Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Reviews
Wonder Boy - Asha in Monster World doesn’t stand on its own as it is very dependent on the nostalgia factor.
In the end, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a mediocre game. Uninspired level design, frustrating movement controls, and permanently missable power-ups all contribute to a lackluster experience. When I think the best part of the title is the cute butt dance Asha does when she opens a chest, you know things are bad. Just play Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap or Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom instead.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a basic platformer that never holds your excitement, with mechanics that just don't work anymore.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an exceedingly bland experience. This remake trades heavily on the 90s nostalgia factor, but fails to consider that, with the original only released outside of Japan in 2012, few will have played Monster World 4 in order to have any feelings of nostalgia about it. Sadly, all those playing the game for the first time will find little to get excited about.
I honestly don't know if Wonder Boy IV was a real blast in 1994 since I could not play it then. What I know is that Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is not a blast today. It's kinda average in everything it does, but what I really can't bear is how the new art style feels like a significant downgrade over the magical 16-bit pixel art.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World is a fun action-platforming adventure, but very much feels like a game of the 90s with a splash of paint.
Not the best possible remake for a Mega Drive classic largely unknown to Western players. After the good rehearsals seen during the technical remake of The Dragon's Trap, Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World struggles to impress in the same way. A gameplay that does not have the courage to dare, a difficulty too calibrated downwards and an unpired 2.5D graphic look leave a certain bitter taste in the mouth once you reach the credits.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a decent remake of Monster World IV. It won’t replace it, since it doesn’t do everything better, but it does enough to improve on the foundation. The new features added make for a more enjoyable experience, but the developers could have gone further to make Asha’s adventure more than the sum of its parts.
Though some mechanics haven't aged gracefully, Wonder Boy is still a lively and charming remake.
Wonder Boy - Asha in Monster World is a charming remake with a lot of heart, bring an old adventure to a new generation.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World works great as a remake as well as a stand-alone adventure title. It has some small flaws for this generation, mainly due to its somewhat outdated movement, but it is still an interesting take on such a classic and fascinating franchise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World earned its reputation decades ago as a fun action platformer, but this new remake does nothing to hide how much this classic has degraded with age.
Even if you bounced off the original for whatever reason, I do feel that Asha in Monster World is a much more approachable way to experience this wonderful adventure, and for those who are fans of the original and worried this would drain the charm out of it, there’s no need to fear on that front, either, as there’s plenty of charm here to go around! Definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year for me, and one that makes me honestly hope Monster World III gets a similar treatment!
Whether or not you’ve played the original, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an adventure worth going on. Its gameplay might be old-fashioned, but it’s just as engaging as ever, offering a nice little distraction from the latest AAA blockbuster. Are better side-scrolling adventure games out there? Absolutely. But that doesn’t make this any less worth your time.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World seemed to me to be a pretty solid game, and a pretty faithful remake. The fact that he's so conservative with the source work is something I quite appreciate, mainly because playing Monster World IV officially on this side of the pond hadn't been easy, though perhaps some additional content would have been good for him. With moderate difficulty, which varies depending on how much you prepare, a striking appearance, and a design that reflects the heart artdink put into the work, it's a pretty unique experience and I hope it finds its place among new and old. If you're a fan of Wonder Boy/Monster World,or if you're a fan of action-adventure games in general, this is a game you shouldn't miss.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The fun of playing these games, especially these days, lies in the director, Ryuchi Nishizawa, whose approach to genre was one of precise and genial disregard.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World offers us a great remake very striking visually in which all the material of the original game has been respected with great success. Despite that, being so inspired by the Mega Drive game does not add or subtract new content, which makes it can be a little lacking in content for a game of this generation.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World does a wonderful job of rekindling my love of the Monster World franchise and reminding me exactly why I fell in love with it in the first place. While the remaster doesn’t bring any new ideas to the table, it does put a wonderfully charming new coat of paint onto a game that deserves to be seen and enjoyed by a new audience. Old fans of this game should be pleased with the treatment it received, while newcomers can expect a classically crafted platformer adventure that’s short in duration but massive in charm. And I’m going to add in here that if you play this game and enjoy it, I beseech you to check out the other games in the Monster World line and Monster Boy in the Cursed Kingdom. You’ll thank me, and yourself, for having done so!
Unlike many remakes glutting the market, the existence of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World makes complete sense. After all, many gamers in the west never got to delight in what is likely the best entry in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series. How does this fancy remake play? Imagine for a second that Zelda II: Return of Link was good. That'll get you pretty close.
Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World is almost a 1:1 modern version of classic title from 1994, and this works in its favor and against it. It's short, with a simple level design and maybe a little too linear, but also funny, fast paced and with a great soundtrack.
Review in Italian | Read full review