I can still remember the first time I played the original Wonder Boy. 1987 in Rhyl, Wales during a family summer holiday in July after I had just turned 11. I remember bugging my mom to buy the Commodore 64 version for that Christmas, so I could play it at home. 38 years later and I’m still playing Wonder Boy titles, thanks to developer Monkey Craft, publishers ININ Games and Bliss Brain… and Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World.

“The adventures of Asha, the little warrior, begin! Together with her blue sidekick Pepelogoo, she will run through numerous stages and save the Monster World from the darkness.”

Before the review, let me see if I can clear this up a bit. So Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a remake of Monster World IV. This is actually the sixth Wonder Boy game… but the fourth Monster World title. Despite the different names, they are still one and the same franchise. Unlike the Adventure Island franchise of which the first game was a port of the original Wonder Boy for the NES and MSX, which then spawned several of its own sequels that were separate from the mainline Wonder Boy titles. I think I need to write an article to cover the complex history in more detail. Also, this remake was originally released back in 2021 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, but it has just seen a re-release for the newer consoles. While I’m here, why is this called Wonder Boy when Asha is a girl?

I digress. I have played quite a lot of the games in this franchise, my particular favourite being Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (yes I played the remake of this too). However, I had never played Monster World IV before, so this remake is my introduction. Right from the off, I was charmed by the art style, really cute, Japanese/anime visuals with a lot of personality. Everything is bright, colourful and just so damn fun to look at. As I had never played the original Monster World IV, I decided to take a quick look at some videos and aside from the obvious massive HD upgrade, 2.5D overhaul and such, this remake has kept the same (basic) style. There’s a nice bit of humour running through the game that made me smile several times as NPCs in the game seem to be fully aware that they are characters in a game.

Anyway, you play as Asha and are tasked into saving four elemental spirits. Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is largely an action-adventure-platformer, with some light RPG elements and exploration. There’s the main town hub and here, Asha can talk to NPCs, explore the various buildings and upgrade her gear by buying new equipment (the light RPG bits). The main action takes place in the titular Monster World. This is where all the action-adventure-platforming takes place and where you’ll be spending most of the game.

The controls are simple and precise, with Asha’s attacks being basic, but with just enough variety. You have an up and down attack along with the standard forward one. Then there is Pepelogoo, Asha’s pet… I guess. This little fella can help you out in various ways, such as allowing you to double-jump, glide, protect you from falling rocks, get to out-of-reach places, flick switches and much more. There’s quite a heavy lean into puzzles with this game, nothing too taxing and they blend in with the more action-platforming elements really well.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an average-sized game for something of this ilk, around 3.5 or 4 hours to reach the end credits. However, it is a really charming and engaging title that tickles the nostalgia bone just right. As I never played the original Monster World IV, I can’t really tell you how this remake measures up against it. But I can tell you (playing the game as a first timer) that this remake does a solid job of feeling old-school, but with the right number of modern refinements to update, but not spoil. Not as great as Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (I really do love that one), but Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is still a very solid and playable action-platformer.

I do have to ask something though. Why does Asha wiggle her arse in the player’s face whenever she opens a treasure chest?