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Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap OT | What is The Secret of Your Power?

bumpkin

Member
I'm largely enjoying the game, the one thing that's been irking me is an altar I found for changing into other forms is at the end of a super annoying area
(the lava/volcanic area with the frogs and those damn genies)
that I absolutely despise having to play through.

I've uncovered three forms so far - dragon, mouse and piranha - but I'm starting to feel stuck and am not sure where I need to go next.
 

ggx2ac

Member
I'm largely enjoying the game, the one thing that's been irking me is an altar I found for changing into other forms is at the end of a super annoying area
(the lava/volcanic area with the frogs and those damn genies)
that I absolutely despise having to play through.

I've uncovered three forms so far - dragon, mouse and piranha - but I'm starting to feel stuck and am not sure where I need to go next.

Did you collect the thunder ring from there? If not, it's in that building.
 

DrArchon

Member
Edit: I misread what you said, other than Prince Armor, there's nothing else.

That can't be right. The pig clearly says "No charm, no sale" and I've tried the Prince Armor on with every transformation and he never lets me buy it. Hell, I even beat the game and tried going to him as Hu-Man with the Prince Armor and he still won't let me buy the damn thing!

How much charm does he need?
 

ggx2ac

Member
I did, I just don't know what exactly that does.

It breaks blocks, there would have been blocks right in front of you that you needed to hit to get out of the building.

After that,
go to the beach as Piranha man, you'll know what to do once you get there.
 

ggx2ac

Member
That can't be right. The pig clearly says "No charm, no sale" and I've tried the Prince Armor on with every transformation and he never lets me buy it. Hell, I even beat the game and tried going to him as Hu-Man with the Prince Armor and he still won't let me buy the damn thing!

How much charm does he need?

I had 5 stones while wearing the Prince Armor. I never checked before that or checked while not wearing it.

Edit: I keep double posting by mistake.
 

Fireblend

Banned
I'm enjoying the game, but can someone walk me through how the autosave works? Is it everytime you get back to the village or something?
 
The Pig sold me it with only 5 charm stones, I wasn't wearing the Prince Armor or anything. I just wear the Legendary stuff.

*shrugs*
 

ggx2ac

Member
Reposting Wonder Boy's chart progress on the eShop.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap just moved up to number 3 in Japan eShop from 4 yesterday.

I read elsewhere it hit number one in the Australian eShop.

So that's Italy, France, Spain and Australia it hit number one now.

The Pig sold me it with only 5 charm stones, I wasn't wearing the Prince Armor or anything. I just wear the Legendary stuff.

*shrugs*

Then, I don't really know what the Prince Armor does.
 

D.Lo

Member
I'm being a broken record but I can't believe how much the extra animation with the exact same physics makes this game play so much better.

Seriously playing this game (with the easy graphics switching to make comparisons easy) is like a game design lesson. Matching physics to animation is just so important.
 
Finished it 100% now. Such a great trip down memory lane, beautiful remake that stays true to my beloved original right down to the core - I'm really happy this game exists! It was always a dream of mine to play something like this, never thought it would actually happen.

I'll play a Hard Mode save on Wonder Girl next, will be nice to just always have this game there portable on Switch. Eventually grab the Xbox One version so I can 100% Achievements it right next to my 100% Monster World Collection. :D

And then finally I'll cross my fingers for a physical release in the not too distant future, I'd really love a copy in my collection. <3

Thank you Lizardcube!

Edit: Happy to say it's at the top of the eShop charts here in New Zealand too. Not surprising considering we were Master System Land back in the day. :p
 

Dremark

Banned
Finished the game a couple of minutes ago and only the "Beat the game on Hard Mode" trophy is missing now. I played the original many many times in the last 20 years, so this was a dream come true.

It really is an amazing game. The original stands up, but it's nice there's a new version that stays true to it.

Honestly the game deserves more recognition than it gets, if it had been on the NES it would be widely known as one of the best 8-bit games. Hopefully the new port remedies that.
 
It really is an amazing game. The original stands up, but it's nice there's a new version that stays true to it.

Honestly the game deserves more recognition than it gets, if it had been on the NES it would be widely known as one of the best 8-bit games. Hopefully the new port remedies that.

Yeah, I REALLY hope the lack of releases on Switch especially pushes it to the forefront
 
I was a complete Nintendo fanboy back in those days (still am now really lol), but Dragon's Trap and Sonic 3+Knuckles were my absolute favorite 'non-Nintendo' games. I hold them right up there with the likes of Zelda, Mario and Metroid in my favs list.

