This game should give you massive Shantae flashbacks while you’re playing through it. There are just tons and tons of similarities all throughout the game which is pretty cool to see. The Shantae series is a lot of fun after all and there just aren’t a lot of games like that. Well, this one nails the formula and while it is over in a flash, you’ll have a good time here. It’s the kind of game with really strong fundamentals from start to finish.

The game starts off with Asha needing to save the world because the 4 great spirits vanish. She has to use mystical artifacts to unlock the doors to find them. The kingdom knows that they are in good hands with the heroine at the wheel but the queen seems to be acting a little oddly. No matter, the world needs saving and so that’s what is going to happen here! I will say that the plot’s not all that extensive or deep here but that’s fine. You’re playing this adventure for the crisp gameplay and that’s what really seals the deal.

Now I wouldn’t say that the game is particularly difficult but you have to stay sharp. Whenever you take a hit you lose a heart and you’ve got plenty of hearts but on occasion they will run low. As long as you are holding an elixir you will automatically revive…usually. See here’s the part where I tripped up. You only revive automatically as long as your monster buddy is there. If he’s not then you just die and go to the last save point. One of the benefits of this remake version is that you can save anywhere at any time. However, the game was going easy enough where I really didn’t save much at all.

This led to one really rough part where I ended up losing maybe around 3 hours or more of gameplay. Trust me that was really rough. So definitely make sure you save a lot and when you’re low on health feel free to just use the elixir. It’ll be slightly less cost effective but that way you don’t run the risk of dying. Then you can just enjoy the boss battles at your leisure. Each of the bosses are crafted well and fit in with the game. The gameplay is already smooth and the bosses are the cherry on top.

You can play cautiously or aggressively and the gameplay accommodates each style. At its core this is a classic platformer so you will be jumping, dodging, and running through each of the levels. Your moves will get a lot stronger as you buy more upgrades in the shop. You actually don’t earn a lot of money by the time you beat the game though so you can only afford a few power ups. Definitely try to make the most of them and maybe resist the urge to buy the weakest upgrade so you can skip to the second. It’s a better use of your money if you can wait that far. I know it may be hard to wait when you want a stronger weapon.

The graphics here are super solid, everything is bright and shiny. This looks like a modern gen game through and through which may not sound like the best of complements but what I mean is this will hold up for many years. You’ll have a lot of fun there and the soundtrack is also very catchy. So in the end there really aren’t any real big negatives for the game. It has hype and intensity throughout.

The only weak point of the game you could mention is that it is super short. You will be done with it in a matter of hours. So if you can find the game on sale then that would be a good idea because at full price I imagine you may feel like you got ripped off a little. I got this one on Amazon Prime Day so I ended up saving a ton of money. At that price I really had no reservations about the game. I had a good bit of fun and it’s why a short length isn’t usually a deal breaker for me. The most important thing is that I had a good time and I did so no issues there.

There is some replay value here as well like trying to get the Platinum Trophy. It doesn’t look particularly difficult to obtain so it probably won’t add a ton of time to the overall length but every bit helps. You can also try to beat the game on hard mode and see if it changes the ending. The ending just felt like it wasn’t the true one so I suspect there is a way to unlock an alternate one unless that really was just to set up a sequel. It was an intense/sudden way to end that’s for sure but of course that’s the best way to close something out.

Overall, Wonder Boy IV is definitely not a game that you want to miss out on. The title may confuse you since you’re playing as a girl and Wonder Boy is not even referenced but that’s the power of being a spinoff with the game series having an interesting naming convention. I wouldn’t be surprised if this helped the game sell better but at the same time I feel like the difference may be negligible since most people don’t know about Wonder Boy anyway. Ah well, either way the important thing is that you should play the game and hopefully a sequel will come out soon since there’s still a lot more you can do with this series.

Overall 7/10