Partnering with Ryuichi Nishizawa (one of the original Westone developers) to help bring the game to life, and working with DotEmu to license the IP, Lizardcube has put their heart and soul into remastering this cult classic, and it definitely shows. Originally known as Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon’s Trap, the Sega Master System title was developed and released by Westone in 1989.
I’d never even heard of the Wonder Boy series before I was tasked to review this remaster, so I had to do a bit of digging to learn about its origins. The remastering effort and gameplay mechanics are a mixed bag, and that leads to the product as a whole coming across as merely average, with a wealth of unrealized potential. My time with Wonder Boy was filled with both appreciation for the effort put forth to bring the title into the 21st century and frustration at how much of a product of its time the game is. A lovingly crafted remaster of a 1989 cult classic, this title absolutely oozes nostalgia from that era of action platformers…for better or worse. A scenario that many gamers should know well, and one of the first images that comes to mind when reflecting on the era of early console gaming, this is the position I found myself in upon booting up Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap. A hero grasping his sword and shield, storming a castle to battle a dragon.
