| Author | Review |
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Astute Vagabond
519,654
TA Score for this game: 361
Posted on 08 June 12 at 13:07, Edited on 08 June 12 at 13:11 |
This review has 14 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
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Monster World - SEGA Vintage Collection
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Price 800MSP
Below I have listed a review for people unfamiliar with the series and a separate review for those familiar with the series. Changes to this release can be found under the ’played before’ section, so any reader may check there for details.
Not played before
The Wonder Boy/Monster World franchise was a hit (particularly in Japan) of action platformer games with some RPG elements. The frachise kicked off with Wonder Boy in arcades in 1986 and was followed by a further five games in the main series. This collection consists of three games; namely Wonderboy in Monster Land (2nd game), Wonderboy in Monster World (5th game) and Monster World IV (6th game). The games bear no interlinking aspects, therefore it is perfectly fine to play them in any order the player chooses.
Newcomers and fans alike are treated with this collection as Monster World IV was never released outside of Japan until 2012. It is now available through this collection and the Wii Virtual Console.
Story
Monster Land and Monster World tell the cliched tale of a legendary hero who must gather equipment on an adventure to save the land/world. Monster World IV tells a more unique story of a female warrior ready to undergo an important yet perilous journey.
Monster World IV also differs from the other two games in overall setting. Monster Land and Monster World are set in a Medievil theme, wheras Monster World is presented in a desert, Persian style.
Gameplay
Each game plays quite differently to the others so I will detail each in turn.
Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action platformer which mainly consists of platforming sections, with enemies often placed in locations to hinder the players' ability to pass the platforming section rather than to present a combat situation. As this game was originally released as an arcade cabinet, it follows the general design - more than willing to take your money - and so players can expect a more difficult experience than the average home console game.
Monster Land consists or rounds (maps) which must be completed to advance. Combat becomes a more important aspect here as to advance often requires a key looted from a boss. The numerous boss encounters are tackled in enclosed rooms with the boss fights being similar to 2D Castlevania games.
Wonder Boy in Monster World shares many core game mechanics with Monster Land. However, Monster World focuses on combat with more enemies and less platforming. The boss battle mechanics remain the same - however, players can expect an overall easier gaming experience from Monster World. Another major gameplay difference from Monster Land is the exploration aspect with many cryptic riddles, hidden areas and maze-like design. This design qualifies Monster World to be placed in the 'MetroidVania' genre.
Monster World IV seems to strike a middle ground between the two aforementioned games. It has a linear structure with minimal backtracking and therefore ditches the 'MetroidVania' genre. The dungeons in this game are designed with a balance of platforming and combat. The maps are much less mazy than Monster World and players are encouraged to explore each map for precious Life Drops - which can be missed for good if the player wanders too far - and keys to progress the story.
Graphics and style
The graphics reflect a very noticeable difference in style between the titles. Monster Land Has the appearance of a high quality Game Boy Colour title with excellent sprite detail for its time. Colour is used appropriately for setting in a simple yet effective design.
Monster World is a very bold, brightly coloured (almost cartoon-ish) game with characters having a bobblehead effect. The textures are sharp with every character, enemy or trap almost 'jumping' out of the screen making it clear to distinguish in-game surroundings.
Monster World IV retains the bold colours from Monster World but loses the bobblehead effect to produce a more realistic character and level design. Monster World IV also has motion lines giving the game a hand-drawn appearance.
Music
All of these titles have decent soundtracks which fit each game situation and style well. Unfortunately, there is a horrid beeping noise which occurs when health becomes low which can be very irritating - particularly in Monster Land.
Longevity/Replayability
Each of these games may take several hours to finish and would be considered very large games for their time of release. There are plenty of hidden treasures to track down if players wish to play through the games a couple of times. Hardcore players scrounging for more challenges may wish to undertake a 3-heart run, which would certainly add a good few hours to replay value.
Played before
Those of you who have played the games before will already know what to expect from playing these titles, features which may interest you in purchasing this collection are as follows: -
Monster World IV - Although nothing is changed this is one of the only ways to obtain a version of this game outwith Japan. Even many fans of the series may not have experienced this game before and one who has may want to grab the opportunity to own a copy or have an excuse to play though it again.
Trials - Each game consists of a few trials exclusive to this collection. These trials consist of a variety of tasks ranging from a boss rush endurance mode to timed dungeon challenges.
So is it worth it? - Priced at 800MSP, I'd say this collection is well worth its weight in gold. SEGA have treated fans with release by giving games that haven't already been released on 360 through the retail collection or XBLA. The addition of a non-Japanese MonsterWorld IV should seal the deal for any gamers sitting on the fence. Due the substantial size of each game even a player wishing only 1 playthrough of each game would still find 15-20+ hours of gametime if they were playing the series for the first time.
Overall
Most importantly this SEGA collection provides 3 classics which have not been retailed on several compilation discs in the past. However, it is Monster World IV that provides the succulent extra that I feel will be the deciding factor for many gamers out there. Although the games do not have any added features, they do have a rather inventive trials section instead of the simple score-based 'challenges' SEGA threw into the Golden Axe and Streets of Rage collections. My only gripe with this collection is that... alongside all the positives, the games are simply 'enjoyable' with no real outstanding qualities.
Rating: 8/10
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