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Wonder Boy (Japan / Europe)

Sega Master System
🇬🇧
Reviewed in
1987
83
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✪ Reviewed on November 14, 2024
80

The original Wonder Boy: an enjoyable old-school platform-runner. Run, jump, dodge. Simple as can be but extremely addictive. The foundation of a saga that kept getting better.

Your verdict
Category
Platformer 4 players 3+
Description
Founding platformer featuring Wonder Boy running on tropical islands and collecting fruit while avoiding enemies. Published by Sega, released in Japan and Europe in 1987. Wonder Boy in side-scrolling view collecting fruits, skateboard, varied power-ups and island bosses. Founding Wonder Boy series on Master System.

Wonder Boy review

4/5
Art direction
"Striking"
4/5
Music
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Short"
Technical info
💾0,07 MB 📅01/10/1987
Published by Sega

Wonder Boy (Master System) price, value & rarity

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Collector interest

First entry in the Wonder Boy saga on Master System, still close to Sega's 1986 arcade as the home adaptation. Japanese release on My Card with the original label, PAL version more widely circulated but the cardboard box regularly turns up damaged. Foundational piece for completists mapping the Wonder Boy tree before the Monster Land branch and the franchise's transition into the Westone hub.

Better with friends

A pioneering adventure platformer where a hero bounds across colorful islands, grabbing fruit and items to survive. Without simultaneous play on the console, it's savored as a relay among loved ones: you pass the pad at tough spots, share tips and compare your progress. Charming and accessible, it makes shared sessions a convivial challenge where everyone wants to push the adventure one notch further than the last.

Is Wonder Boy still worth playing in 2026?

The original Wonder Boy remains a pure, ruthlessly effective platform-runner. You sprint right, jump, dodge and collect fruit to keep vitality ticking, and every screen imposes micro timing decisions. The curve is demanding and some traps echo another era, yet the addictive pull stays intact. For fans of pure arcade platforming and Sega history buffs, it remains a foundational title to know, and a genuinely pleasant pick-up for short sessions today, especially for anyone who enjoys score attack and learning runs by trial and patient repetition.

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