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Wonder Boy – Asha In Monster World is a remake of one of Sega Genesis’ best titles, although not everything in the original has aged well.
Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World is an Action Platformer Game developed by Artdink and published by ININ Games. This is a remake of one of the best Sega Genesis / Mega Drive titles, but not all elements of the game have aged well. Asha in Monster World is a remake of Monster World IV, which was released in Japan in 1994, but will later be translated into English and released for modern systems in 2012.
The story of the remake is the same as that of the original game. Asha is a warrior who must free four elemental spirits from imprisonment. She teams up with a magical blue monster, which belongs to the Pepelogoo race, and the two must explore dungeons and battle monsters in order to find the spirits and save the kingdom. The game is light on the story and it exists primarily as a setting for placing Asha in elemental themed dungeons. Asha in Monster World comes with a free copy of Monster World IV, so players can see how the new game compares to the original.
Asha in Monster World is a 2D platform game, Asha also being able to travel to the foreground or background at specific points (such as passing through doors), giving multiple layers to the game’s dungeons. The gameplay is akin to Zelda 2, Asha fights enemies with her sword, while still being able to perform up and down slashes while jumping and being able to hide behind her shield. Combat is functional and often fun, especially against the game’s giant boss monsters, but it’s not there Asha in Monster World shines.
The real meat of Asha in Monster World is into exploring the dungeon, as there are a lot of puzzles to solve and environmental dangers to get around. The elements of the platform are significantly improved when Asha gets her Pepelogoo, as it allows her to double jump and slide, which makes those sections of the game a bit more forgiving. The reason these sections are tricky is because Asha doesn’t stay invincible for long when hit and enemies tend to strike without warning as soon as they appear onscreen. This can lead to frustrating situations, where Asha takes a lot of damage in a short time after being hit quickly by enemies or dangers. These moments aside, the dungeons in Asha in Monster World are excellent, although they are a bit cavernous in their design (it helps draw a map for some of the bigger ones).
The main problem with Asha in Monster World is its execution. The game can be completed in a matter of hours, which isn’t helped by the fact that the player can now save anywhere, and Asha will instantly use a revival potion when killed (if any left). , regaining all of his health bar in the process. This makes it very easy to brutally force everything in the game and finish it within 4-5 hours. Membership in the original game hurts Asha in Monster World, as a few more dungeons would have made it a lot more appealing, especially at launch.
An area in which Asha in Monster World has been significantly improved the visuals. The 3D graphics capture the charm of the original game, without losing out in the process. The other Wonder boy the remakes use nice 2D sprites and Asha in Monster World Would have benefited from this approach as well, but the sprite work and the game world look great. The revamped soundtrack is also fantastic, keeping the spirit of the original game.
Asha in Monster World is a remake of the original game, which is a shame, as ironing out some of the boring parts and adding additional content would have helped it transcend its previous iteration and feel more like a Metroidvania. The original was one of the best Sega games of its time, and Asha’s adventures are still a lot of fun to experience in the modern age, even if they end a bit too soon.
Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World will be released for Nintendo Switch and PS4 on May 28, 2021. The digital version of the game will cost € 34.99 / $ 34.99 / £ 31.49 and the commercial version will cost € 39.99 / $ 39.99 / £ 34.99 . Screen Rant received a physical copy of the Nintendo Switch version of the game for the purposes of this review.
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