Six games, 21 versions.

This new collection of Wonder Boy games comes out just half a year after the last one.

I don’t think there’s an upgrade path if you bought the previous collection, either.

Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection

But it is grim, and I do also love them.

Hopefully the release issues are relatively clear now.

Here is the point where I have to leave objectivity behind and wallow in nostalgia.

Cover image for YouTube video

Anyway, in our school Wonder Boy was the king.

It was an RPG - I see that now; had no idea at the time.

But it behaved like a platformer.

Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection

Honestly, you could go anywhere.

Jump into the water in Psychofox and you died.

Ditto getting into the sky, or disappearing down a crack between blocks.

Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection

There was always a screen beyond the screen, a screen where other games just had fail states.

But those are today’s standards!

It’s a series of bite-sized action RPG chunks!

And then, before it gets overwhelming, a boss and you’re off to the next stage.

It’s quite a neat, tidy way of doing things.

What a moment that was back then!

What a moment it is now, actually, when I replay it.

The world feels filled with secrets.

This is where I’m at now, anyway.

I totally get that.

But I can’t wait to spend the next few weeks exploring every inch of these games.