Wonder Boy in Monster World

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Wonder Boy in Monster World

Developer(s)	Westone
Publisher(s)	Sega
Release date(s)	October 1991
Genre(s)	Platform/RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: All ages (A)
Platform(s)	Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Virtual Console
Media	cartridge

Monster World

Wonder Boy in Monster World (Wonder Boy V Monster World III in Japan) is a title in the series of Wonder Boy games which were developed in the 1980's and 1990's by Sega and Westone. It is the fifth game in the Wonder Boy series, and the third game in the Monster World sub-series. It is also the last Wonder Boy game to be officially released in English.

The Sega Master System port was significantly different. It featured downgraded graphics, fewer and shorter stages, and a complex password system (approximately 40 digits in length) rather than a battery save. Because of its content reduction and inferior hit detection it is considered by many fans to be the inferior version; nevertheless, for what was possible on the Master System at its time, it was a relatively impressive port.

Hudson later released a slightly re-branded version for the Turbo CD titled The Dynastic Hero. It featured palette-swapped visuals, new insect-themed graphics for main characters (and appropriately, insect's natural predators as bosses), and anime-style cutscenes at the intro and ending. Shion was renamed Dyna and was modeled after a Hercules Beetle, and the final boss was changed to a giant lizard king. An English-language version was also produced, but both were built off the Japanese version of Wonder Boy in Monster World so feature the same difficulty and mechanics as the Japanese version. The English version is one of the rarest Turbo CD games and frequently fetches high prices at online auctions.

Tec Toy, Sega's distributor in Brazil, altered the Mega Drive version and released it as Turma da Mônica na Terra Dos Monstros (translated as Monica's Gang in the Land of Monsters). Like other Wonder Boy-to-Mônica conversions, the game is in Portuguese, the main character is Mônica from the Turma da Mônica comics, and other elements and characters from it were added.

"Monster World was once a peaceful region. Then, the peace was shattered by an invading army of monsters. A young man named Shion vowed to defeat them and make his land peaceful again."

Wonder Boy In Monster World puts you in control of Shion in his quest to save Monster World from the evil BioMeka. It controls like your standard platform game - run, jump, and kill enemies. The game is filled with RPG elements such as talking to townsfolk, collecting money to buy items, extending your life bar, and equipping a large variety of armor, weapons and magic.

Shion travels through the many interconnected regions of Monster World, all the while collecting increasingly powerful equipment in the form of many different swords, spears, shields, suits of armor, and boots.

The game introduced a one slot save feature to save process at inns throughout the game world. In the Japanese original Shion returned to the inn last saved at upon death (and was charged its fee accordingly), so returning to an inn in order to save a simple matter of allowing Shion to be killed. In the English-language Megadrive versions this was changed to a "Game Over" screen; this made it often tedious to return to the inns early in the game when Return magic hadn't been obtained yet.

Shion will find many different types of equipment on his travels. The different types of equipment are listed as follows.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Shion's main method of attack. Starting out with a weak short sword named Gladius, Shion will be able to purchase many different weapons, increasing both attack power and range. There are two different kind of weapons Shion can use; swords and spears.

Spears usually give Shion a larger attack range then any Swords obtainable at that point do. The trade off however, is that Shion cannot equip shields while he's having a spear equipped. Despite this, players with good reflexes will still be able to deflect frontal attacts by holding UP and pressing the Attack button. This will make Shion twirl the spear in his hands for about a second, effectively shielding himself, and even attacking if an enemy bumps into him.

This is a list of the weapons that can be used by Shion:

Gladius: Shion's starting weapon.
Small Spear: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 80 gold.
Knight Sword: Shop in Purapril named Bacchus, 250 gold.
Trident: Defeat Gragg and Glagg in the ruins.
Pygmy Sword: At the left side of the Monster World Sea near Poseidon's shrine. Jump on the platforms to get on the cliff.
Excalibur: Shop in Purapril named Wanderer, 2500 gold.
Battle Spear: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 10000 gold.
Legend Sword: The Blacksmith in Begonia will turn the old-axe into this sword after you gave him the fire-urn.

Shields protect Shion from projectiles and some direct frontal attacks. Starting out with no shield at all, Shion will be able to find and purchase increasingly larger and more powerful shields, which protect a larger area in front of Shion, as certain higher or lower aimed projectiles may simply pass by smaller shields.

This is a list of the shields that can be used by Shion:

Wood Shield: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 50 gold.
Shell Shield: Shop in Lilypad named Gooningle's, 200 gold.
Hard Shield: In the ruins near Lilypad. Go to the left in the room with the spears. Jump on the blocks at the dead-end and they will collapse. Take Hotta to the middle of the room and he will make an entrance appear.
Steel Shield: Shop in Purapril named Wanderer, 2000 gold.
Pygmy Shield: Enter the right door of the pyramid. You'll find the key inside the pyramid.
Knight Shield: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 3500 gold.
Fire Shield: Shop in Begonia, 8000 gold.
Legend Shield: Nightmare Castle. In the room with the 2 rope-lifts. grab the first one it will lead you to a chest.

Armor causes Shion to sustain less damage when he's hit.

