Game Info
Wonder Boy in Monster World is a title in the series of Wonder Boy games which were developed in the 1980's and 1990's by Sega and Westone.
It is the fifth game in the Wonder Boy series, and the third game in the Monster World sub-series. It's also the last Wonder Boy game to be officially released in English.
Plot
"Monster World was once a peaceful region. Then, the peace was shattered by an invading army of monsters. A young man named Shion vowed to defeat them and make his land peaceful again."
Gameplay
Wonder Boy In Monster World puts you in control of Shion in his quest to save Monster World from the evil BioMeka. It controls like your standard platform game - run, jump, and kill enemies. The game is filled with RPG elements such as talking to townsfolk, collecting money to buy items, extending your life bar, and equipping a large variety of armor, weapons and magic. Arguably, it can be described as a sidescrolling platform variation on Legend of Zelda.
Shion travels through the many interconnected regions of Monster World, all the while collecting increasingly powerful equipment in the form of many different swords, spears, shields, suits of armor, and boots.
The game introduced a one slot save feature to save process at inns throughout the game world. It was often tedious to return to the inns early in the game when Return magic hadn't been obtained yet.
Equipment
Shion will find many different types of equipment on his travels. The different types of equipment are listed as follows.
Weapons
Shion's main method of attack. Starting out with a weak short sword named Gladius, Shion will be able to purchase many different weapons, increasing both attack power and range. There are two different kind of weapons Shion can use; swords and spears.
Spears usually give Shion a larger attack range then any Swords obtainable at that point do. The tradeoff however, is that Shion cannot equip shields while he's having a spear equipped. Despite this, players with good reflexes will still be able to deflect frontal attacts by holding UP and pressing the Attack button. This will make Shion twirl the spear in his hands for about a second, effectively shielding himself, and even attacking if an enemy bumps into him.
This is a list of the weapons that can be used by Shion:
- Gradius: Shion's starting weapon.
- Small Spear: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 80 gold.
- Knight Sword: Shop in Purapril named Bacchus, 250 gold.
- Trident: Defeat Gragg and Glagg in the ruins.
- Pygmy Sword: At the left side of the Monster World Sea near Poseidon's shrine. Jump on the platforms to get on the cliff.
- Excalibur: Shop in Purapril named Wanderer, 2500 gold.
- Battle Spear: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 10000 gold.
- Legend Sword: The Blacksmith in Begonia will turn the old-axe into this sword after you gave him the fire-urn.
Shields
Shields protect Shion from projectiles and some direct frontal attacks. Starting out with no shield at all, Shion will be able to find and purchase increasingly larger and more powerful shields, which protect a larger area in front of Shion, as certain higher or lower aimed projectiles may simply pass by smaller shields.
This is a list of the shields that can be used by Shion:
- Wood Shield: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 50 gold.
- Shell Shield: Shop in Lilypad named Gooningle's, 200 gold.
- Hard Shield: In the ruins near Lilypad. Go to the left in the room with the spears. Jump on the blocks at the dead-end and they will collapse. Take Hotta to the middle of the room and he will make an entrance appear.
- Steel Shield: Shop in Purapril named Wanderer, 2000 gold.
- Pygmy Shield: Enter the right door of the pyramid. You'll find the key inside the pyramid.
- Knight Shield: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 3500 gold.
- Fire Shield: Shop in Begonia, 8000 gold.
- Legend Shield: Nightmare Castle. In the room with the 2 rope-lifts. grab the first one it will lead you to a chest.
Armor
Armor causes Shion to sustain less damage when he's hit.
This is a list of the armor that can be worn by Shion:
- Leather Armor: Shion's starting armor.
- Chain Mail: Shop in Alsedo named Kishera, 70 gold.
- Steel Armor: Shop in Lilypad named Gooningle's, 800 gold.
- Pygmy Armor: Under the rocks in the sea near Alsedo. The chest can be seen long before you'll be able to actually get it. Find your way through the underwater maze to get there.
- Hard Armor: Shop in Purapril named Bacchus, 220 gold.
- Knight Armor: Shop in Childam named Labyrinth, 5000 gold.
- Flame Armor: Shop in Begonia, 10000 gold.
- Legend Armor: Nightmare Castle. Fall into the gap in the room with the rope-lifts.
