Popular Games by Westone
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection Switch eShop
- 26th Jan 2023 (UK/EU)
- 26th Jan 2023 (NA)
Reviews of Westone Games
Mini Review Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (Switch) - A Great But Gouging, Exploitative Package
It really makes you wonder
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection gets a lot right. It features six great titles in the series, with complete region variations and all their alternate console ports, from arcade to SG-1000, to Master System, Mega Drive, and Game Gear — 21 titles in total. It has a bevy of in-game options for finely tweaking the image...
Review Wonder Boy Collection (Switch) - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
Strictly Limited fun
Wonder Boy has a convoluted gaming lineage. Initially a platform arcade game featuring a squat caveman-boy in a grass skirt, and developed by Westone (then Escape) for Sega, the sequels quickly splintered off into action role-playing territory. Oddly, there are two chronological entries for Wonder Boy III — Monster Lair...
Review Clockwork Aquario (Switch) - A Short And Oh-So-Sweet Arcade Platformer Rescued From Oblivion
Definitely better late than never
Back in the early '90s Westone, best known as the creators of the Wonder Boy / Monster World series, were supposed to release a cute and colourful arcade game — Clockwork Aquario. Unfortunately for them the cutting edge polygonal thrills of Virtua Racing were busy setting the arcade world alight at the time,...
Heaven and Hell
There are hundreds of amazing games for the Super Famicom that remain a mystery to Western gamers. Dark Half is one such game, published by Enix in 1996. It is a late generation Super Famicom title that at first glance seems to be your typical JRPG, with the player taking control of Falco, the Paladin (not to be confused with the...
Review Monster World IV (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)
Worth the wait
Originally released in 1994, Monster World IV is the final game in the Wonder Boy series. It's a very well-liked game and another great entry in the franchise, but there was just one problem: it was never released outside Japan. Until now that is, because SEGA has finally given the rest of the world a chance to experience the game,...
Review Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Wii Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)
Boy wonder
The Wonder Boy franchise is one of many treasured relics from SEGA's past. Dedicated fans have clamoured for a new entry in the platform series ever since the 1994 Mega Drive release of the sixth title, Monster World IV. For now, though, they'll have to make do with the splurge of digital download re-releases. This time, it's the arcade...
Latest Westone News
Friday30th Dec 2022
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...
Wednesday14th Dec 2022
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...
Thursday3rd Mar 2022
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...
Friday26th Mar 2021
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...
Sunday14th Mar 2021
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...
Thursday4th Jun 2020
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...
Tuesday9th May 2017
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...
Tuesday18th Apr 2017
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...
Friday24th Feb 2017
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...
Thursday29th Sep 2016
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...
Wednesday28th Sep 2016
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
Tuesday31st May 2016
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
Wednesday11th Nov 2015
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...
Monday25th May 2015
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...
Saturday31st Jan 2015
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...
Friday7th Nov 2014
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...
Friday3rd Oct 2014
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...
