Wonder Boy - Asha in Monster World for PlayStation 4

The remake here feels, overall, quite cheap and unpolished. It does make SOME quality of life improvements over the original, but it doesn't feel like a net improvement.

I played the original on the Wii Virtual Console back in 2015, I was surprised how the game turned out, I enjoyed the music and gameplay. So I was kinda disappointed it was a remake than a sequel, but I was excited for the remake anyway, so I played the PS4 version first and enjoyed it. Already finished it in Normal Mode, it was surprisingly easy compared to the original, because you can more than one Healing Elixirs. But I still enjoyed it, I was also glad they made the Statue Puzzle in Ice Pyramid more specific with the hints. I was stuck in the original solving it. But I managed to finished in my first playthrough in a day. If you enjoyed the original genesis classic. you should pick up for cheap. Also to note that the PS4 has a download code and the Switch has the original game in the Cart, so keep that in mind so highly recommended for fans of the original like me.

The Wonder Boy series is great if you love platforming adventures. It's sort of a metroidvania but not quite, but it still fills that same niche as a metroidvania I think. If you like that genre or you just like platformers I think any of the Wonder Boy games are worth checking out.

First off, before I got this release of Asha In Monster World (an update of Monster World IV; not sure why they put "Wonder Boy" in the title of the update, unless it was just as a selling point), I thought it was going to have the original version of the game on the disc, but actually it's on a code, which is a bit of a drag. I haven't played the original version much yet, and haven't seen very much of it (I've never played the original cartridge release), but so far I like the update better, for various reasons. Actually, my bro and I have been taking turns playing the original and the update. We haven't noticed any definite or major bugs or glitches; just an occasional slight "hitch."We have finished the update (which I am, from now on, going to refer to as "Asha" --- with quote marks to make it clear that I'm talking about the game, and not the character) at least twice. It's kind of short, at least if you don't re-play stages to collect stuff you missed. (Of course, this is probably due to it being "made from" an "old" game; back when the original release was new, it might not have seemed as short.) My bro and I wouldn't have complained if this update had been made longer by the addition of at least another couple or so stages.We also find it to be overall kind of easy (on both the "easy" and "normal" difficulty settings), which isn't to say that there is no challenge for us or that it has never frustrated us. I think the only differences between the difficulty settings are the number of life hearts you start with (five on "easy," three on "normal") and that you don't "auto-collect" coins dropped by enemies on "normal." The enemies aren't any stronger on "normal"; on either setting, a hit from an enemy or an obstacle always takes only one heart. If you ask my bro and me, that's a good thing!Another good thing about "Asha" is that you can carry multiple heal potions (I've read that the original version of this game only let you carry one, which I wasn't aware of or had forgotten from what I've seen of it.)One REALLY cool thing (maybe the BEST thing) about "Asha" is that you can save your game at, and load it from, any point. Sure, this type of feature can be easily abused, but under the right conditions, the use of it can be justified! (This feature is one of the reasons that I like "Asha" more than the original version of the game, which doesn't have it! Since "Asha" has this feature, the Sage has been reduced to a more "advisory" position!)"Powering up" is pretty easy --- you just buy (and equip) different equipment. I think it's a good thing if you don't have to invest too much time into powering up on a game! However, there isn't a whole lot of equipment to buy here.One way in which the previous Wonder Boy games (or at least one or two of them; my bro and I still haven't played all of them), as well as Monster Boy And The Cursed Kingdom, top "Asha" is that you can assume all of the different forms, each with its own abilities. On "Asha," you're always Asha (who is admittedly pretty cool, although you don't seem as much like a "wonder" without the ability to take different forms!). You do get Pepelogoo, though, who is very helpful (and who undergoes some changes as the game progresses). In fact, there are MANY places where you HAVE to use him! However, after a certain point in the game, you can't use him anymore, and therefore can't re-play previous stages all the way through. There are some things, like certain Life Drop items, in those stages (as well as in the city and the palace) that you can never get if you don't collect them before you lose the use of Pepe. That kind of stinks. Also, you can NEVER go back to the first couple or so stages, so there are things in them that are not "gettable" if you don't get them the first (and only) time through. That's kind of lame, too.One "feature" of the game that can actually be more irritating than useful is when you "spin bounce" off of an enemy while trying to fight it (this can happen when you jump and attack). While you don't take damage from the enemy when this happens, you also don't hurt the enemy, and it can be annoying when you keep just bouncing off the enemy instead of getting hits in. This feature is a "help" that could have been left out. On the other hand, though, you also get an occasional, random "bubble of protection" (which doesn't bounce you) when an enemy hits you. THAT'S pretty neat. I don't think the original version of the game has either of these features (or the Magic Hit feature); forgive me if I'm wrong!Something that doesn't really affect the gameplay, but that I really appreciate, is how, well, "alive" Asha (the character) seems. The game developers did a REALLY good job with her movements and expressions, I think. The way she actually "looks at" enemy characters is a nice little touch. They even gave her some different "dances" for when she opens treasure chests on this update! (I think she always does the same one on the original version.)One thing I noticed (on the update; I don't know if it's also true of the original version), which actually shocked me a bit, is that the "evil" version of the Queen looks maybe too "hot" for a game rated E-10+!There are some other things that I could add about "Asha" (like the fact that it has English subtitles but the voices are in Japanese), but they're mostly minor, and this review has already gotten long, so I'll begin wrapping it up here. "Asha" is another one of those games that I probably would have given three-and-a-half stars if it had been possible. My bro and I both think it's a good, fun game; it does have things going for it, but there isn't quite enough to it. I think it would have helped considerably if a couple or so stages had been added to it. But as it is, it's still good in my and my bro's opinion, although gamers more hardcore than us may require more challenge.

Llego bien