Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
Year: 2017
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 306 minutes / 5.10 hours
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is one of those games that I learned about through a YouTube video and realized I already picked it up for free from the Epic Games Store. The revamped art style was intriguing, and the gameplay felt somewhat modern—even if it had changed little from the original SEGA Master Drive. All things considered, it was a fairly fun playthrough, and I got my money’s worth (despite not spending any to buy it).
The form change mechanic made the progression through this game even more interesting. Once I’d figured out how to play as one of the animal-based forms, I’d have to learn the next one and start my learning all over. Granted, the better armor and weapons I gained along the way made this easier each time. And with each new form, I’d find some other area of the map that I could now access. This game was a Metroidvania before the genre even fully existed. Throughout all this, the hand-drawn art style was colorful, charming, and a clear upgrade from the 16-bit era it originally came from.
My one gripe with this game was with the equipment that you can buy to upgrade your character. While I loved that there was a reason to spend the money earned throughout the game, I found myself often stumped about where to go next only to realize that I needed to equip a different set of armor or use a different sword to help me advance to the next area. The item descriptions were obviously meant to be vague, but a clearer sign of which abilities I had would have made it a little more fun.
A great remake of a 16-bit game but with some retained weaknesses, I give Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap 4.0 stars out of 5.
