Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Image
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79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

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7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 172 Ratings

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  • Summary: Boasting beautiful, hand-drawn animations and a re-orchestrated soundtrack, the cult classic returns with a unique blend of exploration, action, and adventure!

    Cursed into a half-human, half-lizard monstrosity by the Meka-Dragon, you are in search for a cure! The only way you can return
    Boasting beautiful, hand-drawn animations and a re-orchestrated soundtrack, the cult classic returns with a unique blend of exploration, action, and adventure!

    Cursed into a half-human, half-lizard monstrosity by the Meka-Dragon, you are in search for a cure! The only way you can return to human form is to find the Salamander Cross, a magical item with the power to remove curses...

    With each dragon slain, the curse intensifies, transforming you into different animals! Explore large, interconnected locations populated with grumpy monsters and exotic dragons!

    Play as the games classic character, Hu-Man, or as his brand-new, long-awaited co-star Hu-Girl. You can also inhabit Lizard-Man, Mouse-Man, Piranha-Man, Lion-Man, and Hawk-Man, and use their unique abilities to uncover the lands deepest secrets.
    Enjoy 3 difficulty levels catering to players of all types, and switch from modern graphics and sound to 8-bit graphics/audio at any time - even during gameplay!
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Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - Launch Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. May 26, 2017
    90
    Wonder Boy is full of wistful retro charm, and an absolutely essential purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop.
  2. Apr 29, 2017
    85
    Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a dream come true for all the fans of the original Master System classic, Lizard Cube gave us a new standard for how to make classic game remakes.
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Jun 23, 2017
    85
    This may be the most beautiful hand-drawn 2D game I've ever played, and I'd frequently stop while playing just to marvel at the mastery of how each scene was reworked. [Issue #28 – July/August 2017, p. 20]
  4. Apr 17, 2017
    80
    Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a remarkable remake of a classic from '89, with an outsanding artistic direction and a clever re-arrangement of the original OST.
  5. Apr 23, 2017
    80
    Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a fantastic remake that clearly shows how much the developer Lizardcube loved the original. However, as fun and well made it is, we are talking about a Master System game you can clear in a couple hours or so: it's somewhat overpriced at the moment.
  6. Apr 18, 2017
    80
    Lizardcube has both made The Dragon’s Trap more vibrant and set a fascinating standard for game remakes.
  7. May 24, 2017
    50
    Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is amusing for a few hours before it turns rather stale. The combat system is fast and sharp, but also repetitive, and because there is so little in terms of story and characters, there are few reasons to replay the game once the short adventure is over.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 48
  2. Negative: 4 out of 48
  1. Apr 20, 2017
    10
    If you grew up with this or old games, you´re in home. Great visuals and music and has a retro option to play the old way, the only terribleIf you grew up with this or old games, you´re in home. Great visuals and music and has a retro option to play the old way, the only terrible thing on the old version was the slow pause option, which was thankfully fixed here, everything is smooth, Expand
  2. Sep 30, 2018
    9
    Beautiful and charming graphics, spot-on controls, and very solidly designed levels. Simply a great game.
    I've never played the original
    Beautiful and charming graphics, spot-on controls, and very solidly designed levels. Simply a great game.
    I've never played the original game, so I don't use the option to turn the graphics back to 8-bit style, but it's a fun option to have.
    Oddly the game hardest in the beginning and get progressively easier as you acquire more health and weapons/armor. You'd think it would make more sense if the game became more difficult along the way. So stick with it at the start and you'll be rewarded with a fun game.
    The only negative point for me is that some item shops are hidden and impossible to find without the use of a walkthrough.
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  3. Apr 19, 2017
    9
    Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap was one of those games on the Sega Master System that even back 30 years ago, you knew was special. However,Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap was one of those games on the Sega Master System that even back 30 years ago, you knew was special. However, this version implores gamers to ask the age-old question, do retro games really need to be remade? The answer is yes and no. Nevertheless, before we begin our argument as to why this game is so damn charming and incredible, let’s look a few things first. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap isn’t your typical High-Def remake of a game.

    The developers at Lizardcube put so much time and effort into The Dragon’s Trap, it’s almost really hard to place into the category of a remake. Every little detail of this game was carefully looked over, fine-tuned and measured in such a way, that it could arguably be considered the best remake of all time.

    For gamers not familiar with the Wonder Boy series probably spent most of their time playing Zelda or Metroid on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). However, the good news is those new to the Wonder Boy series will instantly catch on, as this is much like the beloved NES games mentioned above. This game is crammed full of exploration opportunities and even has a feature where you can use the original codes from the 80s’ version, radical!

    Possibly the sweetest thing about this entire game is being able to switch from the current new-age graphics to the retro 8-bit graphics, on the fly. Literally, at the push of a button, it’s like you are playing two different games. This feature isn’t an unlockable or DLC add-on, but built right into the game itself.