Was just looking up what the Achievements for the Xbox One version are and there is a stupidly easy method to get the Beat the game in Hard-Mode Achievement using the good ol' WE5T ONE password lololol.

But no thank you, I'm looking forward to doing it the proper way! :D
 

Santar

Member
Not feeling the soundtrack of this, feels like the new music is overdesigned, for the lack of a better word, to the point where you almost loose the classic melodies of the original in certain cases.
The beautiful Side Crawler's Dance is almost drowned out in the new version.
Such a shame when we have lovely remixes like this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jep53cDEoY
 

Firebrand

Member
Not feeling the soundtrack of this, feels like the new music is overdesigned, for the lack of a better word, to the point where you almost loose the classic melodies of the original in certain cases.
The beautiful Side Crawler's Dance is almost drowned out in the new version.
Such a shame when we have lovely remixes like this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jep53cDEoY
Monster Boy's rendition of this song is quite lovely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gnjeelv-OA#t=54s
 

Lynd7

Member
Likely this could get a physical release at some point? I wonder if this dev would consider doing other games in this series, like Wonder Boy in Monster World for the MegaDrive.
 

correojon

Member
I'm being a broken record but I can't believe how much the extra animation with the exact same physics makes this game play so much better.

Seriously playing this game (with the easy graphics switching to make comparisons easy) is like a game design lesson. Matching physics to animation is just so important.

Yup, couldn´t agree more, it´s almost like night and day, at the start I was constantly switching between modern and retro to check if they´ve changed anything about the physics because it felt much better.
 

tsumineko

Member
I'm being a broken record but I can't believe how much the extra animation with the exact same physics makes this game play so much better.

Seriously playing this game (with the easy graphics switching to make comparisons easy) is like a game design lesson. Matching physics to animation is just so important.

I don't think it's just the updated graphics. The game ran at a slower frame rate on the Master System. The remake runs at a full 60 frames per second. It's helped so much.
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
Likely this could get a physical release at some point? I wonder if this dev would consider doing other games in this series, like Wonder Boy in Monster World for the MegaDrive.

A physical release is unlikely. The developer is very small and they don't have the money for that. If it does happen, it will not be any time soon and it will be in limited quantities.
 

bock

Member
Reposting Wonder Boy's chart progress on the eShop.
Then, I don't really know what the Prince Armor does.

The Prince Armor does the same as in the original and the description is a hint
it increases the amount of hearts and items dropped by monsters
 
I would also recommend everyone play the two sequels. They're both on PS3 PSN and 360 XBL. (And Wiiware, but those are just ROM dumps rather than M2's best-in-class emulation work on the HD platforms.)

M2 worked on a bunch of Virtual Console emulators for Wii, including Genesis/Mega Drive.
 

WITHE1982

Member
I'm enjoying the game, but can someone walk me through how the autosave works? Is it everytime you get back to the village or something?

I believe It autosaves your status (collectables, money etc...) every time you collect anything or enter a new screen. If you quit to title you'll always restart back at the village with everything you've collected.

Obviously this means it can be exploited a lot as a quick warp back to other areas. Just quit and reload to be zapped back to the village without having to fight your way back through any tough areas, while keeping all your loot.

....Oh and thank heaven for the Tasmanian sword. The game pretty much changes as soon as you get it.
(jump+ up and square to transform anywhere)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nC-iYkZ9yU
 
The autosave is brilliant. I'd grab the treasure chest in the house on the screen between the old castle and the village centre, quit to title, reload, fly back over and rinse and repeat til I've got enough money.
 

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
Likely this could get a physical release at some point? I wonder if this dev would consider doing other games in this series, like Wonder Boy in Monster World for the MegaDrive.

A physical release is unlikely. The developer is very small and they don't have the money for that. If it does happen, it will not be any time soon and it will be in limited quantities.

To elaborate on what Skeletos said, I watched the Gamekult Live stream with the developers the other day, and they said several times - because people in the chat kept asking - that the game is download only, no physical release is planned at this point, and even if they considered it, it would be a while before it happens because it's complicated and it costs money. The animator concluded by saying something like "so please buy it now, give us money, support us" lol.

That's what pushed me over the edge honestly.
 

Vitet

Member
Edit: I misread what you said, other than Prince Armor, there's nothing else.

I think I know why some of you are saying you have to wear the Prince Armor to buy the mysterious item. I'm playing in Spanish and it doesn't say the translation for charm. It says "sin talismán no hay venta", so it's telling you need some jewel and that's because I thought it only meant the jewels you get on the secret areas.

