Wonder Boy in Monster Land - Reception

The Sega Master System version of the game was reviewed in the June 1988 issue of Computer and Video Games, which gave it an overall score of 9 out of 10. It described the game as a "total mix of arcade, strategy and adventure" with "role playing elements" such as "interaction with other characters and the ability to develop your character." It further stated that the "graphics rate as some of the best seen to date on a Sega game" and the "playability is supreme," concluding that it pushes its game design "to new horizons, all of which makes for longterm playability and interest." It was also reviewed in the April 1989 issue of Dragon by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers called it "a good game with a bad name", considered the game play superb, and concluded that the game "is one of SEGA's classic products." They stated that the arcade, strategy and role-playing action elements combine to make it "a truly original and enjoyable game" and that Sega has "done an excellent job" overall, giving the game 4½ out of 5 stars. Allgame also gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars, with reviewer Jonathan Sutyak describing it as "one of the best games I have ever played on the Master System." IGN in 2009 described the Virtual Console release as an "interesting platformer/RPG hybrid" game.

The ZX Spectrum version of Wonder Boy in Monster Land received preview coverage in Your Sinclair magazine. They praised the new additions made to the game that separated it from Wonder Boy; they called the game "a good arcade adventure with a smattering of strategy thrown in". The magazine reviewed the game four months later. The reviewer noted the diverse level designs and many "surprises" the player will encounter, and they praised the game's learning curve, saying that it "is well thought out and you really feel as if you made some progress before you die". It was criticized for its long multi-load times on the ZX Spectrum, its jumping mechanics in which the character "floats around", and the graphics which was not as good as its predecessor. The reviewer called Wonder Boy in Monster Land "a souped-up version of Wonderboy, which improves much on the original theory but at a slight cost to gameplay". Reviewers from UK-based magazine The Games Machine called it "probably the best conversion you could expect on the Spectrum".

CRASH magazine praised the ZX Spectrum version of the game for its detailed sprites and smooth movements, playability, and combat system. The reviewer further commended the game for the differences that set it apart from the original Wonder Boy game, citing the cartoon-like feel and the vast arrays of enemies and items; just as in Your Sinclair, it was criticized for its slow multi-loading. Overall, the reviewer said the game is "great fun for the experienced games player or the person just starting out in the Spectrum world". Sinclair User magazine praised its gameplay, citing the ability to stab enemies with a sword, to collect gold and items left behind, and to go into shops and pubs and buy equipment. Further praise went to the colorful and detailed graphics and animations, though they said they tend not to perform well in more complex background settings. Spanish magazine MicroHobby said that the ZX Spectrum version brought nothing new from its arcade counterpart, but the execution was good; they lauded the game's graphics and its challenging and addictive gameplay, but they criticized it for its lack of originality.

The Commodore 64 and Atari ST versions of Wonder Boy in Monster Land also received similar praise from gaming magazines. The Games Machine praised the Atari ST version but criticized the Commodore 64 version. The reviewers said the former "is not only playable, but the graphics are the nearest to the arcade machine you're going to get"; however, they said the graphics in the latter, while colorful, were too block-like and ruined its overall presentation. Reviewers from Zzap!64 criticized the Commodore 64 version, saying that this version is only slightly better and more playable than the Amiga version. Moreover, they said this version also suffered from repetitive gameplay and "inefficient multi-load", though an improvement from the Amiga version. Zero gave a fair assessment of the Atari ST version, appreciating the "cutesy" and cartoon-like graphics and addicting gameplay, which the reviewer said is "very easy to get into and very hard to put down"; they criticized the game's lack of any save features, saying that some of the gameplay gets repetitive after a while. Swedish magazine Datormagazin acclaimed the Commodore 64 version in most aspects. They lauded its graphics for being simplistic but clean, but they noted that they were not sensational. They criticized the game for its music, which they said can become annoying after a while, and for its lack of save points. Overall, they gave a positive review, saying that it "is a perfect example of how to make a game that is fairly simple to play but still is fairly advanced".

The Amiga version of Wonder Boy in Monster Land received mixed responses, but most reviews were negative. CU Amiga magazine expressed disappointment over the major change in the gameplay and the protagonist himself from the game's predecessor. The review also criticized sharply the game's poor graphics and character sprites, saying that "many of the characters are short and stumpy", that the background resembles that of Boulder Dash, and that Wonder Boy "is as wide as he is tall". Other criticisms included substandard screen scrolling, terrible gameplay due to the game's slowness, and that the actual gameplay area has been drastically reduced in size to include gameplay statistics such as the life meter and score displays. IGN heavily criticized the Amiga version 20 years after its release, saying how Wonder Boy was depicted as "a diaper-clad baby".

Amiga Format similarly gave the game poor ratings, including the small gameplay area as a result of displaying the other statistics, sound that is substandard to the Amiga computer's expectations, the lack of a "high score" feature, and limited continues (as opposed to the arcade version which had unlimited continues). The reviewer said that "the game hasn't been programmed to make use of any of the Amiga's features" and that it "is another in the sadly increasing number of games that has simply been ported over from the first conversion, so that none of the features that make Amiga games stand out are included". Zzap!64 complained about the version's "beepy" sound and the very slow multi-load times, saying that the player may spend more time waiting for the game to load levels than play it. It also noted the lack of detail and variety in the graphics which did not make up for the slow multi-load times; the reviewer said that the enemies looked "about as dangerous as a dead tortoise".

Other reviews from computer magazines gave the Amiga version of the game more positive reviews. Amiga User International praised the game's graphics, which they said were translated from the arcade version near-perfectly. It also appreciated the game's cartoon-style graphics, which said befits the game well. However, the review noticed that the game's code came from the Atari ST version, which, as noted in the other reviews, has resulted in choppy scrolling and a shrunken gameplay area – something which "the Amiga could do all this perfectly smoothly with one hand tied behind its back". The review also criticized its slow multi-load times and high retail price. German magazine Amiga Joker liked the game's "candy-like graphics" and gameplay style, which they said compared to the unreleased title The Great Giana Sisters. However, the reviewers criticized it for its choppy scrolling and sound, of which they said "David Whittaker has already produced much better sound".