Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Reviews
We revisit one of the eShop’s earliest gems, a classic action-platformer and proto-metroidvania lovingly remade for the modern era.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is by far the best representation to why certain retro games deserve a makeover. Not just because they can, but developers such as Lizardcube have taken careful thought and conducted lots of research, love and time into this game.
The decision point in this game should heavily factor in how well you believe you can put up with some dated gameplay concepts against your appreciation for a game that is absolutely incredible to look at. A nifty add-on feature allows you to toggle both the graphics and the music to their original versions and play through the game that way. Even though the original look is obviously much simpler I was surprised at the level of care put into its look even way back when. If you get frustrated remember you can always look up old save codes and start out a bit more juiced up, another nice classic touch thrown in for good measure. All said, Wonder Boy is a nostalgic romp accented by a memorable reskinned look worth checking out.
Wonder Boy is another remake of a game. It has everything 1986 classic had and adds on top of that. The game looks great, the simple gameplay is relaxing and demanding at the same time.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Wondetboy: The Dragons Trap Is a prime example of retro platformers nailing the basics today.
A beautiful lick of paint and superb execution mean that Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is not only well worth your money, but it also feels perfectly at home on the handheld mode of Nintendo’s Switch. This love-letter to the past proves a great game forever remains a great game.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap may be out of its time – it's rock hard, a little obtuse, and won't lead you by the hand – but benefits from a stylish and sensitive makeover that stays painstakingly true to the mechanically perfect original. The Dragon's Trap is a remarkable thing, then. Not only is it a retro remake that's actually not crap, it's as good as the day it first came out and even holds its own against modern releases.
"Surgeon's knife can make the difference."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
A beautiful homage to a timeless platformer that packs two very distinct visions about game, art and level design. This is what remakes should aspire to be.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a title that shows gamers that remakes can be an excellent idea if handled properly. Lizardcube has done an amazing job, masterfully updating the classic platformer's audiovisual aspect yet leaving its solid gameplay untouched so new fans can experience it the way it was meant to be.
Dated in some respects, polished and refined to a bright sheen in others, Wonderboy still manages to engage the player thanks to a solid fundamental core of simplistic but challenging combat, and a vast landscape to explore.
I simply have to commend Lizardcube for the effort they have put into Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, even if it is a remake. A lot of other companies that remake older games can learn a thing or two from this developer. It looks great, sounds great and still plays wonderfully too. It was a great game in 1989 and whilst maybe some of that greatness has now gone, because games have simply moved on since then, it is still certainly a really fun game and one that I did not want to put down from start to finish.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap sets the standard for remakes in the future. Lizard Cube has done a fantastic job in creating an imaginative world that still caters to fans of the original, as neither party has to make compromises here. The audio and visual switching mechanic works flawlessly and is easily the most exciting part about this title. While some of the game’s mechanics may seem dated due to the original title's age, it’s the gorgeous world and satisfying gameplay that make this game an easy recommendation.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is everything an HD remake should be. The game itself was given an amazing face lift and the animation looks incredible. The platforming gameplay is the same as the original game, to a fault. The basic platforming and enemies can be a little boring at times.
Wonderboy The Dragon's Trap is one of my favourite experiences on Switch to date
. If you’re a fan of the original or just looking for a charming, retro-inspired adventure, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a game you’ll want to experience at least once.
With this new rendition of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, it's easy to see why so many old-school fans loved this franchise. The world design and inventory systems are well designed and the remastered visuals and audio will have you salivating. It's a blast to discover and utilize the special skill of each animal form. The whole family will have a wonderful time with this classic. (The ability to swap visuals and audio to retro at the click of a button is pretty slick too.)
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap should be used as a benchmark for future remakes of classic games.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a faithful remaster of a classic that a lot of folks missed. Developer LizardCube has kept the original gameplay completely intact and laid some amazing 2D art and great remastered soundtrack over top of it. It's a faithful preservation of a classic, retaining any of the gameplay pitfalls the original had, but it's surprising how great Wonder Boy III is with some visual and aural polish.