    The music and sfx have also been given a face lift. The score originally written by Shinichi Sakamoto, has been revamped and is composed by Michael Geyre and Romain Gauthier. So, whether you want to listen to an original soundtrack or switch to the 8-bit version of the game music, the option is there at the push of a button. It’s quite beautiful how seamless this feature is. Additionally, a new hero not seen in previous The Dragon’s Trap games has been added. Gamers now have the ability to play as a newcomer, Wonder Girl.

    There's a cool little prologue added to the game that allows you to battle the Mecha Dragon. Upon defeating him, a bolt of lightning strikes your character and you become cursed, taking the form of Lizard Man. For the most part, this animal form is who you’ll grow accustomed to while navigating through the game. You’ll eventually discover that there are several animal forms that have their own unique abilities that help unlock different areas of the game to explore. Scattered throughout the game, there are several power-ups and loot to collect that will allow your character to cash in on better gear or attack special enemies.

    Much like the Zelda games, your character’s life is measured by hearts, however, instead of taking out quarters or halves of your hearts, enemies will deal different levels of damage according to their power abilities. Essentially, if you face a enemy that is twice as strong as you, they could possibly take out two hearts instead of a quarter facing lower-level enemies. Good news is, by visiting the local town hub in the game, you can purchase armor and weapons upgrades to assist you in your quest.

    The graphics really stand out in The Dragon’s Trap and I’m surprised to notice that there are hardly any hiccups when switching from the remastered version to 8-bit on the fly. No lag, no visual or sound issues, flawless. The coders really did their homework. To add on top of the already beautiful hand-drawn characters and environments, everything pretty much looks true to the originals. Players take note: pay attention to the ability to switch between modern and retro graphics. The developers have added in secret walls that can only be viewed in certain styles.

    As much as I wanted to give this game a perfect score, there isn’t one game I’ve come across that didn’t come with its own funky quirks and The Dragon’s Trap is not immune.Certain enemies in this game will piss you off. I found it hard at times to avoid certain enemies and their attacks (wait until you encounter the cloud guy with sun glasses). If anything, there also seemed to be a slight delay between when your enemy attacks and when your character can strike. Let’s say, when your enemy has a jumping attack, as you approach to strike, there is a period of delay and you will almost always take damage. Enemy attacks can also result in being knocked back or can repeat stun you enough that will kill you in seconds.

    Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is by far the best representation to why certain retro games deserve a makeover. Not just because they can, but developers such as Lizardcube have taken careful thought and conducted lots of research, love and time into this game. Should DotEmu and Lizardcube decide they want to take aim at another retro game *coughs* Shinobi… I wouldn’t mind at all.
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  4. May 5, 2017
    8
    Il gioco è stato riproposto ai giorni nostri con cura e la possibilità di "skippare" dalla grafica originale a 8 bit a quella attuale è unaIl gioco è stato riproposto ai giorni nostri con cura e la possibilità di "skippare" dalla grafica originale a 8 bit a quella attuale è una trovata sicuramente originale. C'è stata molta cura per confezionare questo gioco, un platform/action 2D con stile "Metroidvania", tuttavia la longevità del gioco è molto corta (4/5 ore) in proporzione al prezzo a cui viene proposto (20 Euro)...Consiglio l'acquisto, magari quando andrà in sconto...15 euro sarebbe stato un prezzo più appropriato. Expand
  5. Jun 7, 2018
    8
    I had the Game Gear release when I was young and, though I loved it, never really managed to complete it.
    Several years later, I found out
    I had the Game Gear release when I was young and, though I loved it, never really managed to complete it.
    Several years later, I found out this remaster and I was blown away by it. Not only the presentation is amazing, its attention to detail and respect for the original material is amazing and is packed with content. It's difficult but accessible and looks and sounds perfect.
    Not only that, but the physical edition comes with much needed goddies, such as manual, japanese GameGear reversible cover, soundtrack and a keychain.

    You can't go wrong with this one.
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  6. Jul 13, 2017
    7
    While this game is stunningly beautiful with its hand-drawn style, there are still many issues regarding the hitboxes of some enemies thatWhile this game is stunningly beautiful with its hand-drawn style, there are still many issues regarding the hitboxes of some enemies that come as an inheritance of the original game for the Master System. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap can be really, really fun, but also really frustrating during some specific sections of the game. Furthermore, it's really short and offers nothing interesting to do after defeating the last boss. Expand
  7. Apr 15, 2020
    0
    What an awful game. Mediocre controls, it's annoying that I have to go back to the beginning to switch characters, idiotic difficulty spikes. Garbage.

See all 48 User Reviews