The Wonder Boy revival continues with Asha in Monster World, coming next year
It's currently only confirmed for PS4 and Switch.
Following two excellent modern instalments, a new Wonder Boy game is scheduled to release in 2021. Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World will be directed by original series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa, and features the protagonist of the 1994 Genesis / Mega Drive game Monster World IV.
In an announcement on IGN, both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions were confirmed: we haven't heard word on a PC version as yet, but if it's anything like Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, it'll release on PC eventually.
As seems to be a pattern for the series nowadays, Asha in Monster World won't be developed by the teams responsible for The Cursed Kingdom or The Dragon's Trap remake. It's a collaboration between Studioartdink (Legend of Heroes: Trains of Cold Steel 3) and publisher Inin Games.
In addition to Nishizawa's return as director, original series composer Shinichi Sakamoto, character designer Maki Ozora, and creative manager Takanori Kurihara will also work on the game. Aside from the fact that the nominal Asha has a flying Pepelogoo as a sidekick, no other details are available, though a gameplay video is promised during IGN's gamescom Awesome Indies showcase on August 29.
If you never played Monster World IV, it's a pretty sweet instalment. Here's a long play to feast your eyes on:
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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.