It's been a popular practice lately to try to make some sense out of the history of the Wonder Boy franchise. It's difficult to do, because the series has spanned so many different companies' consoles and been rebranded in so many different ways. But it's also worthwhile, because many of its various installments have shown up on the Virtual Console recently, and many are worth a look. Like Monster Lair. This game, if you trace its roots, first originated as "Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair," an arcade cabinet in 1988. It was later ported to the Genesis, but only in Japan and Europe – here in the States, we got a version for the TurboGrafx-CD. Which is what this Virtual Console download is based on.
"he Bullet Heaven PC-10gine continues! What you're seeing has been captured and reviewed from genuine PC Engine Duo-R hardware for 2013's special episode set!
In this episode of Bullet Heaven, Team Duo tackles the triple-genre-blended Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (Not to be confused with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap)! It's Action Platformer meets Run-and-gun meets shmup in episode 64!"
-Presspauseradio.com
Lucas M. Thomas writes:
"'Purist fans in the early '90s didn't appreciate the shift in design direction that Monster Lair took over earlier Wonder Boy adventures, as its heavy emphasis on shooting action, even when mixed in with more traditional platforming, was just too much of a departure from the status quo. And, in response, later Wonder Boy games went back to putting more focus on the platforming. But that reaction aside, Monster Lair is still a solid and fun experience. It's its own unique creation, and the way that it jumps back and forth between platforming and shooting helps to set it apart from the many other games already on offer in the Wii Shop that spend their time focusing on just one of those styles. If you're up for something that's a bit different, but that simultaneously holds some familiarity and connection to past platformers, give Monster Lair a look. It's worth an investment of 800 Wii Points."
Virtual Console releases for 12/17/07
Cybernator (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Alien Storm (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
