Not to be confused with the very similarly titled Wonder Boy Collection, the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection features a more robust quantity of titles. The original collection contained four games: Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Wonder Boy in Monster World, and Monster World IV. Since these versions are also included in this compilation, the original compilation is essentially obsolete.
Here is a list of all the Wonder Boy titles included in this Anniversary Collection:
| Original Title | Version | Console Port |
| Wonder Boy | International/Western | Arcade (SYSTEM 1) |
| Wonder Boy | JP | SG-1000 |
| Super Wonder Boy | JP | Master System / Sega MARK III |
| Wonder Boy | International/Western | Master System / Sega MARK III |
| Revenge of Drancon (Wonder Boy) | International/Western | Game Gear |
| Wonder Boy | JP | Game Gear |
| Wonder Boy in Monster Land | International/Western | Arcade (SYSTEM 2) |
| Wonder Boy in Monster Land | International/Western | Master System |
| Wonder Boy in Monster Land | JP | Arcade (SYSTEM 2) |
| Super Wonder Boy: Monster World | JP | Master System / Sega MARK III |
| Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap | International/Western | Game Gear |
| Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap | International/Western | Master System |
| Monster World II (Dragon’s Trap) | JP | Master System / Sega MARK III |
| Monster World II: The Dragon’s Trap | JP | Game Gear |
| Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair | International/Western | Arcade (SYSTEM 16) |
| Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair | International/Western | Mega Drive / Genesis |
| Wonder Boy in Monster World | International/Western | Master System / Sega MARK III |
| Wonder Boy in Monster World | International/Western | Mega Drive / Genesis |
| Wonder Boy V: Monster World III | JP | Mega Drive |
| Monster World IV | International/Western | Mega Drive / Genesis |
| Monster World IV | JP | Mega Drive |
Just like the original compilation, all games are emulated well and feature the quality of life features modern players would expect. This includes save states, screen/border options, and rewind/fast-forward. Another cool feature that fans should appreciate are the map scans. Stages are displayed like maps in an old Nintendo Power magazine and players can scroll the camera and zoom in/out to see the layout of each stage. While this feature is pretty cool, I was disappointed that there is no option to start from any level or take over play control at any time during a demo mode, features that other recent compilations have implemented. With so many variants available, not having this feature seems like an oversight.
There is a lot of Wonder Boy here. So much so that completing every game and every variant will take many hours. Since all games are included, it is interesting to see the difficult quarter munching gameplay of the arcade original to the more Metroid-ish gameplay of the later titles and everything in between. Including the GameGear versions is also something that is appreciated as handhelds often get overlooked and they are also emulated well. Plus, it is much more comfortable playing these handheld games on the big screen and not burning through a Costco sized container of batteries every 30 minutes.
Simply put, this is a compilation for the fans as pretty much all Wonder Boy content is here and outfitted with modern emulation features. Granted, it would have been awesome if all Adventure Island games were also included but it is hard to complain when so much is already here. If you never played this fan favorite series, having everything packed in one neat bundle is a gift that serves as a fun history lesson.
Not As Diverse As: Neogeo Pocket Selection Vol.1 and Vol.2
Also Try: Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium
Wait For It: The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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