In the era of remasters and remakes, the classics forgotten by many continue to return. Monster World IV was one of the pillars of the 16-bit world back in 1994, but since then, generations of gaming systems, gamers and technologies have changed. And now greetings from the past, even in a modern design, seem a little archaic. Unlike the creators Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap and her spiritual heir Monster boy and the cursed kingdom, developers from ArtDink did not rework game mechanics or adjust old gameplay to modern standards. They just completely recreated the classic 16-bit game with all the old mechanics wrapped in modern graphics.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World tells the story of the brave girl Asha, who travels to the center of the kingdom of Rapadagna to rescue the four stolen elements and free the world from evil sorcerers. After overcoming the training tower of trials, the heroine finds herself in a hub city, where she can communicate with the queen, locals and merchants, and at the same time buy improved weapons, shields or bracelets that increase the number of hearts of life. Naturally, a girl on a limited budget can initially afford one thing. As you progress through the dungeons, the stock of gold coins dropped from the monsters grows, and the prize bars can be exchanged for additional money.
From the point of view of a mechanic, we are literally a game from 30 years ago. Asha can jump, hit straight and in a jump, and also block. A small variety is introduced by the magic monster and the heroine’s companion – Pepelogu. The animal is capable of blocking fountains of fire, allows you to glide from a great height and make somersaults in the air. In addition, when thrown, he can extinguish torches and collect bonus money and hearts. Asha herself has two health bars – red hearts expand with a magic bracelet, and blue hearts by collecting special fragments. Health can be restored by collecting hearts from slain enemies or by purchasing potions from shops or vending machines.
Each of the worlds, be it green jungle, volcanic labyrinths or ice caves, offers its own unique flavor. For example, in the world of volcanoes, you have to climb up with the help of a valuable companion on a lava flow, and in an icy one, you need to type the correct sequence of buttons in front of locked doors, traveling through the labyrinth of the sphinx. Thanks to the change of mechanics, the game does not seem too monotonous. At the same time, boss fights are simple: the main thing is to understand the pattern, and no difficulties will arise.
It is important to emphasize that Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World does not have an autosave system, but you have the option to record the game at any point in time, except for boss fights. This should always be remembered – because if you exit without saving, then all progress will be lost.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is graphically pleasing. There is a detailed environment and well-developed opponents. Like its predecessor, it resembles a children’s cartoon with a predominance of pastel shades. The animations, effects and even the bosses are cute, but much simpler than in Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom.
