it was to where you already are in the game, which could be very frustrating if you forgot to save for a long time
- Quite pricey for its length
RATING: 4/5 fluffy awesomeness
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