December2022
Soapbox 2022 Was A Watershed For Companies Taking Retro Compilations Seriously
Eclipsing the competition
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Gavin is encouraged to see how old games have been getting the appropriate TLC on Switch this year... We've had plenty of retro compilations and collections come to...
News Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection To Get Switch eShop Release Next Year
21 Wonder Boys abound!
ININ Games is giving Wonder Boy Collection a little bit of a boost. An expanded digital release of this year's compilation, called Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, is coming to the eShop on 26th January 2023. Now, if you're a little bit confused, there are a fair few differences compared to June 2022's Collection — at...
March2022
News Wonder Boy Collection Is Coming To Switch This Year
Update: 'Exclusive' version will benefit from more titles
Update #2 [Thu 3rd Mar, 2022 15:45 GMT]: Strictly Limited Games has confirmed that it is releasing an exclusive version of Wonder Boy Collection which will benefit from more titles than the standard edition. Here are the games included in this exclusive edition: Original Title...
March2021
News "Lost Classic" Clockwork Aquario Gets Its First Teaser Trailer
From the creator of Wonder Boy
The first teaser trailer for Clockwork Aquario, the 1993 "lost" classic which is being resurrected for modern console this year, has been released. Created by Wonder Boy studio Westone, Clockwork Aquario was originally destined for early '90s arcades but never saw the light of day – a casualty of the coin-op...
Feature Clockwork Aquario Developers On The Restoration Of Westone's Lost Arcade Gem
We speak to the team, including Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa
For video game fans who have been playing in arcades and at home for several decades now, the topic of preservation has become a pressing one in recent years. As ageing technology inevitably fails and we sadly begin losing the creators who were there at the dawn of digital...
June2020
News After 27 Years, Westone's Clockwork Aquario Is Finally Getting A Release In 2020
Next-level game preservation
Strictly Limited Games has finally confirmed that it is bringing Westone' lost arcade title Clockwork Aquario (known as Tokeijikake no Aquario in Japan) to modern-day systems, including Switch. Originally developed in 1992 by Ryuichi Nishizawa – famous for his work on the Wonder Boy series – the game was built on...
May2017
Guide How To Find Every Charm Stone In Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
A charmed life
If you want to get the best gear possible in Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, you'll need to collect charm stones. There's a stone for each of Wonder Boy's cursed forms, and when you get them all you'll be able to purchase the best sword in the game. Without further ado, let's get to it. Lizard-Man Lizard-Man is the form...
April2017
News A Decades-Old Cheat Can Be Used To Finish Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap In Minutes
Retro revival
One of the most impressive things about Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is that it contains the 8-bit original as well as a neatly-remastered update with HD visuals and fantastic audio. In fact, the team at Lizardcube were so committed to achieving an authentic result that they carried over the password system used in the 8-bit original,...
Guide How To Get Rich Quick In Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
In the money
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap may have RPG-like features such as pick-ups, shops and gear to collect, but it doesn't allow you to level up like a typical role-playing adventure - instead, the player is expected to use coins to purchase more powerful weapons and stronger armour in order to deal with tougher enemies and boss characters...
February2017
News You Can Toggle Between HD And 8-bit Versions Of Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap At Will
Your old passwords will work, too!
Lizardcube and DotEmu have revealed that it will be possible to toggle between the original 8-bit version of Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap and the new HD remake at the push of a button. That's not all; it will be possible to play the HD version with the original Master System music and sound effects, and vice versa...
September2016
News Ryuichi Nishizawa Seems Pretty Pleased With Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Remake
"It would be a good idea to add more doors in the remake!"
In July BitSummit 4th took place in Japan, and Lizardcube's Omar Cornut and Ben Fiquet were in attendance showing off Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, a HD remake of the Master System classic. During the show the team recorded a development diary which not only shows off the public reaction...
News Turns Out There's No Such Thing As Too Many Wonder Boy Games
Wonder Boy Returns (again)
After years of waiting, Wonder Boy fans are getting two new titles to sink their teeth into. Brand-new outing Monster Boy is being developed by The Game Atelier, while HD reboot Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is the work of Lizardcube. Both titles have input from
May2016
News It Looks Like Sega Classic Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap Is Getting A Timely Remake
DotEmu puts teaser site live
Sega's Wonder Boy series is one of its strongest 8 and 16-bit franchises, but it has been dormant for many years - a situation no doubt related to the fact that original developer Westone sadly no longer exists. While a "spiritual successor" is in development in the form of Monster Boy - complete with inp
November2015
News M2 Has The Source Files For Aquario, The Lost Arcade Title From Wonder Boy Studio Westone
"Only the sound data is missing"
Wonder Boy studio Westone is sadly no more, but that doesn't mean that the company's legacy is doomed to be forgotten. In a recent interview with video game journalist John Szczepaniak for his book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2, Westone founder Ryuichi Nishizawa revealed that the source code...
May2015
Another Japan-only release gets localised
When you say Westone, you think Wonder Boy. The recently-defunct Japanese studio created a series of amazing action-RPG titles for Sega which have since become legendary slices of retro gaming, but outside of that particular franchise the company's work is somewhat less well known - at least in the West...
January2015
News Sega's Wonder Boy Lives On In Monster Boy, And He Could Be Coming To Wii U
Made in collaboration with series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa
Sega's Wonder Boy series - produced with the now defunct Westone - is one of those classic 8 and 16-bit franchises which tragically never made the transition to 3D, and as a result has faded into memory in recent times. However, things are looking up for fans. While we're not exactly...
November2014
News The Man Behind Sega's Wonder Boy Series Hates The Controls In Super Mario Bros.
"The movements just didn't feel right"
Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influential video games of all time, and has gone on to inspire countless titles over the years. While the vast majority of these subsequent games have tried to capture the magic which made Shigeru Miyamoto's NES classic so popular, Westone Bit founder Ryuichi Nishizawa has...
October2014
News The Studio Behind Sega's Wonder Boy Series Might Be Going Bankrupt
Not so wonderful
Japanese veteran Westone Bit Entertainment is apparently on the verge of going bankrupt, according to Game Watch Impress. Westone is best know for producing Wonder Boy, a title which would spawn the Monster World series and would be re-tooled to create Hudson's Adventure Island franchise. The Tokyo District Court is currently...
