Wonder Boy

Super Wonder Boy redirects here. For the sequel (also called Super Wonder Boy on some releases), see Wonder Boy in Monster Land.

Wonder Boy
Publisher: Sega Developer: Escape, Sega System(s): Sega System 1, Sega SG-1000, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum ROM Size: 32kB, 128kB Genre: Action Release Date RRP Code World 1986  ? JP 1986 ¥4,300 C-69 JP 1987-03-22 ¥5,000 G-1316 US 1987 $?  ? EU 1987 £24.95 MK-5068-50 BR 1987 $?  ? KR 19xx ₩? GB-1316 JP 1990-12-08 ¥3,500 G-3205 US 1991 $? 2302 EU 1991 £19.99  ? BR 1991 $?  ? EU 1987 £14.99  ? EU (Cassette) 1987 £9.99  ? EU 1987 £14.99  ? EU (Cassette) 1987 £9.99  ? EU 1987 £9.99  ? JP 2008-04-08 500 points  ? US 2008-03-31 500 points  ? EU 2008-04-11 500 points  ? {{#ifeq: 0 | 3 | ESRB PEGI OFLC CERO

Wonder Boy (ワンダーボーイ) is a platform game developed by Escape and Sega in 1986 for Sega System 1 and Sega System 2 arcade hardware.

Contents 1 Story 2 Gameplay 3 History 3.1 Legacy 4 Gallery 5 Physical Scans 5.1 Arcade Version 5.2 SG-1000 Version 5.3 Master System Version 5.4 Game Gear Version 5.5 Amstrad CPC version 5.6 Commodore 64 version 5.7 ZX Spectrum version 6 External Links

Story

In Wonder Boy, the player controls a caveman-like character named Tom-Tom through seven areas with four rounds to save his girlfriend Tanya from a monster.

Gameplay

Wonder Boy is a sidescrolling platform game, in which the basic goal is to keep heading to to the right, avoiding obstacles, attacking enemies and jumping across platforms. Though it is not a requirement to do so, the game encourages players to keep moving to the right, as health decreases over time and the screen cannot scroll left. Health, and by extension, time, is added to by collecting fruit. There are numerous items hidden in eggs, including hammers, skateboards and fairies which can assist Tom-Tom in his quest.

One button jumps, another attacks. If the attack button is held, Tom-Tom will run and be able to jump higher, similar to the mechanics in Super Mario Bros..

History

Legacy

Wonder Boy's success in the arcades led to numerous home conversions of the game.

Its first home release occured in later in 1986, when it was adapted it was brought to the SG-1000 in Sega Card format. Due to the limitations of the console (and the chosen form of media), this version has only five stages and omits several enemies, items, and bonus stages. It is also considered to have very choppy scrolling, although features new additions such as a secret weapon and backwards warp-zones. Each of the five stages were also completely redesigned, with the final stage unlike any stage in any other version.

The following year, a more arcade accurate version was brought to the Sega Master System. This version, known as Super Wonder Boy (スーパーワンダーボーイ) in Japan, would provide the basis for a subsequent Sega Game Gear conversion in late 1990. In North America, the Game Gear version of the game was renamed Revenge of Drancon for unknown reasons. The Master System version of the game was also made available through the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2008.

1987 also saw the release of several home computer ports by Activision in Europe. Versions for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum were released around the same period, though an Atari ST version (advertised and priced at £24.99) never saw the light of day.

Following the release of this game, the Wonder Boy series notably branched off into two different series during the late 1980s. Escape (now Westone) initially signed a deal with Sega which gave Sega the rights to the names and characters featured in Wonder Boy, however Westone still had control over the source code, meaning the game could be brought to other systems in different forms. Westone's contract with Hudson Soft meant that Wonder Boy was brought to the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy under the name of Adventure Island (Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima in Japan).

Adventure Island was a success for Hudson Soft, and so many sequels were produced starting with Adventure Island 2. Most Adventure Island games build on the gameplay seen in Wonder Boy, and are seen by many to be the true lineage of the series. For Sega, Westone radically changed the Wonder Boy formula with the 1987 release of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, which in-turn led to another split in creative direction. The 1988 release of Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair is often cited as the official end of the classic Wonder Boy lineage - subsequent games would market themselves as sequels to Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Monster World), known in Japan as Monster World II, Monster World III and Monster World IV.

In its original arcade form, Wonder Boy has only been re-released once since 1986 - it was featured in the 2007 release of Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection alongside its SG-1000 and Master System counterparts (and other games in the "series").

Gallery

• 

Physical Scans

Arcade Version

SG-1000 Version

Master System Version

	72	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 2 reviews
Publication Score Source Sega Power 60 №23, p60 Sega Pro 84 №6, p31

Game Gear Version

	81	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 5 reviews
Publication Score Source Games-X 77 №13 Hobby Consolas 89 Joystick 94 №13, p132 Sega Power 60 №23, p61 Sega Pro 84 №6, p31

Amstrad CPC version

	64	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games 64 №103

Commodore 64 version

	63	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 2 reviews
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games 62 №103 Zzap!64 63 №61

ZX Spectrum version

	60	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games 60 №103

External Links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console page (Japanese)

Games in the Wonder Boy Series
Wonder Boy (1986) | Wonder Boy in Monster Land (1987) | Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (1988) | Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (1989) | Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991) | Monster World IV (1994) | Monster World Complete Collection (2007)