Welcome to our review of Wonder Boy Returns Remix, a blast from the past and it still feels very much alive!
“Wonder Boy” has returned! “Wonder Boy” has been remixed and reborn for Nintendo Switch! “Wonder Boy” was an arcade hit back in 1986, with its intuitive controls and polished game balance. This forever famous sidescrolling action game has been remixed and reborn for Nintendo Switch!
Join the adventure of a boy who’s doing his best to save his girlfriend Tina — updated with high-def anime-inspired visuals!
A new feature called the “Charge Shot” has been added to this latest incarnation, allowing you to destroy enemies with a gigantic stone ax!
We hope you’ll enjoy “Wonder Boy Returns Remix,” which has been not just faithfully reproduced, but in fact, rearranged and greatly improved by Ryuichi Nishizawa.
Wonder Boy is one of the more powerful franchises from yesteryear and at its height, some even called in the same breath as Sonic and even Mario. I was a Nintendo gamer in that period but one of my best friends had a Sega and thanks to him, I got my fair share of Sega game time and Wonder Boy was among the games I played.
This game is now a remaster/redo sort of thing and despite holding true to the original in some game mechanics, its brand new anime-style approach is a hard one to fathom when you mostly remember pixellated characters. Conform to current day standards, we got three difficulty levels on Wonder Boy Returns Remix and I need to go a little deeper into this.
First, there is an angel version, which is incredibly easy and hard at the same time. Enemies won’t really be able to hit you and well, for a side-scrolling platformer, this is not a situation you will love to be in. I started off with this setting to try and get as far as possible in a short time and pretty much quit within 15 minutes. It is no fun at all, but luckily I was able to go to the Normal setting. Here you still get to pick the levels and when you empty out your energy meter and lives, you still get to pick up at the beginning of the level.
Last but not least, possibly the most punishing of versions, the hard mode. I usually say I do not spoil storylines, well this time I am making the exception of not spoiling the toughness of this version. Let us know on social media what you felt when playing this mode, we would love to hear some feedback!
As Wonder Boy Returns Remix is a side-scrolling platformer with an energy meter that empties out gradually, this is another thing you need to take into account when trying to finish levels, you really need to grab those power-ups or you will end up losing an ever so valuable life. I love how this part of the game often forces you to keep going and not just wait for the next enemy to be in the range of your throwing axes.
Wonder Boy Returns Remix might feel very different from the original, it does provide some serious challenge if you want to do some speedrunning. Half of the time you will be faced with a lot of near hits or misses when you want to go all out on speed. I must say I enjoyed speedrunning way more than the actual game thanks to the added excitement.
All in all, the game has some nice additions compared to the original and some might not be beneficial at all, this feeling of being a mixed bag at times, I can not shake it. Despite really liking it, I wonder if I remember the original more fondly that the remix is feeling a little underwhelming?
In conclusion, my nostalgia might have biased me, but I do enjoy this game. The energy requirement keeps you on your toes and it might be a great way to pass a few game hours after picking it up.
