Just putting this out there first, I missed the Wonder Boy/Monster Boy franchise in North America. I was interested in it when I saw NEC’s port, Monster Lair, for their TurboGrafx CD add-on, but well, price kept me from trying it out. No stores in the town I lived in even carried the CD-ROM attachment and then only had Fighting Street available for it for some reason. Ah well, stunted gaming life aside, today fans of the Monster Boy/Wonder Boy franchise don’t have to experience that problem. For instance, for the price of an emulator (free), you can grab the free demo of Miracle Boy in Dragon Land, a fan sequel on the Atari 520 ST.
Giving the Fans More Adventures
First, there is a demo available for Miracle Boy in Dragon Land, I want to give the developer props for that. Thank you.
The game is set up like the other games in this series, 2D side-scrolling action-adventure. You are armed with a sword and the ability to jump, at least early on, then you pick up more powers/weapons as you play.
If you are familiar with the Wonder Boy or Monster Boy series, then you know what to expect here. Wonder Boy is more an introductory entry to the Monster Boy games. Wonder Boy is more in line with how Super Mario Bros plays, just run to the right and eliminate enemies. Meanwhile, Monster Boy games are more like Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World. There is more to do, bigger levels that can sometimes sprawl, and you must think how to eliminate many opponents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPxDA9-CP_M
Fans Do What Segain’t
Sega has a horrible track record supporting their past franchises. Even when they do and it is met with critical acclaim and love from the fans, they just turn a blind eye. Streets of Rage 4 was a hit, the new Shinobi game is receiving great praise, yet we will probably get another 50+ Sonic entries/appearances before we even get a rumor of another classic Sega title getting a shot.
It is just sad; such a rich history of games and they choose to let them sit and languish in obscurity. Worse, most of these classics are not even made available to purchase in any official way, further hurting their fanbase. At least Nintendo attempts to keep the classics available. Sometimes even adding to them, fixing things, etc.
Head over to itch.io to grab the demo for Miracle Boy in Dragon Land and enjoy it in your favorite emulator, or physical hardware if you have it available. There is a Windows version there as well if you are not comfortable using emulators.