Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Critic Reviews

Unlike many remakes glutting the market, the existence of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World makes complete sense. After all, many gamers in the west never got to delight in what is likely the best entry in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series. How does this fancy remake play? Imagine for a second that Zelda II: Return of Link was good. That’ll get you pretty close.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a captivating title, presenting simple mechanics alongside a beautiful art style and pleasant soundtrack. On the other hand, the lack of new mechanics and some loose plot elements affect the final experience for the player.

Overall, there are parts of Asha in Monster World that are a little rusty, and the end product could've used more than just the tweaking we ended up getting. While fans of the Mega Drive game may enjoy revisiting it, they may also be disappointed that there's not a whole lot that's new. Still, the elements that made it such a classic in the first place — the endearing protagonist, the delightful game world — are still present, and all of that still holds up brilliantly even after nearly thirty years.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World improves upon Monster World IV in every way. The gameplay flow is more organic and modern, and the remake feels like a full-on modern game instead of a modern-looking game over the top of an older game’s shell. It’s impressive to see how much more fun this version of the game is to play than the original — and the original release is no slouch — but the developers have taken great care to keep everything that made it work and improve upon it. It plays better, looks better, sounds better and is a more cohesive experience now than it ever was before. Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is one of the finest 2D side-scrolling platformers on the market and the best remake of a classic game in quite some time.

The price is a bit on the stiff side given the game is as brief as it was in the 16-bit era, but taken as a whole this is as it ever was: fun, feel-good, and something you’ll want to come back to now and then in the future.

Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World revisits a classic that most players didn't have the chance to discover and it does a great job at bringing it into our day and age. While it's true that the game's pacing feels rather slow, which is to be expected from a title that's over a quarter of a century old, everything in this work was done in a way that respects the original and brings it up to today's standards.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a solid remaster and a fun action-platformer. Its protagonists are incredibly endearing and its simplicity is very charming. I recommend it to anyone with a craving for tough retro gameplay wrapped in a cute package. Just don’t go in expecting anything particularly long or deep.

A beautiful adventure that brings back the Mega Drive classic, although it can feel a bit short for today’s standards.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a good remake that renews graphics and sound with small details on Nintendo Switch. It is a very entertaining and fun title even though it is short and not very replayable.

Make no mistake: Asha in Monster World is a fun game, and there's plenty here to enjoy. The game's delightful old-school framework is nice, even without being caked in a layer of nostalgia. There's a reason, after all, that Monster World IV warranted a remake in the first place. As far as HD remakes go, though, this isn't exactly Link's Awakening.

Asha in Monster World is a warts-and-all remake of the original game, which is a shame, as ironing out some of the annoying parts and adding extra content would have helped it transcend its previous iteration and feel more like a Metroidvania. The original was one of the best Sega games of its era and Asha's adventures are still a ton of fun to experience in the modern era, even if they end a little too soon.

At the end of the day Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World is a no-frills remake that at times feels a little rough around the edges but ultimately does a well enough job in modernizing the 1994 classic.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a game that knows how to entertain but without surprising, a lively title that can return a handful of carefree hours. The lack of any playful flicker, however, does not distinguish it from many exponents of the genre. The 3D graphics show a remarkable use of cel shading, but suffer from ubiquitous stuttering. Asha in Monster World is a decent remake, then, that lacks the restoration work done on his "colleagues", shows a little 'too much the weight of the years.

Preservationist gripes aside, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a great remake of a delightful, if flawed, Mega Drive classic. The new art style is gorgeous, capturing the vibrant beauty of the original wonderfully, and the modern tweaks are welcome, though a few more wouldn’t go amiss. But most importantly, it stays true to what made Monster World IV so unique, which, for a game that Sega seems to have largely forgotten about, is lovely to see.

The game’s simple gameplay and relatively short playtime make it perfect for beginners and are sure to bring a smile to veterans. Framerate issues and tedious levels keep it from being a must-play, but if you’ve got a few hours to spare, playing Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a good way to spend them.

Asha in a Monster World thus remains a nifty platform game, which will above all succeed in transporting fans of the original title.

Pop-quizzing Sphinx aside, the use of riddles and hints to figure out puzzles and object placement is a fun element, and overall Asha in Monster World is a fun old-school trip. There’s a bit too much doggedly vintage design at work here, but this is a remake of an old game. We hope Asha returns in something decidedly more expansive and modern though. With a bit more refinement, she could give Shantae a real challenge.

Wonder Boy - Asha in Monster World takes a great Sega Genesis game from the ‘90s and pays faithful tribute to the original gameplay while turning its back on sprites and instead going with 3D models. This is still a fun and enjoyable retro game, but it shows its age quite a bit with this new presentation. It’s debatable as to whether or not playing this remake would trump playing the original, which makes the remake feel a little less special. Luckily, if you go physical, you can make that decision for yourself. Either way, this remake is good, even if it’s overall lower in the rankings of Wonder Boy revivals.

Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World is almost a 1:1 modern version of classic title from 1994, and this works in its favor and against it. It's short, with a simple level design and maybe a little too linear, but also funny, fast paced and with a great soundtrack.

The fun of playing these games, especially these days, lies in the director, Ryuchi Nishizawa, whose approach to genre was one of precise and genial disregard.