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Remember The 80s?
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a 2017 remake of a 1989 Master System title (which I played at the time!) that kept all the gameplay, level design and humour of the original while sprinkling some extra stuff here and there, all of which welcome additions, such as difficulty settings, a female lead (the changes are only cosmetic) and hidden challenging areas to explore.
They Did Metroidvania Before It Was Cool
In the Dragon’s Trap, the very first thing that will happen to you is you will fight a pushover boss that, once defeated, will curse you and transform you into a Lizard. That’s the first of many forms Wonder Boy (or Girl) will take throughout the game. As the Lizard, you have a projectile fire attack to kill monsters from a distance. As you progress and become the Mouse, you can reach places too tiny for the other forms and can also stick to certain walls and ceilings. The Piranha form can swim, the Lion can break certain terrain under you to open access to new areas, whereas the Hawk can fly. If that sounds like a Metroidvania, that’s because it is. As you can guess, the world is designed in a way that you will be backtracking often to go to an area that requires swimming once you get your Piranha form, and so on. Unlike most typical Metroidvania titles however, Wonder Boy does not feature that well known interconnected map that you can look at at any time to see what areas haven’t been fully explored yet. The platforming element is also very prominent in the game, although there aren’t any areas likely to cause many to rage quit as some of the more brutal titles of its kind.
On top of your form dependent abilities, you can also level up by purchasing better gear in shops. Monsters drop money when killed, which you then use to basically boost your defence and attack. There are also single-use offensive powerups to pick up and unleash upon enemies, such as tornadoes or arrow shots. Your maximum health can also be upgrade as you progress which, despite there being no permadeath, will be a godsend since you do lose some progress when you’re defeated.
A Tribute To Simpler Times
This is of course a callback to much simpler times. The story is barely there. You’re cursed, you’re looking for a cure, there’s a bad dragon you know virtually nothing about, but you must defeat it. As was characteristic of games of that era, the hand holding is kept to a minimum. The protagonist isn’t talking to themself so you, the player, can conveniently get hints on how to solve a puzzle (see: Aloy from the Horizon franchise), nor is there a sidekick all but telling you exactly what to do (Atreus from God of War anyone?). You’re on your own, there will be a bit of trial and error, and you can lose track of what to do next, especially once you gain the ability to change forms at will and the game becomes less linear. But having said all that, the main mission of the game takes about 5h to beat. Depending on your gaming style, that could be one sitting.
The hand-drawn is frankly gorgeous. Very colourful and cartoon-like, it does the original justice. But for those wanting to genuinely bask in nostalgia, they also included settings to toggle retro style graphics and/or music, so you can really live that 80s fantasy. The humour of the original is maintained, the shopkeepers particularly crack me up with their blatant slagging off the gear they have on sale (‘The best sword you can afford’, ‘No questions asked’), as is its charm.
For Fans Of The Original Or Otherwise
I have wondered if Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap only worked for me because of the obvious emotional connection I have to it, having played the original in my childhood, but having recommended it to friends who hadn’t played it in the Master System and who found it enjoyable, I have to believe it’s not the case. Of course it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it would be bizarre if a remake did. But we’re also talking about an industry where games are receiving remasters a couple of years after they were first launched. To be able to play in a current console something more than three decades after it was first released is an absolute treat, and it helps that it’s so funny and pleasant to look at.