After the defeat of the evil king, the kingdom of Wonder Land was a paradise…for a time. The peace was broken when a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon struck without warning and took over Wonder Land with a swarm of evil, monstrous henchmen, turning the once-peaceful land into the utterly chaotic Monster Land.
Unable to fight, the people now look to Wonder Boy. Realizing that he is Wonder Land's last hope, Wonder Boy sets out on an incredible journey to rid the country of the monsters and defeat the "invincible" evil dragon. Guide Wonder Boy through various environments and dungeons, and defeat enemies using Special Weapons and Spells.








1. Dazza
29 Jul 2008, 10:40 BST
This was one of my favourite Master System games back in the days. What a great game, yes it wasn't as slick as Wonderboy III but it was so much fun to play.
2. Ragnor
29 Jul 2008, 12:22 BST
Ahahaha, that cover art is so bad xD
But yeah, now I'll finally be able to see the end of this game properly, since it links into the beginning of the third
Speaking of which, I would totally buy the SMS Wonder Boy 3, even though Dragon's Curse is basically better in most ways. Nostalgia and all that
3. KeeperBvK
29 Jul 2008, 16:24 BST
I played this in the HEY arcade in Tokyo and I thought it was pretty neat. How close is this port to the original?
4. Tony
29 Jul 2008, 19:30 BST
Its amazing how much people make fun of the SMS's box are with the white grids and the bad pictures, but people love the Sega Genesis box art with the black grids and the edgy game covers.
Anyway somone at Nintendo loves Wonderboy games, thats for sure.
5. Kelvin
31 Jul 2008, 08:13 BST
Well, to be fair, some of the really early SMS cover art was shockingly awful. This game is in the middle period, where it's not quite as awful as stuff like Choplifter, but the style hasn't grown up quite yet. Once we get to 1991 or so, the cover art has really improved.
6. Virus
31 Jul 2008, 08:35 BST
Wow, this actually looks like it is a good game. I wish I waited for this to be my first SMS game instead of Alex Kidd...
7. Ragnor
31 Jul 2008, 13:09 BST
Yeah, the cover art progressivly got a lot better. I owned most of the better games from around the Sonic 2 SMS period, and all of them had good cover art
But oh man, the early ones would make you laugh at them over and over
8. Ricardo91
31 Jul 2008, 22:17 BST
That box art is hilariously atrocius. I'm sure that kid's face gave a few young children nightmares back in the day. And he's a bit big for a boy isn't he?
9. Mixer152
18 Aug 2008, 05:52 BST
Yeah the old SMS box arts are pretty abysmal. I heard Wonderboy III Monster Lair was one of the worst WB games, but thats the only one Ive played and I really enjoyed it as a kid. This one doesnt look too different though. Im not sure whether to get it.
10. gamerwizz
01 Sep 2008, 19:10 BST
Cant wait for this game to come out as this is the only game in the wonder boy series that I have never played hopefully it will come out sometime this month although its very rare master system games are released on the virtual console I think where due one dont you.
11. DDR Paladin356
19 Sep 2008, 19:53 BST
Epic fail on the box art. But this game is awesome!
12. President_Leever
29 Sep 2008, 06:08 BST
A very challenging game that introduced some of the series staples like shopping for equipment and treasure hunting. It's a shame it didn't get rid of some older mechanics in the process though, because searching for secrets and doing shopping is pretty hard to do when your life keeps draining away and there are NO continues to fall back on. And you still get point giving loot from enemies when all you really want is gold because it's so damn rare and everything is so damn expensive! The game ends up being as much about resource management as it is about platforming and fighting monsters.
Get the sequel, Wonder Boy III /Dragons Curse first. This isn't even the best version, as it plays extremely slow.
Btw, I wonder if the arcade game inspired Nintendo to make Zelda 2 the way it was or if it was the other way around?
13. tatemon555
04 Jan 2009, 15:46 GMT
Bad box art. I will probably get this, though.
14. Bass X0
22 Jan 2009, 23:07 GMT
worst ever game for the master system? i doubt that very much, dfalco.
15. 7th lutz
23 Jan 2009, 00:05 GMT
Dfalco, It is not the worst game on the Sms.
There are far worse Sega Master games out there including the "great sports" series for the the Sms. I own and played over 70 sms games.
16. maka
23 Jan 2009, 00:48 GMT
I think this is the Wonder Boy I played on the Amiga back in the early 90s. Is it possible? From what I've seen in the video it does seem to be it but my memory is a bit fuzzy...
Will probably get it anyway as I've enjoyed the other Wonder Boy games on VC
17. Jogurt the Yogurt
23 Jan 2009, 04:40 GMT
Come on, let's be fair to dfalco. He didn't say it's the worst game on the SMS... he said it's the "wrost"...
18. quakster
23 Jan 2009, 08:21 GMT
The C64 version of this thing kicked my arse. Time to pay back.
19. chunky_droid
23 Jan 2009, 11:57 GMT
SEGNESHGEGNESGNSUDBGYSDBYUVBCXBVXZ GIVE ME THIS GAME NOW!!!!!
