A top quality assortment for a confusingly named sequence.
In current reminiscence we’ve been blessed with a treasure trove of traditional recreation compilations. The TMNT: Cowabunga Assortment not solely compiled a virtually full historical past of the “heroes in a half shell” but additionally piled-on a dump truck’s value of paintings, field artwork, music, and an animated sequence overview. No matter how effectively you suppose the video games have held up, Atari 50: The Anniversary Assortment is probably the most complete historic telling of the grandfather of gaming’s historical past and is definitely worth the worth of entry for that alone. We’ve come a great distance from the Capcom Beat-Em-Up Bundle days of dumping a handful of roms, and it’s with that context now we have to view The Surprise Boy Anniversary Assortment.
The Surprise Boy Assortment consists of six titles throughout the sequence: Surprise Boy (Journey Island for these within the US), Surprise Boy in Monster Land, Surprise Boy III: Monster Lair, Monster World II, Monster World III, and Monster World IV. My solely publicity to the sequence was Journey Island on the Nintendo Leisure System. Not figuring out its arcade origins, I used to be struck by how crisp and detailed the animation was, how vibrant the music was by comparability, and oddly sufficient how extra forgiving it felt. The foundational gameplay may be very fundamental – run on display, keep away from pits and obstacles, throw a tomahawk, and accumulate fruit alongside the way in which to maintain your well being from depleting over time. By at this time’s requirements it’s rudimentary, however I used to be happy to revisit it and discover the opposite 5 titles.
The opposite video games hew intently to that 2D motion side-scroller method, however there’s a transparent division in course. On one hand, Surprise Boy III: Monster Lair appears like a direct continuation of Surprise Boy with that side-scrolling platforming and fight, nevertheless it’s expanded upon to incorporate side-scrolling shoot-em-up ranges and as much as two gamers. There’s multiple weapon, together with unfold hearth pictures and one which surrounds you want a barrier that’s dropped by enemies and used as a brief energy up. The degrees are forced-movement which provides a bit of additional strain, however by no means insurmountable. It’s a refinement of Surprise Boy that’s pure and cozy for followers of the unique.
Then there’s the Monster World portion of the sequence which lean extra in direction of a 2D side-scrolling dungeon crawler a la Zelda II: The Journey of Hyperlink. These titles additionally present the threadline ranging from the virtually painfully simplistic Surprise Boy in Monster Land as much as the colourful and enjoyable Monster World IV. Surprise Boy in Monster Land, whereas cute, has a painfully gradual tempo, with a stiffness in motion and leaping that simply appears like strolling via mud. To its credit score, the boss battles are fascinating sufficient and there are upgrades by way of gadgets you should buy in outlets, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a bit threadbare. Monster World II (or Surprise Boy III) is an iterative enchancment – structurally very related, however with a a lot crisper animation, a digital camera that’s way more targeted on a smaller area, and a pleasant brisk motion. Monster World III (or Surprise Boy in Monster World) appears like a bizarre center floor – it retains the extra vibrant, detailed look of Monster World II, however backpedals by re-committing to that stiff, plodding motion. Monster World IV is the clear winner of those video games. The protagonist Asha has been balanced, not fairly as quick as Monster World II, however a movement that’s fluid and satisfying to navigate with. Visually it’s probably the most vibrant and expressive animation but. Stepping into with the expectation that these are a product of their time, a lot of the video games are enjoyable and all of them are value testing from a historic perspective.
Like all good assortment, Surprise Boy Anniversary features a wholesome dose of additional options and content material. There are a number of totally different language choices on the outset. Every recreation consists of variations that had been launched, starting from arcade to Sega Grasp System and Recreation Gear. Some variations don’t maintain up effectively and act as extra of a enjoyable curiosity than anything, however they’re nonetheless a pleasant characteristic to incorporate. Every recreation has a save state/load possibility, fast rewind, and fast fast-forward. A few of these video games are gradual in locations, in order that’s a godsend. Mercifully, every recreation consists of degree maps that may be accessed at any time. All these make for a For any fan of the sequence, the gallery consists of idea artwork, character sketches, soundtracks which you can play whereas perusing the menus, field artwork, and recreation directions.
The Surprise Boy Anniversary Assortment is the definitive option to expertise the sequence, with all six titles wrapped in a package deal that appears to search for each means {that a} fan can discover the content material. There are just a few video games which might be robust to return to, however once they’re good, they’re actually good. The worst I can say is that it doesn’t attain the heights of fan service among the aforementioned collections do, however evaluating Surprise Boy to these commonplace bearers may be a bit unfair. When you get pleasure from 2D platformers, preferred a recreation within the sequence and need to discover extra, or simply have a curiosity for lesser identified traditional video games, then The Surprise Boy Anniversary Assortment is one thing value trying up.
