Rumor: “Wonder Boy Collection” rated by the ESRB for Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4

Continuing the trend of Wonder Boy (aka Monster World) getting a lot of love as of late, there is likely a new collection of the games that will be revealed soon. As revealed by this ESRB description, Wonder Boy Collection is a collection of four of the Wonder Boy/Monster World titles, with versions for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch cited on the page. While the page doesn’t list the individual games, the description makes mention of alcohol like beer and cocktails being sold in a shop, which is likely a reference to Wonder Boy in Monster Land where one of the shopkeepers is a bartender lizard.

No other information has been revealed, such as pricing or other features, but the existence of this page implies that Wonder Boy Collection is far into development and will be released soon.

SEGA FES 2019: Six new titles announced for the SEGA AGES series

More news has dropped regarding to the SEGA AGES series, this time a lot of announced titles coming to the series sometime in the future. These titles are Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R, Shinobi, G-loc Air Battle, Fantasy Zone, Herzog Zwei, and Wonder Boy in Monster Land. Each title will be based on their original arcade version, with the exception being Herzog Zwei instead being based on the Mega Drive version. No other information such as pricing, release date, or any other additional features have been revealed.

This announcement notably means that G-loc Air Battle will have the original arcade version ported to a home console for the first time, while this will be the first time SEGA used the Herzog IP after the acquirement of Technosoft’s library. What is your thoughts on these titles coming to the SEGA AGES series?

[Source: Twitter]

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap remake revealed

2016 continues to be the year of retro revivals, as a remake of the SEGA Master System classic Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap has just been announced. Published by DotEmu and developed by Lizardcube and based on Westone Bit Entertainment’s original game, the Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap remake is said to be made with the blessing of LAT and the cooperation of series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa. The game seemingly has no connecting with Wonder Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, despite also being made in cooperation with Ryuichi Nishizawa.

Interestingly, no mention of SEGA is made anywhere on the remake’s site, despite SEGA seemingly owning Wonder Boy. However, it is noted on the game’s website that “with the help of Ryuichi Nishizawa (Westone), Shinji Fujiwara (LAT), and a relentless commitment of DotEmu to untangle a bunch of documents covered in pixellated dustwebs, we have licensed the IP to create this new version (a first since 1994).”

The game has an unknown release date, and platforms are listed as consoles and PC. Check out the trailer above, and after the break read the full press release and check out some screenshots and artwork. More news on the remake as we hear it!

SEGA Retrospective: From Wonder Boy to Monster World to Adventure Island and beyond

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Over the years, video game franchises have come in many styles. Platforming, fighting, puzzle, shooting, the list is never ending. But one thing many franchises have in common is that they have to start somewhere, setting up the foundation for future titles to follow up and improve on. However, on occasion, something happens down the line that causes the franchise to become twisted, causing things to become complicated. Copyright issues might make the prospect of new titles impossible so spiritual successors might be necessary (For example Bayonetta being the successor to Devil May Cry), or the franchise suffers from an identity crisis when localized like with Puyo Puyo, or games having inconsistent releases cause confusion like the infamous Final Fantasy I to VI problem.

By far one of the most curious cases is with a franchise called Wonder Boy (Aka Monster World).