Boots
Boots will advance Shion's running speed and jumping distance. Most boots also give Shion special movement abilities.
This is a list of the boots that can be worn by Shion:
- Cloth Boots: Shion's starting boots. Slow walking speed, short jumping distance.
- Leather Boots: In the shop near your house, 30 gold. Slightly increases running speed and jumping distance.
- Ladder Boots: Shop in Purapril named Sundry, 50 gold. Dramatically increases ladder climbing speed.
- Marine Boots: Shop in Lilypad named Drapnell Sundry Goods, 300 gold. Recommended for fast swimming.
- Oasis Boots: In Poseidon's shrine. First talk to Poseidon, then get back to the room where you had to swim a while downwards. It's in that area. These boots protect Shion's feet from hot desert sands.
- Ceramic Boots: Shop in Childam, 4000 gold. Increases traction on icy floors.
- Pygmy Boots: In the ice palace, the right tower.
- Legend Boots: Nightmare Castle. In the area with the platform on wheels. High running speed and jumping distance.
The Pygmy Equipment
Scattered around Monster World are four pieces of Pygmy equipment; the Pygmy Sword, Pygmy Shield, Pygmy Armor and Pygmy Boots. Collecting all four of these will enable Shion to change into a tiny version of himself, allowing him through tiny doors and passageways. Apart from being necessary to enter the volcano near Begonia, you will also be able to backtrack to certain places where you couldn't enter before, such as a number of small corridors inside the Pyramid.
Magic
Shion can learn a couple of different magic spells, each with various different effects. Each magic spell has a limited amount of uses, displayed by the amount of blue crystals under the spell's name in the Pause Menu. When your magic is used up, you can rest at an inn to replenish it. Also some higher level monsters drop blue chrystals. Picking them up will replenish your magic as well.
Fire Storm
| Summons a stream of small, minor-damage fireballs that home in on nearby enemies. When only a single enemy is nearby, it will be attacked by the full barrage, quickly adding up the damage. |
Thunder
| Causes all enemies on screen to be attacked by a bolt of lightning for decent damage. This will defeat many minor enemies in one blow. |
Quake
| Shakes the earth, doing high damage to all enemies on screen touching the ground. Flying, swimming or jumping enemies will not be affected. |
Shield
| Causes Shion to be fully protected by a magical shield for a limited amount of time. When Shion is hit, the shield will block any damage, steadily decreasing the shield's time limit. You can not use items or any other type of magic while Shield Magic is active. |
Power
| Gives Shion a dramatic increase in attack strength for a limited amount of time. Similar to the Shield magic, the Power magic's time limit will decrease more steadily when you cause damage to an opponent. You can not use items or any other kind of magic while Power Magic is active. |
Return
| Warps Shion to the inn you most recently saved your game at. Can only be used once before it needs to be replenished. |
Travel Companions
During his travels, Shion will often be joined by a small companion who follows you around. Each companion is bound to the region he or she belongs to, and will return to their respective homes when you leave said region. All travel companions will also temporary stay out of action during boss fights.
| Priscilla A small fairy who hails from Alsedo, the Fairy village. She joins you when you talk to Queen Eleanora. Priscilla will randomly fly over to an enemy and bop him with her wand, distracting him. Also, when your health is getting low, she may conjure up a few small hearts for you to catch. | |
| Hotta A dwarf kid, who lives in the Dwarf village of Lilypad. He will follow you around when you save him from the bushmen. Hotta can break open some walls, enabling you entry in the nearby temple, as well as uncovering a couple hidden rooms in said temple. He also randomly digs up a fountain of small coins and hearts. | |
| Shabo A little summoned reaper, who you obtain in Childam, the Darkworld village. He will fly alongside you through the Ice Caverns, attacking enemies randomly with his throwing scythe. | |
| The Elder Dragon's grandson A nameless dragon hatchling, who will accompany you in Begonia, the Dragon village. He'll help you through the volcano, frequently attacking enemies with his fire breath. |
Other Characters
| Fairy Queen Eleanora Her village is the first you encounter. She'll lend you Priscilla, one of her fairy companions, to aid you through your journey through the Mushroom infested forest lair near Alsedo. | |
| Princess Purapril You save her early in the game from a Dark Knight. She'll give you advice at a few points throughout the game, if you care to visit her. Near the end, the game eventually suggests some sort of love interest, as well. | |
| Elder Dwarf He's distraught about the kidnapping of Hotta, a young dwarf who lives in the village of Lilypad. | |
| Elder Dragon This wise dragon will tell you how to obtain the materials for creating the Legendary Sword. He also sends his grandson along with you on your journey through the volcano. | |
| The Darkworld Prince The Prince has gone missing recently. Rumor has it he was abducted by an evil force... |
Secrets
Monster World has many secrets that can be unraveled. There are lots of hidden doors and treasure-chests to be found by Shion.
