Review: Wonder Boy III – The Dragon’s Trap

This review covers Wonder Boy III – The Dragon’s Trap, initially released nearly 30 years ago (1989) for the SEGA Master System. This title should not be confused with the arcade shoot ’em up, Wonder Boy III: Monster’s Lair. The Wonder Boy series is well-known, particularly from the arcade iterations featuring side-scrolling action where the protagonist wields axes and rides a skateboard. Wonder Boy III presents a more ambitious scope, offering an almost RPG-inspired action-adventure experience with meticulous pixel art – a hallmark, or perhaps a challenge, of the era.

The intellectual property landscape surrounding Wonder Boy is somewhat complex. SEGA owns the name, while the original Japanese creator retains ownership of the character. Lizardcube, a French developer, has delivered a 2017 remake featuring beautifully hand-drawn, cartoon-like graphics and an updated soundtrack. The remake also includes a seamless switching mechanism to revert to the original graphics and sound via an integrated emulator. This feature is particularly well-executed.

Now…

… and then.

The game’s narrative centers on Wonder Boy – or Wonder Girl in the 2017 version, offering a female protagonist option – who is transformed into Lizard-Man (a play on “Hu-Man”) by a dragon’s curse. The ensuing adventure involves acquiring hearts to ease gameplay, obtaining new weapons, and assuming different animal forms. The original game’s “cheat,” which allowed free form-changing with the correct sword, is also present. Players will encounter significant resistance from enemies and bosses and engage in extensive coin collection. Furthermore, patience is required, as revisiting areas to purchase potions, vital for survival when energy is depleted, is frequently necessary.

Lion-Man remains a standout transformation.

It is worth noting that Wonder Boy III – The Dragon’s Trap, while not the most challenging retro title, presents a notable level of difficulty by contemporary standards. Selecting the “Easy” difficulty is advisable, particularly for first-time players. Success requires practice and precise positioning relative to enemies, who exhibit a tendency to strategically position themselves just outside the player’s attack range. Until proficiency is achieved, the game can be demanding. However, as players progress and acquire improved weaponry, armor, and shields, the experience becomes more manageable. Be prepared for a degree of grinding to accumulate sufficient currency for essential items. The game features an auto-save function, and players can quickly return to the central village by exiting to the main menu and restarting, retaining all previously collected items. As a nostalgic feature, the game supports the original Master System codes (necessary due to the lack of save functionality on original cartridges). Utilizing these codes allows players to start with specific advantages, although this may diminish the overall game experience.

The hand-drawn graphics are a significant highlight.

A playthrough of Wonder Boy III (the core adventure) typically requires 3-5 hours. Locating all six secret artifacts extends playtime by a similar duration. While not essential for completing the game, these artifacts provide a bonus and are required for full achievement/trophy completion. Priced around 200 SEK, the game offers good value. The impressive visuals and overall execution make it a compelling experience for those with arcade nostalgia. If you appreciate a challenge and are comfortable with some degree of repetition, Wonder Boy III – The Dragon’s Trap is a worthwhile title, whether experienced for the first time or revisited.