Review
Release Date: 1990
Platform:
TurboGrafx-16Developer:
Hudson Soft Co., Ltd.Publisher:
NEC CorporationReviewed by
Brian J. Balsan on 4.13.2003
| Review Rating: 9/10 | User Rating: 9/10 |
One could possibly say that if you know the entire line-up of the Wonderboy series of games, you are a real gamer. Or a bonafide Wonderboy nut. Either way, Japanese developer Westone created a winner with the series, and it eventually even sparked a spin-off from Hudson Soft known as Adventure Island.
Wonderboy eventually received a sub-series...the Monster World series, and unlike the more mindless platformer-oriented Wonderboy titles, the Monster World series was a platformer/adventure, and it wouldn't be until Monster World's third incarnation, "The Dragon's Curse," (Or "The Dragon's Trap", as it was known on the Sega Master System) that Wonderboy would eventually reach cult status with the hardcore gamers.
The game puts you in the role of a nameless hero (though many would simply call him "Wonderboy" for obvious reasons) who is about to fight the Mecha Dragon and rid the land if its evil. However, defeating the dragon puts a curse on you that turns you into an ugly reptile, and in order to return to your normal state you'll have to seek out the Salamander Cross, hidden somewhere in Monster World.
Considering its period of release (Late 80s), The Dragon's Curse is ahead of its time, and yet, not many other companies used its kinda adventure/platforming engine as well as Westone did. The game's big; there are various areas to explore, from a normal town with armor shops to an egyption-type setting to fire caverns. Fighting boss dragons as you scour the landscape will curse the poor Wonderboy with a different animal, which has its benefits to help you reach areas other animals can't reach.
The Dragon's Curse cycles around Wonderboy's charisma, as his looks were taken away from him early on in the game. At the start your ugliness will be intimidating, as only a couple of armour shops will really help you, however, if you know how to manage your 'charisma points', you can persuade the shopkeepers to open their wares to you. For example, the cuteness of the Mouse-man will allow more base charisma points than the ugly Lizard-man. And Armor can help in raising that Charisma points so that the shopkeepers will actually offer you a better sword or armor.
The music is simply great. Simple, charming tunes which carry the entire game from beginning to end, and the graphics, considering its time, are amazing. This game certainly has aged well.
The Monster World series never again saw the kind of success that The Dragon's Curse received. It would see two more games, one released with no fanfare, and the other doomed to stay in Japan, before quietly disappearing from the minds of gamers.
The Dragon's Curse was just one of an entire series of great games that never got the respect it deserved. If you are lucky to find this, or any of the other line of Monster World titles, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.
