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Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
A modern version of cult classic Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap! A close collaboration between Lizardcube, DotEmu and legendary series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa, based on Westone Bit Entertainment's original masterpiece. How many more transformations can one hopeful body survive as it turns into a Lizard, a Mouse, a Piranha, a Lion, and a Hawk... T...
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Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap sets a new standard for what remakes should include, and I hope future ones can follow in these footsteps with projects that are just as passionate. While it can't escape a few of the original title's annoyances, it is still an engaging and enjoyable experience for 2D-platformer and series fans, and will most likely garner the franchise some new fans, who will come into contact with the series for the first time with this game like I did. I never owned the Sega Master System, but I am elated that I got to experience this all-but-forgotten gem.
Even though the Master System was an also-ran next to the NES’s dominance, there were some real gems created for it, and Wonder Boy 3 just might have been the best game released on the platform. Lizardcube and DotEmu have done a lot of work to bring The Dragon’s Trap up to today’s standards, and the new version plays as good as it looks. It’s plain to see how much effort went into making this into the best possible version of a game that deserves to be a classic, and it’s absolutely worth your time.
The Wonder Boy/Monster World series from Westone is a unique adventure series that frequently tries to blend some of the Zelda conventions with platforming, depending on which series they’re playing. To make things as confusing as possible, The Dragon’s Trap is a fresh remake based upon a title that was originally known as Wonder Boy III: Monster World II, or Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. As the first title to be released by the newly established Parisian studio, Lizardcube, does this remake of a nearly thirty-year-old SEGA adventure stand the test of time?
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a monster of a remake. It gives a fairly forgotten gem a profound buff to let its inherent charm shine through even brighter with gorgeous artwork and music. Its animal-altering mechanic and hoards of enemies guarantee that you’re in for a good, fun challenge, and while its platforming and boss fights may not have the same impact, it’s no wonder why the developer saw Wonder Boy fit to return.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap sets the bar incredibly high for future recreations of classic games. Not only does it pay reverence to the source material in nearly every conceivable way, it also manages to modernise the original game through an astounding level of quality in presentation. The Dragon’s Trap is gorgeous, charming and challenging, and while some outdated design elements and disappointing bosses are sure to irk players, there’s no denying that it’s still a hell of a lot of fun after all these years.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a perfect example of a remake that’s been done for reasons beyond simple material gain. Lizardcube have clearly put everything they have into making it unerringly respectful of the original – for good and bad – but this has all the look of a gorgeous modern indie platformer, while retaining the old-school gameplay that made it so memorable the first time around.
Although there were two Wonder Boy III games, The Dragon's Trap is definitely the most memorable. Now, the classic Metroidvania has been remade for modern consoles so let's see how it holds up in high-definition.
I had just as much fun during my six- or seven-hour playthrough of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap as I have with many of its contemporary counterparts. While its antiquated roots cause some minor frustration with unreliable hitboxes and unnecessary grinding, the foundational combat and exploration is still engaging and fun after 30 years. From long-time Wonder Boy fans to platformer enthusiasts who’ve never heard of it until now, you’ll likely be able to find whimsical fun and a neat bit of genre history in this charming adventure.
The Wonder Boy series was one of the Master System's most beloved franchises, though its cult-classic status hasn't prevented it from falling by the wayside. A convoluted history, including a tangle of complications regarding the rights to the series, meant a comeback would be virtually impossible. In spite of this, a tiny French developer named Lizardcube has teamed up with DotEmu to bring us a modern take on the third game, originally released in 1989.
Though the graphics and soundtrack showcase the superb effort to update the original game for hardcore series fans, frustrating gameplay mechanics and archaic design keep Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap from rising above anything but average.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is quite the looker, but the gameplay definitely shows its age. Fans of open-world platformers may enjoy scouring its world for secrets, but those weaned on modern-day titles might get frustrated with its controls and design.