Developer: Westone Publisher: Jaleco Release: 11/11/88 Genre: Platformer
I was not a fan of Wonder Boy, both in the arcade and on the Master System. I did not like it when it was ported to the NES as Adventure Island either. But the eventual evolution of the series in to action adventure gave me a new appreciation for it. Wonder Boy in Monster Land was a favorite of mine on the Sega Master System. It even made me jealous as a NES owner for a time. But little did I know that just like Adventure Island it came to the NES in Japan under a different name. Saiyuuki World trades island hijinks for a Journey to the West theme. But despite essentially being the same game I do not like it as much.
Although it uses Journey to the West as a theme Saiyuuki World does not follow that famous story. The Bull Demon King has kidnapped Sanzang and the monks from the story. As Sun Wukong it is your job to travel the land and save them.
Saiyuuki World is a platformer with light action RPG elements. Defeated enemies drop yen which can be used in the numerous shops in each round to purchase items. These range from pieces of armor, information about the current stage, health, and secondary items like shoes and caps. Armor improves defense, shield block projectiles and the different shoes increase your walking speed and jump height. All of these have a tangible effect on your character that is immediately noticeable. Keeping up with equipment upgrades becomes mandatory shortly in, and necessitates some grinding for money. However the game is paced well and it is a quick process.
Although the game is a reskin of Monster Land it has notable differences. There is no time limit per stage which changes things dramatically. With no sense of urgency you can explore and grind if you want. There are plenty of hidden items and shops that make it worthwhile. Note, even though I said explore it is minimal. The levels are straightforward and only occasionally provide alternate paths outside the final level. The opportunity to hang around and farm items to save cash goes a long way toward easing the high difficulty in the later stages. The level layouts are also different although you would need to know both games inside out to notice.
Part of the reason I do not like Saiyuuki World as much as the title it is based on is its inconsistency. The level design is not as strong as its source. You can easily go from a straightforward path with few enemies and recycled bosses that are boring to a stage set among lava with good enemy placement that presents a decent challenge. The change in story also means there also is less variety in stage themes. You can only go through so many generic Chinese temples and forests before they blend together. Just as in Monster Land the control is a little sluggish, especially if you do not have shoes to increase speed. You can adapt but it is not as precise as I would like. In a way that describes the game as a whole.
The difficulty is high in Saiyuuki World. You begin with five hearts but they deplete fast. Without adequate armor the various bosses will kill you fast. While their patterns are usually simple by the midpoint they become damage sponges. It becomes absurd by the end of the game regardless of which weapon you have. Speaking of which even with the latest weapon and a nice compliment of secondary items like fire stones and thunderbolts I still felt under-powered. It makes the grueling final level a slog even if you avoid combat as much as possible. I also do not like how easy it is to get stun locked when hit which drains life. The game is stingy with hearts and hospitals are few and far. The challenge is not unwelcome, it comes out of left field and the game feels unfair at times. I definitely would have liked better balance.
One of the most unwelcome changes is the removal of the Bell. This was a reward from the trading quest that takes place throughout the game and would ring when you would approach the correct direction in the last level’s maze. This made this slog of a level a lot more tolerable. Instead in Saiyuuki World each of the monk’s you save gives you a hint as to which direction to take at each point. Even with the full list of clues it is still a nightmare to navigate and feels like busy work. There was no reason to change this and it hurts the game.
In Closing
Is Saiyuuki World a bad game? No. But it is not one that I would recommend. It has its good points but there are many similar titles that do everything it does better. I do not regret playing it but will never revisit it either.