This is a list of the armor that can be worn by Shion:

Leather Armor: Shion's starting armor.
Chain Mail: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 70 gold.
Steel Armor: Shop in Lilypad named Gooningle's, 800 gold.
Pygmy Armor: Under the rocks in the sea near Alsedo. The chest can be seen long before you'll be able to actually get it. Find your way through the underwater maze to get there.
Hard Armor: Shop in Purapril named Bacchus, 220 gold.
Knight Armor: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 5000 gold.
Flame Armor: Shop in Begonia, 10000 gold.
Legend Armor: Nightmare Castle. Fall into the gap in the room with the rope-lifts.

Boots will advance Shion's running speed and jumping distance. Most boots also give Shion special movement abilities.

This is a list of the boots that can be worn by Shion:

Cloth Boots: Shion's starting boots. Slow walking speed, short jumping distance.
Leather Boots: In the shop near your house, 30 gold. Slightly increases running speed and jumping distance.
Ladder Boots: Shop in Purapril named Sundry, 50 gold. Dramatically increases ladder climbing speed.
Marine Boots: Shop in Lilypad named Drapnell Sundry Goods, 300 gold. Recommended for fast swimming.
Oasis Boots: In Poseidon's shrine. First talk to Poseidon, then get back to the room where you had to swim a while downwards. It's in that area. These boots protect Shion's feet from hot desert sands.
Ceramic Boots: Shop in Childam, 4000 gold. Increases traction on icy floors.
Pygmy Boots: In the ice palace, the right tower.
Legend Boots: Nightmare Castle. In the area with the platform on wheels. High running speed and jumping distance.

Scattered around Monster World are four pieces of Pygmy equipment; the Pygmy Sword, Pygmy Shield, Pygmy Armor and Pygmy Boots. Collecting all four of these will enable Shion to change into a tiny version of himself, allowing him through tiny doors and passageways. Apart from being necessary to enter the volcano near Begonia, you will also be able to backtrack to certain places where you couldn't enter before, such as a number of small corridors inside the Pyramid.

Shion can learn a couple of different magic spells, each with various different effects. Each magic spell has a limited amount of uses, displayed by the amount of blue crystals under the spell's name in the Pause Menu. When your magic is used up, you can rest at an inn to replenish it. Also some higher level monsters drop blue crystals. Picking them up will replenish your magic as well.

Summons a stream of small, minor-damage fireballs that home in on nearby enemies. When only a single enemy is nearby, it will be attacked by the full barrage, quickly adding up the damage.

Causes all enemies on screen to be attacked by a bolt of lightning for decent damage. This will defeat many minor enemies in one blow.

Shakes the earth, doing high damage to all enemies on screen touching the ground. Flying, swimming or jumping enemies will not be affected.

Causes Shion to be fully protected by a magical shield for a limited amount of time. When Shion is hit, the shield will block any damage, steadily decreasing the shield's time limit. You can not use items or any other type of magic while Shield Magic is active.

Gives Shion a dramatic increase in attack strength for a limited amount of time. Similar to the Shield magic, the Power magic's time limit will decrease more steadily when you cause damage to an opponent. You can not use items or any other kind of magic while Power Magic is active.

Warps Shion to the inn you most recently saved your game at. Can only be used once before it needs to be replenished. Of course, this isn't much of a problem, since it replenishes when staying at the inn it sends you to.

During his travels, Shion will often be joined by a small companion who follows you around. Each companion is bound to the region he or she belongs to, and will return to their respective homes when you leave said region. All travel companions will also temporary stay out of action during boss fights.

	Priscilla A small fairy who hails from Alsedo, the Fairy village. She joins Shion when he talks to Queen Eleanora. Priscilla will randomly fly over to an enemy and bop the enemy with her wand, distracting it. Also, when Shion's health is getting low, she may conjure up a few small hearts for Shion to catch.
	Hotta A dwarf kid, who lives in the Dwarf village of Lilypad. He will follow Shion around when you save him from the bushmen. Hotta can break open some walls, enabling Shion's entry in the nearby temple, as well as uncovering a couple hidden rooms in the said temple. He also randomly digs up a fountain of small coins and hearts.
	Shabo A little summoned reaper, who Shion obtains in Childam, the Darkworld village. He will fly alongside Shion through the Ice Caverns, attacking enemies randomly with his throwing scythe.
	The Elder Dragon's grandson A nameless dragon hatchling, who will accompany Shion in Begonia, the Dragon village. He will help him through the volcano, frequently attacking enemies with his fire breath.

	Fairy Queen Eleanora Her village is the first you encounter. She'll lend you Priscilla, one of her fairy companions, to aid you through your journey through the Mushroom infested forest lair near Alsedo.
	Princess Shiela Purapril You save her early in the game from a Dark Knight. She'll give you advice at a few points throughout the game, if you care to visit her. Near the end, the game eventually suggests some sort of love interest, as well.
	Elder Dwarf He's distraught about the kidnapping of Hotta, a young dwarf who lives in the village of Lilypad.
	Elder Dragon This wise dragon will tell you how to obtain the materials for creating the Legendary Sword. He also sends his grandson along with you on your journey through the volcano.
	The Darkworld Prince The Prince has gone missing recently. Rumor has it he was abducted by an evil force...