- Secret caves: There are 2 secret caves inside the high cliff at the end of the Maugham Desert. Use the teleporter in the pyramid to get to the mountain area. From here walk to the left until you've reached the end. Fall from the cliff and keep the D-button pressed to the right. Now you'll automatically enter the first secret cave with 2 shield elements, below this cave there's another secret area. You can enter this one the same way as you did before.
- Pygmy areas: There a 2 secret places which you can enter after you're turned into a pygmy. The first one is in the pyramid. You can reach the pyramid by using the teleporter near Begonia. Once inside go to the room with the treasure chest and the secret door. Now you're able to walk to the left where you'll find a charmstone and lots of gold. There's also a heart here, just walk through the left wall in the room with the 4 doors. The other secret area you can enter as a pygmy is in the ruins near Lilypad. From the start, walk to left, decent the ladder and go left. Here you'll find another heart container.
- Secret door in de pyramid: There's a room with a treasure chest surrounded by stones. You can reach it by going through a secret door. It's located next from the wall.
- Secret doors in the sea: There are 3 secret doors in the Monster World sea near Alsedo. They will all lead you to treasure chests with money.
- Minor secrets: There are lots of spots where you can find gold. For example on the tree trunk in the beginning of the game and left from the ladder near the tree at queen Eleanora's hideout. You can also try to jump near the arrows which point up.
Walkthrough
Start your quest
Leave your house after you have read the story, to do this stand in front of the door and then press down (press down to leave a house or shop and up to enter one). Walk to the right and enter the house in the tree trunk. Talk to the fortune teller by pressing up (press up to talk to a person or to buy items). After the fortune teller has informed you about your dangerous journey you will receive an elixir and 3 pieces of Fire Storm magic. Leave the house and jump on the moving platform. Jump on the tree trunk to get some extra coins, then continue to the right.
Buy the Leather Boots in the shop here, you can collect some extra money by killing the snakes. When you are ready, continue to the right and pass the soldiers. Now you will enter the Monster World Sea. Cross this sea to reach Alsedo. At the end you will see a jumping jelly fish. Jump on it to get on the high cliff.
Alsedo: The Fairy Village
Stand between the two pillars in the middle of the village and press up. You will be transported to queen Eleanora. Talk to her, she will entrust one of her helpers to you, Priscilla. Priscilla will give you a small heart each time you have defeated 5 enemies in the same area.
Go back to the village and collect some money. Buy the equipment (Wood Shield, Small Spear and Chain mail) from the shop called Kishera and Medicine from the shop called Felissimo. After this talk to Sonia. She will tell you that she lost her Ocarina somewhere in the cave. Go find it. If you return it, Sonia will teach you the songs to open the doors in the cave. To open them stand on a platform with the music notes and use the Ocarina. Now play one of these melodies.
- Blue door: B A B A B C B
- Red door: A B C B C A B
- Green door: A C C A B A B
Inside the cave you will come across a chest. Open it and you will receive an extra heart. After you've defeated the Myconid you receive some gold and three more pieces of Fire Storm, leave the village through the hole in the tree near queen Eleanora. Before you leave make sure you've got at least 400 gold.
Purapril: The Aqua Capital
After falling in the gap (mind the gold in the grass left from the ladder) enter the door, walk to the next door and enter it again.
You are now in the underground passage of Purapril castle. Walk to the left, after a while you'll encounter a knight. He can be easily defeated by striking with your sword on his feet. After you've defeated him Princess Sheila Purapril will thank you and ask you to come to her kingdom.
