Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Reviews
Much more than a fresh coat of paint, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a new classic nearly thirty years in the making and truly a project of passion for Lizardcube.
Creating a remake, what a difficult mission ! On the one hand, you have to keep the core of the game intact, and in the other hand, you have to put it in the modern era. Lizarcube's team did it brilliantly by keeping the strengths of the original game almost in its entirety and by giving it a more pleasant aesthetic. With its old-school gameplay and its beautiful graphics, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a nostalgic journey which could be enjoyed by the older players and the younger ones. At least, if losing and starting over isn't a problem for you.
Review in French | Read full review
I'm normally the type of player who will for sure choose the 8 or 16-bit option, but the modern art and music in Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap were so good, that I played 95% of the game full modern.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Curse is simply wonderful. Not only does it keep the spirit of the original, it proves that you don't need to overthink and recreate a formula that works just as well in 2017 as it did in 1989. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Curse is a must buy.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a ruthlessly faithful remake of the Master System classic that boasts a dramatic and beautiful audiovisual makeover. The game itself is still very enjoyable with a world map that's fun to work through and a lean Metroidvania structure that introduces new ideas right to the end. The controls are quite loose, which can lead to some frustration, but by and large this is a wonderful recreation that both fans and newcomers will enjoy.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a fun and challenging game that I'm glad to see got a remake complete with optional retro assets. For those who, like me, never had a Sega Master System back in the day, this is a great opportunity to check out the game as well as the series in general. Plus if you have your old passwords from the SMS version and never finished the game, now's your chance.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a really solid retro release, and if you are new to the series, it could provide a decent starting point for your new retro adventures. If you're more into the HD graphics, it's a solid platformer that gets by on teasing your intuition and challenging players to find the best path forward.
Technically great remake, that didn't age well in terms of playability. For fans of the genre and historically interested people nevertheless recommendable.
Review in German | Read full review
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is everything a remake should be: a thoroughly modern yet completely reverent update that preserves the soul of its inspiration for a new generation of gamers to enjoy.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a dream come true for all the fans of the original Master System classic, Lizard Cube gave us a new standard on how to make classic games remakes.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lizardcube has both made The Dragon's Trap more vibrant and set a fascinating standard for game remakes.
Lizardcube did an amazing job, showing so much love and care for this - still enjoyable - classic. The way the french team allows us to play it with lovely and modern visuals and music just makes us hungry for more of this kind of remasters.
Review in French | Read full review
Though the graphics and soundtrack showcase the superb effort to update the original game for hardcore series fans, frustrating gameplay mechanics and archaic design keep Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap from rising above anything but average.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a monster of a remake. It gives a fairly forgotten gem a profound buff to let its inherent charm shine through even brighter with gorgeous artwork and music. Its animal-altering mechanic and hoards of enemies guarantee that you're in for a good, fun challenge, and while its platforming and boss fights may not have the same impact, it's no wonder why the developer saw Wonder Boy fit to return.
Still, in a world of HD rehashing and the seemingly obligatory impulse to re-render old games with the latest in photorealistic graphics tech, it warms my heart to witness the stylistic human touch of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. It's a splendid homage, a playable history exercise, and an unexpected touchpoint for the expressive potential of hand-drawn animation in 2017.
Almost perfectly remastered classic from the past. Must-have for fans of the platformers and metroidvania-like games. The time has come to take on some dragons.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap not only introduces us to Wonder Girl, but adds beautifully reimagined hand drawn graphics, and the ability to seamlessly swap to the original game.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a delightful trip down memory lane. The art for the characters and environments are absolutely astounding, but with a dated gameplay style, it's difficult to say this remake is fully realized. Yes, purists will love that The Dragon's Trap is a nearly 100% replica of the original with updated art, but I feel as though the love given to the art of the game should have been given to the gameplay as well.
Hadyn received a digital copy of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap from DotEmu for review.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap sets the bar high for retro remakes. It represents the celebration and conservation of an unrecognized classic.