Wonder Boy Collection Reviews
Save big collector’s editions to Strictly Limited and let ININ handle the complete versions for release. Change the cover art or something between the two releases but maintain the same game on both carts. Even a full removal of the ININ physical release for a digital only release outside of Strictly Limited’s physical release would be welcomed if it meant I got to experience the full collection. Just be upfront too: explain that you’re the same company handling different release methods. If certain games come with a limited licensing deal be upfront with that information. Mistakes are going to happen, so why choose to make them.
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection is a brilliant homage to a fantastic slate of games with some great options that really optimise it for modern platforms. The controversy of it following a stripped back version, plus containing content originally designed as an exclusive for a physical collection cast a bit of a dark shadow over this collection and mean it probably won’t make for an attractive purchase for people who already own it. However, what we have here is a great selection of products that have aged well and are treated with great regard and respect.
Despite not feeling good about the way this collection has released, and the collection itself feeling like a cash-in more than a celebration of Wonder Boy, there are some excellent games present in Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. While the two best games in the package have excellent modern remakes, playing the rest of these games is worthwhile, as is seeing the original versions of these classics. This isn’t a release for every player, certainly, but if you’ve yet to check out the series, Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection offers a thorough introduction.
The Wonder Boy Collection is a package of four games. It includes Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Wonder Boy in Monster World, and Monster World IV. Do these retro revivals warrant a pickup considering the newer games they now have to compete with? Find out in this Rapid Review.
You’ll still have a great time playing Wonder Boy V and Monster World IV if you haven’t already done so, and the original Monster Land is a decent time, but at the end of the day, Wonder Boy Collection just feels strangely disjointed.
It's a weird collection that doesn't include the best game of series (Wonder Boy 3) and feels like a glorified emulation package. Unless you're itching for some Wonder Boy, you may want to wait until Anniversary Collection is released.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
If you flash back to a concern exacerbated from our Turrican Flashback review, Wonder Boy Collection's paltry four titles puts pressure on retro gamers to question its value for money, because it omits series defining titles and key console ports when compared to the more expensive Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection from Strictly Limited Games — which has sold out of its 2,000 PS4 retail copies. It's also worse value than retro compilations that released within weeks of the Wonder Boy Collection, when set side-by-side against the cheaper and more complete Pac-Man Museum+ and the superior extras in Sonic Origins.
Wonder Boy Collection is a pack with four good classic games from the Wonder Boy series, but it ends up being an incomplete collection, with nothing very new implemented and with a high price.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Wonder Boy Collection is stacked with four classic titles that are all worth your time to a degree. Fans of the franchise will likely be disappointed by the omission of other titles that hold much more value in terms of critic appeal. The two standout games for me, Wonder Boy and Monster World IV, have both been remade on the Nintendo Switch as their own standalone video games with updated graphics and some quality-of-life features. After playing through this collection, I'm now tempted to revisit these via their remastered counterparts. Wonder Boy Collection feels more like a collector's item rather than an item you'll purchase because you genuinely want to play these classics.
Wonder Boy collection isn’t a bad collection of games. It’s just a simple no-frills homage to a bygone era. It could have done with a few more games, modes or even a few extra celebrations for this once-great franchise. Still, this is a pleasant run and jump down memory lane.
The Wonder Boy Collection is a beautiful and interesting journey into the past that will entertain and test the mettle of younger players.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Wonder Boy Collection is a surprisingly decent collection of classic games from a franchise that most people in the West probably have not played. It is missing Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, but there’s enough variety here to keep you entertained for a while.
Wonder Boy Collection is a cool collection of four games. The games are all unique for their time and thus have something to add. Although one of the games has not aged well and one other has just gotten a remake last year, the collection is still one to play. It will give you tons of hours of gameplay!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Wonder Boy Collection is a compilation of the Westone franchise that includes four of the six classic installments of the saga -we are left without two thirds-. Relive the classic installments of Wonder Boy and Monster World or discover them for the first time, since today they are still super enjoyable.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
All in all, Wonder Boy Collection, as a compilation of older titles, is pretty good. It suffers from the fact that, while influential, these games are very flawed, with poor controls and collision detection being an issue shared among all of them. There’s also the fact that the best game in the series, The Dragon’s Trap, is the sole title not featured in the package.
Wonder Boy Collection is a fun group of titles for people who love classic games. The ability to rewind when you die or get hit is helpful to make progress in titles like Wonder Boy, which are known for their difficulty!
Fans of these games when they came out, rejoice! You have them all in one place for one reasonable price. If the games are new to you, it’s perhaps something you don’t have to regret missing.
The Wonder Boy Collection is a solid retro collection that finally puts some respect on old Tom-Tom's name (and Asha's as well, for that matter). Despite some anachronistic design elements and difficulty spikes due to the earlier titles' arcade origins, all four titles included here are well worth diving into if you're a fan of classic gaming and, if nothing else, the theme song from the first title is a straight up banger.
Scoring the Wonder Boy Collection is only partly related to the quality of the games on offer. They're all excellent for what they are, and were they appraised independently, would do very well. But this is more about the package as a whole. Yes, there's plenty here to keep you occupied, but at the same time, what could have been is a sticking point. Wonder Boy is a great little series, with games spanning everything from the Master System to the PC Engine, in various guises. It's not difficult to offer a more extensive library for the broader gaming populace, rather than restrict certain titles to a group profiled for their magpie eyes.
When it comes to collections of retro classics it’s always a bit hard to know how to score them...