Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Reviews
From long-time Wonder Boy fans to platformer enthusiasts who've never heard of it until now, you'll likely be able to find whimsical fun and a neat bit of genre history in this charming adventure.
The Dragon's Trap's HD sheen belies the simplistic gameplay of its era, but there's undeniable charm in that simplicity.
Short but sweet, this superb remake reintroduces an overlooked classic in style.
Despite carrying over a couple of issues from it's early Sega days, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is still a stellar platformer and metroidvania game.
It's clear that the team at Lizardcube are massive fans of the original Wonder Boy III, and that affection translates into what is without a shadow of a doubt the definitive version of a game which has previously been ported to the Game Gear and PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16. The new visuals are sumptuous and the soundtrack - which uses traditional instrumentation rather than computer-generated audio - proves just how catchy the original tunes were. Despite the passing of the years The Dragon's Trap remains a perfectly-pitched non-linear action adventure which must surely rank as one of the best of the 8-bit era. Its biggest failing is the fact that like the Master System original, it can be completed in the space of an evening. Still, that evening will be one of the most enjoyable you can possibly spend with your Switch, making this a recommended purchase regardless.
It's still relevant now just as it was all those years ago, and getting a beautiful art style helps to keep Wonder Boy fresh and enjoyable.
There's lots of little things about the game that are surprising. In Mario if you fall as you move across a level, you'll fall to your death. Here, however, you'll fall into a water level. It's just such a quirky, different game than many of its more famous counterparts.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap sets a new standard for what remakes should include, and I hope future ones can follow in these footsteps with projects that are just as passionate. While it can't escape a few of the original title's annoyances, it is still an engaging and enjoyable experience for 2D-platformer and series fans, and will most likely garner the franchise some new fans, who will come into contact with the series for the first time with this game like I did. I never owned the Sega Master System, but I am elated that I got to experience this all-but-forgotten gem.
Even though the Master System was an also-ran next to the NES's dominance, there were some real gems created for it, and Wonder Boy 3 just might have been the best game released on the platform. Lizardcube and DotEmu have done a lot of work to bring The Dragon's Trap up to today's standards, and the new version plays as good as it looks. It's plain to see how much effort went into making this into the best possible version of a game that deserves to be a classic, and it's absolutely worth your time.
Wonder Boy: The Dragons Trap is a shining example of a remake done right. This is both a love letter to the original and a way to bring in the present an undervalued gem.
Review in Italian | Read full review
One of the best retro remakes there's ever been, and although the gameplay sometimes shows its age the graphics are amongst the best of the year.
It not only proves that the original was solid enough to endure modern expectations, but even refreshes it with style and affection. If you are a retro and platforming junkie, go get it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a perfect example of a remake that's been done for reasons beyond simple material gain. Lizardcube have clearly put everything they have into making it unerringly respectful of the original – for good and bad – but this has all the look of a gorgeous modern indie platformer, while retaining the old-school gameplay that made it so memorable the first time around.
As a remake of 1989's game of the year, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a brilliant and beautiful recreation. The SEGA classic has been honored by developers who were clearly a fan of the original game and there's a lot of heart that shows through the hand-drawn visuals and classical instrument soundtrack. There are some inherent flaws that have been present for 28 years which don't explain some of the more vague complexities, and without the nostalgia factor to highlight the classic, it could seem like just another indie metroidvania — albeit an exceptionally exquisite one — but Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a great example of a game made with the kind of passion that sometimes gets lost in the massive productions of modern gaming.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is an absolutely perfect remake of a classic game that predates many of today's gamers. Lizardcube and DotEmu not only brought The Dragon's Trap back for a new generation to appreciate, they also lavished it with utterly incredible artwork and newly performed music.
As an introduction to the Wonder Boy franchise, you can't go wrong here. As a blast from the past, it will hit all of the right buttons.
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 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.
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.