Developer: Westone Publisher: Sega Release: 1991 Genre: Action
As much as I find the Wonder Boy lineage and naming scheme confusing as hell I have always appreciated the series ability to change at the drop of a dime. Wonder Boy is a platformer through and through. Monster Land was an action RPG. Wonder Boy III is not so simple. There were two separate titles with the name, the Dragon’s Trap which continued the platforming hi-jinks and Monster Lair which is a strange shooter/platformer. As cool as it may sound Monster Lair is a tedious title that would have been better served focusing on one aspect rather than both.
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair was originally an arcade game that saw release for both the Genesis and the Turbo Grafx CD. Both versions have their strengths and weaknesses but the Sega game has seen the most cuts, specifically missing levels. In some ways that helps it but the gameplay could use more variety most of all.
Monster Lair is a game of two halves. The beginning of every stage is an auto scrolling platformer. Much like its predecessors you collect weapons and fruit to replenish your life bar. The health meter does not work like you think; collisions with rocks and small projectiles remove big chunks. But touching enemies equals instant death. Fruit can be hit multiple times at which it will swell and explode into multiple pieces, excellent in a pinch. The risk/reward factor of doing so considering the game is always scrolling makes it a great addition.
Your sword fires projectiles and there are a further six weapons you can collect. These range from missiles and rockets to lasers and spread bullets. Weapons are temporary and last about fifteen seconds which I am personally not a fan of. On the one hand the game is very generous with its items. But it is not as though the weapons are so strong that they would break the game. Even doubling the time weapons last would have done wonders to make the gameplay more fun.
The second half of each level is essentially a shooter and resembles Gradius as you approach each boss. As you defeat waves of enemies they drop weapons. The waves are plentiful to give you a nice selection before the bout with the end level mayor. Each boss is pretty creative and goes through multiple phases to keep the fight exciting. But in the end it still is not enough to make Monster Lair interesting.
The truth is despite its combination of genres Monster Lair is an average game. The auto scrolling prevents the platforming levels from having the intricate layouts that make fans come back for more. The first few levels are straightforward but at least short. By the midpoint it does get a little more interesting with floating platforms, springs and such. But it never evolves past that. As a shooter it is rudimentary at best. Every segment plays out the same: ten or eleven waves and then a boss battle. The individual boss battles themselves would probably be a bigger deal if the game were not so god damn long.
I know it is a strange complaint but it is true. Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair is far too long for its own good. In the second half of the game the levels become agonizingly long and repetitive. After a few minutes you want each to end. I applaud the game for its diversity in its stage themes. But if it were seven or eight tighter levels this would be a stronger product. This version is missing five of the arcade game’s levels so the fact that it still feels too long speaks volumes.
Between the two versions The CD game is closer to the arcade. Monster Lair was an incredibly vibrant game in the arcade and some of that has been lost in the transition to Sega’s console. A lot of the enemies have been redrawn and are not as cute. This was probably to go with the darker color palette. But they look out of place now. The biggest surprise is the crippling slowdown that crops up at points. If you play in coop the game nearly reaches single digits which is embarrassing. The music is not as good but you are comparing a CD to a cartridge which is kind of unfair. The one area the Genesis version wins out is in its backgrounds which retain the parallax scrolling from the arcade.
In Closing
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair is not flat out bad but its gameplay does not hold up for the length of its adventure. Lots of content means nothing if you are not compelled to engage with it. This is the weakest title in the series and easily skippable.