EDIT: I was right. I just bought it in my hard run with 5 jewels but no Prince Armor in my inventory.
 

BLAUcopter

Gold Member
This game is amazing! I played it for about two hours just now, I'm a mouse? I don't know if there's an order the beast forms come in though, the game seems relatively open ended in that respect?

I don't know if I've ever played a game like this before, it's difficult as hell while high too hahahaha. When I die, I always start again at the Village and have to go through everything again to get to where I died, is that how it's supposed to work, or am I missing some kind of checkpoint system?

Oh and the graphics are absolutely stunning
Dude, back in the day when you died in games it was game over and you got sent right back to the start. Checkpoints? lol. Gaming during my childhood was BRUTAL!!!
 

Lynd7

Member
To elaborate on what Skeletos said, I watched the Gamekult Live stream with the developers the other day, and they said several times - because people in the chat kept asking - that the game is download only, no physical release is planned at this point, and even if they considered it, it would be a while before it happens because it's complicated and it costs money. The animator concluded by saying something like "so please buy it now, give us money, support us" lol.

That's what pushed me over the edge honestly.

Cool. I'll prob pick it up soon.
 

Cpt_Cabal

Neo Member
Turns out passwords from the Turbografx version (Dragon's Curse) don't work at all, even though they use the same amount of characters and presumably work the same. Is it a licensing issue or something?

More like a compatibility issue. The Turbografx version's code will likely occupy different memory addresses than the Master System's one.

Or something.
 

Feeroper

Member
I decided to pick this up on Switch even though I have no nostalgia for the original and I am very impressed! This game is great! You can absolutely see the love that was put into making this. Given that mechanically it is pretty much a straight re-make, the game holds up rather well! It's got a good sense of platforming and action. A very cool metroidvavia like game.

If anyone is on the fence about this like I was - imo this game is great and absolutely worth the money. I'm having a blast with it!
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
none whatsoever :)

You may want to wash your eyes afterward due to how good looking it is.

It's one of my fav artstyles ever, as I've said before and I mean it as huge compliment, it looks straight from "Disney Maestro" Giorgio Cavazzano's pencils.
259a2e3677a76590af27e4f649089ee4.jpg




My finger is on the trigger, but it looks too simple once I look beyond the visuals. The only non Mario platformer I've enjoyed was Shovel Knight, but this look much more straight forward in design than even that.

Still, I'm interested...

I know what you mean, tho I'd say there's a bunch of non-Mario platformers which I've enjoyed a lot although nothing close to WB's structure and made in the '80s/'90s.

Shovel Knight wouldn't exist without Wonder Boy. It's a game from 1989, yes - but it's still perfectly enjoyable and extremely concise (in a good way).

Thanks guys, just pulled the trigger :)
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
It's one of my fav artstyles ever, as I've said before and I mean it as huge compliment, it looks straight from "Disney Maestro" Giorgio Cavazzano's pencils.
259a2e3677a76590af27e4f649089ee4.jpg

It reminds me of Jeff Smith's Bone comics, which are inspired by Disney comics. The game looks like a comic book from the 90s, before they started painting with computers. It even looks like it's painted on comic book paper, like from before they started using glossy paper. It also uses the kind of shading they use in comics, like cross hatching.

Here are some wallpaperized verzions of the Wonder Girl and Wonder Boy starting screens for you guys.

 

Kweh

Member
Where do you go once you get Piranha-Man? I got the armour that lets you go in the lava but that route ended up just taking me to a treasure chest room and warp back to the hub.

I've gone to the ninja area as Mouse-Man but this seems quite tough, and I remember from playing the original I used to go there as Lion-Man, so I know i've missed somewhere in between.
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
Where do you go once you get Piranha-Man? I got the armour that lets you go in the lava but that route ended up just taking me to a treasure chest room and warp back to the hub.

I’ve gone to the ninja area as Mouse-Man but this seems quite tough, and I remember from playing the original I used to go there as Lion-Man, so I know i've missed somewhere in between.

Go in the water under the beach area.
 

Fredrik

Member
Is it possible to save up to an ultimate weapon/shield/armour that is the best for all characters? Or do you have to buy three expensive gear for each character?
 
It really is an amazing game. The original stands up, but it's nice there's a new version that stays true to it.

Honestly the game deserves more recognition than it gets, if it had been on the NES it would be widely known as one of the best 8-bit games. Hopefully the new port remedies that.

