Wonder Boy in Monster Land - Legacy

Legacy

Wonder Boy in Monster Land received additional coverage years after its release. A 2004 review from Honest Gamers highly lauded its gameplay, challenge, and sound. It noted that while the game starts easy, the difficulty increases at a decent rate and involves good general gameplay skills that serve to add to the gameplay value. The reviewer praised the sound for being simple yet very effective, saying that it "is the ultimate compliment to pay a video game score" and comparing it to other Sega Master System titles such as Alex Kidd. A 2008 IGN feature listed the game as one of "The 7 Master System Games You Need"; the reviewer said the game "is one of the finest adventures in a long series of games", praising its brightly-colored graphics and character sprites, and its sound. IGN had its sequel, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, at No. 8 on their list, just missing also being featured.

The game received further reviews and general praise upon its release to the Virtual Console in 2009. Website Nintendo Life praised the game's controls for being smooth and responsive, especially for such an old game. The review appreciated its graphics, especially in its sharpness and usage of color; it further lauded the game's upbeat sound that complements the game nicely, the varied level designs and gameplay elements such as the need to answer questions from some bosses, and its overall execution. It said that the game is one of the better Master System titles that still plays good today. IGN called Wonder Boy in Monster Land one of the best games on the Master System, mainly because of its unique balance of platforming and RPG elements, which the reviewer calls "a winning formula". It said that the game is an improvement over its Adventure Island-like predecessor, replacing the "fruit gauge" with an hourglass timer while retaining other elements such as finding invisible items and discovering secret areas. The review mentioned that the game should appeal to fans from the days of 8-bit and the Master System.

Allgame gave positive reviews of the game. It said that game includes everything from hidden items, simplistic gameplay, fun and replay value, and basic but good-looking graphics. Defunct Games called Wonder Boy in Monster Land the most challenging game in the Wonder Boy series, noting the lack of passwords or continues in the Master System version, the relatively few chances to earn extra lives, and a time limit. The review said that the ability to earn gold and upgrade equipment which are laid out in the status screen tremendously adds to the replay value. It praised the responsive, though sometimes not precise, controls and the tight hit detection. Moreover, it said that the graphics were colorful and that it complemented the music and its simplistic sound effects well. Overall, the review said that the game is recommended for Master System and platforming fans alike.