#Download Wonder Boy The Dragons Trap series#

#Download Wonder Boy The Dragons Trap series#

The same can be said for the music Lizardcube has painstakingly recreated Shinichi Sakamoto's original soundtrack using instruments such as the violin, guitar, oboe and mandolin, and the results are utterly incredible (and lovingly documented via a series of behind-the-scenes video clips in the game's gallery mode). In many ways this facelift fills in the gaps that were a consequence of the original game running on modest 8-bit hardware sprites which were once just a few pixels high are now stunning rendered in crisp high definition and are bursting with emotion and character, while the locations which left so much to the imagination in 1989 and often featured entirely blank backgrounds are packed with new imagery and environmental details. The gorgeous hand-drawn visuals are a joy to behold, boasting silky-smooth and highly expressive animation as well as rich, detailed backgrounds. While Lizardcube has wisely kept the basics the same, the changes it has made elsewhere enhance the experience massively. Switching between these forms is only possible at certain locations in the game world, so while there's a lot of back-tracking involved, the way in which the various locations are stitched together makes the whole game feel like a finely-tuned puzzle - and one which has lost none of its capacity to amaze and entertain, even after all these years. Mouse-Man can scale certain surfaces for example, while Hawk-Man has the power of flight and Piranha-Man can swim. This 'gear-gating' approach may seem like old news in 2017, but back in 1989 it felt truly revolutionary - and the fact that each transformation has special abilities which allow it to reach certain areas made the concept even more interesting. Exploration also yields extra heart containers to increase the amount of damage you can take, as well as special items which allow you to overcome certain obstacles - such as a ring which grants the power to destroy special blocks. Coins are used to purchase weapons, armour and shields from the various vendors dotted around the game world, and these boost your offensive and defensive capabilities. The ultimate objective is the acquisition of the Salamander Cross, the only item which can lift the shape-shifting curse.ĭefeating enemies grants coins, secondary weapons (such as arrows for hitting airborne enemies and a boomerang which can be caught once thrown) and occasionally life-replenishing items such as hearts and potions, the latter of which automatically refill your energy gauge when it is reduced to zero. The aim from this point on is to explore the massive, sprawling game world to track down the remaining dragons to unlock Wonder Boy's other transformations, which include Mouse Man, Piranha Man and Hawk-Man. Upon defeating the Mecha / Meka Dragon a curse is placed on the protagonist, turning them into the fire-breathing Lizard Man. The Dragon's Trap initially feels like a typical action platform title, with the player jumping and attacking their way through a fantasy landscape in the game's opening section, which takes place immediately after the events of its forerunner, Wonder Boy in Monster Land. This is a remake handled with the care and attention of true fans, and it shows. The core game is identical but the visuals and audio have been comprehensively upgraded and a smattering of creature comforts have been included to bring things up to modern standards. It has now been reimagined by French studio Lizardcube, a team made up of developers who unashamedly label themselves as hardcore fans of the original.

The Dragon's Trap is recalled with such fondness today that its popularity arguably eclipses the two subsequent 16-bit sequels, Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV. A massively influential and innovative title, it combined platform action with a non-linear structure and very slight RPG overtones, foreshadowing the 'Metroidvania' sub-genre which would be popularised by the likes of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night years later. The Sega Master System may have lost out to the NES in terms of pure commercial success and depth of software, but it nevertheless had its fair share of amazing games - and 1989's Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap must surely rank at the top of the list.