Absolutely this. In my opinion, it's the best 8 bit game ever, but I know it's just a matter of taste AND fondness, so I obviously respect the 8-bit-best-games-ever-are-just-a-NES-thing men, of course.

I'm with you: if it had been on the NES, those men would appraise this title among the best.
 

DrArchon

Member
I think I know why some of you are saying you have to wear the Prince Armor to buy the mysterious item. I'm playing in Spanish and it doesn't say the translation for charm. It says "sin talismán no hay venta", so it's telling you need some jewel and that's because I thought it only meant the jewels you get on the secret areas.

EDIT: I was right. I just bought it in my hard run with 5 jewels but no Prince Armor in my inventory.

Damn translation foibles. How was I supposed to know that they meant another kind of charm? And it's not like they're called jewels in the English version, they're just called stones.

Grumble grumble.
 

Fredrik

Member
Fantastic.



Some of the the armor is free. Some of the best armor is the best for all characters. I think it's in your best interests to try to collect all the gear in the game.
Okay I have the
legendary sword and armour
, is there anything better? The thing is, the stuff I have left to buy is sooo expensive and I don't know any good way to make money other than travel around the world and fight enemies.
 

Ladekabel

Member
I'm missing the sword above the magical sabre in the list. Where can I find that?

And two other questions then I'm done: Is the maximum seven hearts or did I miss something? And what does the pig sell where the object says "No charm, no buy!"?

Okay I have the
legendary sword and armour
, is there anything better? The thing is, the stuff I have left to buy is sooo expensive and I don't know any good way to make money other than travel around the world and fight enemies.

You can go in the boss room where you fought the Meta Dragon:
Once you reenter it, there will always be a treasure chest that gives you like 40 money bags. And in the well where you come out in the beginning is a hidden shop that sells the legendary shield for 5000something. For the Hawk and the Lion there are better shields I think. And the Muramasa has 5 more attack than the Legendary Sword on the Lion.
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
Okay I have the
legendary sword and armour
, is there anything better? The thing is, the stuff I have left to buy is sooo expensive and I don't know any good way to make money other than travel around the world and fight enemies.

I'm missing the sword above the magical sabre in the list. Where can I find that?

And two other questions then I'm done: Is the maximum seven hearts or did I miss something? And what does the pig sell where the object says "No charm, no buy!"?




You can go in the boss room where you fought the Meta Dragon:
Once you reenter it, there will always be a treasure chest that gives you like 40 money bags. And in the well where you come out in the beginning is a hidden shop that sells the legendary shield for 5000something. For the Hawk and the Lion there are better shields I think. And the Muramasa has 5 more attack than the Legendary Sword on the Lion.


What he said.

Max hearts is 8.

I'm not sure what the mystery item is. Maybe the mystery sword. In the original, the thunder ring was a thunder sword, so that's why there's one missing.
 

1upsuper

Member
Absolutely this. In my opinion, it's the best 8 bit game ever, but I know it's just a matter of taste AND fondness, so I obviously respect the 8-bit-best-games-ever-are-just-a-NES-thing men, of course.

I'm with you: if it had been on the NES, those men would appraise this title among the best.

Part of what makes this game so stellar IMO is how masterfully it balances being a metroidvania-lite (for want of a better term) and also a very tight, curated experience. There's virtually no fluff while also allowing a sense of exploration. It's a delicate balance that DT captures so well.
 

ggx2ac

Member
What he said.

Max hearts is 8.

I'm not sure what the mystery item is.
Maybe the mystery sword. In the original, the thunder ring was a thunder sword, so that's why there's one missing.

It's the
Gallic Sword, you get it once you have at least 5 Stones and then go to the shop that you find from breaking a block which is underneath the block bridge in the village.
 

Fredrik

Member
I'm missing the sword above the magical sabre in the list. Where can I find that?

And two other questions then I'm done: Is the maximum seven hearts or did I miss something? And what does the pig sell where the object says "No charm, no buy!"?



You can go in the boss room where you fought the Meta Dragon:
Once you reenter it, there will always be a treasure chest that gives you like 40 money bags. And in the well where you come out in the beginning is a hidden shop that sells the legendary shield for 5000something. For the Hawk and the Lion there are better shields I think. And the Muramasa has 5 more attack than the Legendary Sword on the Lion.
Is that the
Old Castle to the right? And the metal room to the left once you're at the bottom?
I'm pretty sure that I've been there several times but there was nothing but emptiness. Do you have to die in between to do a reset?
 
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