I had the C64 version of this too quakster, I could only finish the game as long as I got Sphinx's question right because he kicked my arse otherwise. And that level with a lot of yellow in the background HATED my TV (played really loud fuzz through the speaker). I'm getting this as soon as it comes to the US.
20. slangman
23 Jan 2009, 12:09 GMT
The worst cover art I ever saw. I don't think i will get this though since the Wounder boy games don't interest me much at all.
21. Retro_Gameplayer
23 Jan 2009, 17:40 GMT
ive played it for a few consoles quiet good too a classic
22. Bass X0
23 Jan 2009, 19:02 GMT
slangman...
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/588176_85860_front.jpg
23. Drake
23 Jan 2009, 19:04 GMT
No no no, this is clearly the worst boxart ever
24. nintendo87
23 Jan 2009, 20:51 GMT
i agree with Drake WTF is up with that box art!!
25. Luigi La Bouncy
24 Jan 2009, 12:38 GMT
I'm curious about this game but can't decide whether to get this or the mega-drive version...
The first level looks the same but there seems to be more things going on in the megadrive version. mmmmm?
26. slangman
24 Jan 2009, 13:00 GMT
Now i can't decide which is the worst box art. Although Zllion looks far too basic to capture my eye.
27. Will
24 Jan 2009, 19:36 GMT
Which Wonder boy game was on C64?
28. Drake
24 Jan 2009, 22:39 GMT
The original Wonder Boy and Wonder Boy in Monster Land were both on C64.
29. Adamant
26 Jan 2009, 09:05 GMT
slangman, the Master System was a haven of horrendous box art. This game is above par as far as the system is considered.
30. chunky_droid
26 Jan 2009, 13:06 GMT
Does anyone know if the Master System version had the nurse say "Shit!" when you told her three times you didn't need medical attention? I remember her saying that in the C64 version I had when I was a young'n.
@Drake: The game was so bad it put itself in a headlock?
And as for box-art, at least the guy looks happy to be killing that red knight that's not even in the game
31. slangman
26 Jan 2009, 13:16 GMT
I suppose the dodgy box art is fairly normal for the SMS. Even so i still think WBIML has the cheesiest box art ever created for a Master System game.
32. niner
26 Jan 2009, 17:36 GMT
Meh, another SMS title. I can't think of a single game on that console that I would pay money for. When is the SNES going to have a decent release?!
33. Adamant
27 Jan 2009, 01:05 GMT
The Red Knight is in the game. You find him in the hidden mansion on the island, and probably some later places as well.
34. chunky_droid
27 Jan 2009, 01:50 GMT
@Adamant, it must've been too long since I've played it. Unless it's just in the SMS version as I completed the C64 version time and time again way back in primary school. Then again, it's hard to tell what colour half of the things are in the C64 version
35. Stevii's Father
27 Jan 2009, 04:46 GMT
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones + Adventure Island = Wonder Boy!
36. Adamant
27 Jan 2009, 18:18 GMT
(actually, that wasn't even right - the Red Knight is the boss on level 3. Forgot what he looked like when I mademy previous post)
37. Mickeymac
28 Jan 2009, 03:56 GMT
@niner
You mean all the other Super NES games released aren't good enough for you?
Well, if Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier weren't included in the Ultimate Genesis Collection, I could've had an SMS day today. Now I gotta wait for Fantasy Zone II and Sonic Chaos.
38. Wii is MYcrack
30 Jan 2009, 22:16 GMT
viva sms
39. nintendo87
31 Jan 2009, 22:44 GMT
just got this game today and its not bad but when u die it sucks you have to start all over
40. Adamant
02 Feb 2009, 17:22 GMT
Well, the game is designed around using your money intelligently and playing good through the entire game. Not starting over upon death would kind of kill the entire concept.
Plus the revival potion kind of acts as an extra life.
Plus, once you've learned how the game works, it's not particularly hard. I beat it fairly quickly.
41. DDR Paladin356
03 Feb 2009, 23:58 GMT
Ok, did anyone else notice that they changed the Hospital Cross to an H?
42. zss_shadow
08 Feb 2009, 16:52 GMT
Oh, but what about THIS box art?
Anyway, I loved the game when my uncle showed me, I think I'll get this game. Though there was a part in the last level with platforms where you could get permanently stuck so that was really annoying.
43. BananaJane
11 Feb 2009, 05:30 GMT
Yeah, all master system games had horrible box art.
44. Turbo Genesis 64
29 Jun 2009, 03:45 BST
I think an 8 is too high for this game. I would give it a 5. It will entertain mildly for a week than you will forget you own the game. The game hasn't aged that well and plenty of the gameplay is very flawed and rough.
45. SKTTR
05 Sep 2009, 04:14 BST
This game isn't bad. It's just very challenging.
One life, no continues, no save points, no passwords.
Only one resurrection potion you can have at a time.
After beating Wonder Boy (great classic) and Wonder Boy in Monster World (the best game in the series) this one seems to be the worst one.
I will download Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair soon and Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap when it's available.
But for now my score is:
Wonder Boy in Monster World ( 9/10 )
Wonder Boy ( 8/10 )
Wonder Boy in Monster Land ( 7/10 )
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