Climb the tower to reach it. Once there, make sure to talk to everyone, they have valuable information for you. When you're done, leave the kingdom. Go to the bottom of the tower and enter the door, which was closed before. You're now in Purapril the Aqua capital. This is an important town in the game, you have to return here often. Buy some goods and leave the village through the south west exit.
Lilypad: The Dwarf Village
Somewhere in the jungle you can find a small village called Lilypad. Once you've reached this town, talk to the villagers. They will tell you that one of the dwarf children has been captured be the monsters.
Leave the village and continue to the left, where you'll find the monsters who have kidnapped Hotta. After you have defeated the monsters, Hotta will return to the village. Talk to his sister and Hotta will join you. Hotta is very strong and is an expert in finding secret areas. Take him to the ruins, right from the village, and he will open the entrance.
Before you enter the ruins, make sure you've bought the best armor. Once inside the ruins walk to the left, don't mind the darkness for a while. At the end you'll see a button, jump on it and enter the room to the left. There you have to fight a giant bat. Use your firestorms to get rid of him easily. After you've defeated him you will receive the lamp.
Go back right to the button and go down the ladder. Go down and watch out for the big boulders. When you're at the point with the gap go to the right. Make your way to the room with the button and activate it. Now go back to the right and you'll notice that a few bricks have changed color. These gray blocks can be shattered with your sword. Walk to the middle of the room and wait until Hotta makes the entrance appear to a room with a heart container. Get it and get back to the big gap. Jump on the ladder and proceed to the left.
After a while you'll enter a room with a chest. Jump on the moving platform and then jump on the bricks at the right side. You'll notice that the stones collapse when you stand on them. Now you're able to press the switch. Jump on the moving platform again and break the blocks with your sword. Now you can continue to the right. At the end of the room with the ghosts, fall into the gap.
Walk to the left first. There you'll find the shell shield in a secret room. Get back to the right. Now you'll see a room with 4 buttons. Press them in this order: 2, 3, 1, 4 and fall into the gap that has now appeared at the end of the room. Gragg & Glagg are waiting for you. Defeat them to get the Trident.
Monster World Sea
When you equip the trident you're able to swim underwater. First return to Purapril by going through the new door in Lilypad. Leave Purapril at the north west exit. You're now outside the castle wall where you've been just after you've left your house. Go to the right and jump in the sea.
Here you can find secret doors to treasure chests, 3 to be exact. The pygmy armor is hidden inside the treasure chests, which you have probably seen before. You can reach it by going through the underground maze.
After you've got it, go to Alsedo and make your way to the underground passage. After a short time you'll see a gap filled with water, stand on the bottom and press up to enter a secret door. After getting the heart, go to the end of the passage and jump in the gap filled with water to reach the Monster World Sea.
In this sea you can find another part of the Pygmy equipment. It's located at the right side beyond the cliff. To enter Poseidon's shrine you will need the amulet. This item is located in the chest at the right end of the Monster World Sea. When you're in the area with the chest and the 4 palm trees, stand between the 4 palm trees and press up, you'll be transported to the amulet.
Now the entrance to Poseidon's shrine will appear at the bottom right corner of this sea. Once inside swim to the right and hit the red switches with your trident to turn of the vents. After switching them all off go back and go down. When you see a split in the road, take the upper road first to get Return magic. Don't use it yet because it will teleport you to your last saving point.
After that, make your way to Poseidon. He will tell you that the Oasis boots are hidden somewhere inside his shrine. They are in the chest a little bit back which you've probably seen before but were not reach. After getting them use return to get back to Purapril.
Maugham Desert
The shop named Wanderer is now open in Purapril, do some shopping and then pass the big tower to reach the Maugham Desert.
Make your way through the desert and fall into the gap to get some extra quake magic. In the well, a little bit further, you can find the key which opens the Pyramid. It's located underwater so you have to select your trident and marine boots again.
The Pyramid isn't all that difficult. In the room with the chest surrounded by rocks find a secret door which leads to the chests. The Sphinx in this pyramid likes to play quizzes. He'll ask you 5 questions. You have to answer at least 4 questions correct to pass him. Here are the answers to the questions he can ask:
- A charmstone costs 500.000 gold.
- After defeating Gragg & Glagg you received the trident.
- The name of the dwarf village is Lilypad.
