Despite previously releasing a Wonder Boy collection into the world only a year ago, Bliss Brain have now released an updated collection which includes an additional 2 games from the franchise which make this a must have for Wonder Boy Fans! For those who don't know what Wonder Boy is, it's a series of side-scrolling platformers, published by SEGA that originally released in 1986. The series featured several sequels released across a variety of systems including Arcade and Sega Megadrive (sorry American readers).
This anniversary collection features a whopping 21 versions of six of the most iconic games from the series, with Monster Boy III: Monster Lair and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap being added compared to the previous collection release. The amount of games included is absolutely great and you can see the variations/versions on this handy table below:
Whilst this is a hefty list, it would have been nice to see some of the other versions included including the TurboGrafx-16 ports which honestly don't get the love and attention they deserve!
Not only have the number of games included been expanded upon with this release, there are also even more extras on offer including a rather large gallery complete with artwork and official images. My favourite addition is a selection of maps for each game. Little things like that are really neat to look through.
In terms of gameplay, the games look, sound and play exactly how you would expect them too on a modern collection. With features like filters, shaders, a very welcome and much used rewind function (every retro collection should include this honestly!) and more. The games look crisp in HD with their pixel art graphics brightly displayed and accompanied by a fantastic chiptune soundtrack. Now I will address the elephant in the room quickly - the fact that this is a full price release and their is no paid upgrade/DLC option for people who purchased last years collection. I haven't let this issue affect my score for this review as I am purely reviewing on it's standalone merit, but that doesn't detract from the fact that people who bought the last release now need to pay out a hefty chunk for 2 extra game additions. I feel like a paid DLC option as well as a full release similar to what the Disney Classics Collection did when they added the Jungle Book games would have gone over much better with everyone and feel less like a cash grab.
The Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection is a fantastic retro collection that is an essential for any fan of SEGA's beloved franchise. With such a variety of game versions on offer here, as well as the quality of life improvements and extras it's hard not to recommend this to people. My only gripe is I wish the TurboGrafx-16 versions had also been included, but hey that's just me being greedy! TOTAL SCORE:
9/10
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection was released on the 26th January 2023. It's priced at £44.99 on the Nintendo eShop and can be purchased HERE. The game is also available on Playstation consoles. A copy of the game was provided for this review. A huge thanks for that.
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