Wonder Boy

Genre:

Arcade

Year:

1987

Developer:

Escape

Publisher:

SEGA

Perspective:

Side-view

Releases:

MAME 2003 (1986), SMS (1987), Amstrad CPC (1987), ZX Spectrum (1987), Commodore 64 (1987), Game Gear (1990)

Also known as:

Arcade Archives: Wonder Boy, Revenge of Drancon

Wonder Boy is an arcade platform game developed in 1986 by Escape for Sega's arcade machines. However, before long, Sega itself also ported it to its SG-1000, Sega Master System and Game Gear consoles. After the title also appeared on the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad home computers in 1987, it became very popular and five more sequels were subsequently released. Wonder Boy is a typical platformer of its time, so it's based on speed. The protagonist is a boy known only as "Boy". He must quickly jump and run through seven levels to save his girlfriend Tina (Tanya in the console versions), held captive by a villain named Dark King. The basis of the gameplay is simple: along the way, Boy jumps over obstacles, collects fruits, tries to neutralize opponents and at the same time has to avoid traps that stand in his way. The boy can arm himself with a stone hatchet, which he can throw at oncoming foes, a skateboard with which he can rush through the levels and temporary protection by an angel which allows him to destroy foes by simply running into them. All of the aforementioned power-ups are obtained by breaking open eggs. These eggs can also contain unpleasant surprises – curses which cause him to lose vitality more quickly than usual, and poisonous mushrooms which reduce the boy's vitality in one go. At the end of every "area", the boy will encounter an incarnation of the chief antagonist as a boss character. Once defeated, the mighty lord's mask flies off and transforms into an item such as a tea cup or a piece of fruit, before subsequently making his escape.