Wonder Boy in Monster Land

1988 · Action RPG · Sega Master System

Overview

Wonder Boy in Monster Land (1988) is the Master System version of Westone's arcade sequel, which turned Wonder Boy into a platformer with gold, shops and upgradable equipment.

Deep Dive

The MEKA Dragon has turned peaceful Wonder Land into Monster Land, and Bock Lee Temjin, the 'Wonder Boy', sets out to defeat it. The game has twelve levels of side-scrolling action, but defeated enemies drop gold that buys swords, armour, shields, boots and magic in shops along the way, giving it the feel of a role-playing game. Hidden doors and invisible shops reward exploration. An hourglass keeps time, and when it runs out it begins to drain Wonder Boy's hearts.

Developer Story

Westone, originally named Escape, created the arcade game, which Sega released in Japan in July 1987; Sega made the Master System conversion, released in Japan on 31 January 1988 and in North America that August. It was followed by Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap in 1989.

Did You Know?

On the PC Engine the game was turned into Bikkuriman World, and on the Famicom into Jaleco's Saiyūki World, each with different characters.
Computer and Video Games scored the Master System version 9/10.