- The first type of magic you acquired is Fire storm.
- The oasis boots helped you to cross Maugham desert.
- The trident is not sold at the Wanderer weapon shop.
- The shop called Fellisimo does not sell items.
- The Sun-Key opens the door to the pyramid.
- Eleanora is the name of the queen of Alsedo.
After passing the Sphinx, enter the right door of the pyramid to get the pygmy shield. Then enter the left door and make your way up to the teleporter.
The dragon village called Begonia is right from the mountain area. When you first enter this town most shops are closed. Meet the Elder Dragon, he'll give you the Bracelet. With this item you can enter the ice-world. One of the doors in Begonia will lead you back to Purapril.
Childam: The Darkworld Village
You can reach the Ice world by going through the cave under the underground passage to Purapril. Do some shopping in Childam and meet the fortune teller, she will entrust Shabo to you. This little fellow helps Shion defeating enemies.
Inside the Ice-Palace hit the dog statues and pull the ropes. You have to find 2 gems in this palace, they are quite easy to find. After you've got the gems and the pygmy boots jump on the platforms in the middle to get up. Now install both gems in the statues by pressing up. Defeat the Ice bomber and go back to Begonia.
Begonia: The Dragon Village
You should now have all the parts of the pygmy gear. Enter the house right from the village to turn into a pygmy. Go to the blacksmith, he'll tell you that his fire urn is stolen by one of the monsters.
Enter the volcano and make your way to the room with the door and the big snakes. Stand on the smallest platform in this room. After a few seconds some blocks will change into gray blocks. Shatter them and go fight the tyrant dragon. Power magic will help you.
Nightmare Castle
Once you've received the fire-urn, bring it back to the Blacksmith. He will now turn the old axe into the sword of Legend. After receiving this sword go to the belltower in the kingdom of Sheila Purapril. Once there press up and you'll be teleported to Nightmare castle. This castle is like a big maze. Follow these instructions to get through:
- Fall into the first gap.
- Walk to the right and climb up.
- Again walk to the right and climb up.
- Go to the left until you can get up.
- Go to the right until you can get up.
- Jump on the platform with the wheels and jump off when you're near the chain. Mind that the Legendary boots are located in this area.
- Jump on the rope lifts and fall into the gab, there you'll find the Armor of Legend. Enter the door to get up.
- Go to the right.
- Grab the first rope to get the Shield of Legend, then grab the 2nd one and enter the doors.
- Defeat the 2 skeleton knights, their feet are vulnerable.
- Defeat the dragon.
- Keep jumping on the 2 small platforms to reach the platform with the small snake, then continue the progress.
Defeat the Almighty Demon King. The Prince of Darkworld will now appear.
BioMeka's Spaceship
After defeating the Almighty Demon King it is now time to face the final enemy: BioMeka. You can reach him by pressing up at the belltower in the kingdom of Sheila Purapril and going left. Enter the elevator and once you are up enter the pod. The pod will bring you to BioMeka's Spaceship. His room is blocked by some seals however. To open the seals you have to kill all the previous bosses (except for the Sphinx and the Almighty Demon King) once more. This is quite easy now that you have all your new equipment. All enemies in this area drop small hearts, in case you get damaged.
BioMeka is the final boss you have to face, and can be quite tricky to defeat. First, when you enter his room, do nothing. Just stand at the left and let him hit you. When you are almost dead, the Prince of Darkworld will appear and knock out BioMeka's laser gun and armor, and restore your health before leaving you alone to continue the fight. Now you should use your Thunder to destroy the lasers, and in the meantime hit BioMeka's eye. The lasers will respawn periodically, and halfway through the battle, the floor will turn into a conveyor belt with a circular saw coming out of it. Using Power magic will help you kill him a lot faster.
After he dies the game is over. You get to see the credits and after that all the characters you have met in the game will say goodbye one more time.
See also
External links
- The Wonder Boy Adventures by Per Myrsten, a page with the cover-art or title screen from almost every incarnation of Wonder Boy.
- Hardcore Gaming 101 - Wonder Boy by GameSpy, chronicling the history of the Wonder Boy series of games.
- Wonderboy Land fan site
- The Misadventures of Wonderboy The Wonderboy sprite comic.