New Wonder Boy / Monster World Game Coming

RabbitTroop

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I was considering bumping the old Flying Hamster II Kickstarter thread, but figured more people would probably click on a thread about Wonder Boy way before something called Flying Hamster, and the thread was too old to update it's title.

So, cat out of the bag, Flying Hamster II has been canceled, and has been relaunched as an official Monster World game!

According the game's Kickstarter page, and an email sent out this morning, the game will now be called Monster Boy, and will become an official part of the series. Here's what the team at Atelier had to say:

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Hi beautiful backers,

We've got a very important news regarding our Flying Hamster II project. Many things have changed or evolved since we canceled our Kickstarter campaign and decided to make it happen through our collaboration with FDG Entertainment. So let's recap it with some shiny bullet point lists:

THINGS THAT COMPLETELY CHANGED:

- The game has a new name: Monster Boy
- Monster Boy will be an all-new adventure and as we closely work together with Ryuichi Nishizawa (creator of the original Monster World) it can be considered as an official part of the series. Since the trademark is owned by SEGA we had to pick a different name
- No more hamsters but a new hero with a story matching with the Monster World universe

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THINGS THAT GOT BETTER:

- Tons of new hand-drawn graphics and an improved art style
- Two new transformations replacing the bear and the hamster
- While the game still has a huge open-world, some of the environments have changed for fitting more with the Monster World universe

9b9bf0a8662d3ea65718f2ea0893ee00_large.png


THINGS THAT DIDN'T CHANGE:

- As a Flying Hamster II backer you'll still get your free copy of Monster World when it will be released (please refer to KS Update #12 for more information)
- Michiru Yamane is still supporting this project and currently works on several amazing tracks
- The gameplay remains exactly like what we initially planned
- Our hard-working team, more dedicated to this project than ever!

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So we're thrilled to announce that this beautiful project is no more just a Monster World clone but a real new official part of the series. Once again thanks to both our publisher FDG Entertainment and Mr. Nishizawa who pushed this project in the most incredible good direction.

And of course: thank YOU for believing in our team and contributed to make this game happen.

Sincerely,

Fabien and the MONSTER BOY Team

More psyched then ever for this game!
 
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NeoSneth

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This looks like a mobile game.
No thanks.
 

dspoonrt

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I wonder if they'll still be giving away those Steam keys.
 

T.A.P.

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The art style does look kinda off/poopy.

I think it's the dude's face.
 

Renmauzo

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Looks good; definitely interested. Thanks for posting this up RT!
 

ratson

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Not interested, like others said before me: looks like a mobile game.
 

Stellarola

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Everyone saying it looks like a mobile game because of the resolution?
 

SNKorSWM

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Well, at least they don't have to worry about funding anymore.
 

k'_127

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Huge fan of Dragon's Trap here. I like what I'm seeing, so count me in too.
 

theMot

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The wizard of booze?

I used to be a wizard of booze of a Saturday night when i was a young chap.
 

ForeverSublime

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It's not like Wonder Boy could figure out what their IP was anyway. A dispute will cause a game called Hamster Island to be made on the side.
 
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Takumaji

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You got me with new Wonder Boy, you lost me with that Monster thingy. WB2 (Monster World) is nice and all but my heart belongs to the original WB of '86 which is a proper fast-paced platformer. The rpg elements of WB2 always were a mixed bag for me, the whole thing was a bit too radical of a change from the original simple but effective formula. The original WB is one of my all-time faves, I've spend tons of money on it at the 'cade back in the day and now have the PCB for my cab. A true ZEN game once you've mastered it.

Anyway, I'm waiting for a straight-forward sequel of the first game for more than 20 years now but everytime a new one comes out, it's the collect-and-sword stuff again... ah well.
 

Stellarola

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No, the art style. Looks like every flash game ever.

I can see it being hard for designers to make games look 'correct' for 8-bit and 16-bit games nowadays. I think part of the problem is our preconceived notions of what the game was, and what we think it 'should' look like...especially when referring to the original source material - Wonder Boy.

One could also say SSF2T HD Remix looks like a flash game. Same for Ducktales remastered. I think it's the issue of vintage game mechanics mixed with new sprites make it seem...chintzy.

The best example I can think of where a game was able to respect the original source material, but fully realize it as a new game for the modern era is the Rayman Origins series. They absolutely nailed it.
 

Kid Panda

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I can see it being hard for designers to make games look 'correct' for 8-bit and 16-bit games nowadays. I think part of the problem is our preconceived notions of what the game was, and what we think it 'should' look like...especially when referring to the original source material - Wonder Boy.

One could also say SSF2T HD Remix looks like a flash game. Same for Ducktales remastered. I think it's the issue of vintage game mechanics mixed with new sprites make it seem...chintzy.

The best example I can think of where a game was able to respect the original source material, but fully realize it as a new game for the modern era is the Rayman Origins series. They absolutely nailed it.

Shovel Knight.
 

Kid Panda

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Shovel Knight is a great game. Though would it have been just as loved if they used hi-res sprites/backdrops?

That's a good question. The low res was certainly part of its charm, and I won't talk bad about ray man as you're right, they did nail it. I would like to see shovel knight in hi res if only to have an idea. I think another thing that bothers me is that a lot of the hi res stuff looks so far away from pixel art it's not even funny.
 

RabbitTroop

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I will miss the hamster transformation. Flying Hamster II was shaping up to be a pretty faithful Dragon's Curse clone with a new story wrapped around it. The only thing I worry about is now that it's an official WB game, we might see some of that go away completely in favor of making the game more faithful to the Monster World universe. Like you, Tak, I'm not a huge fan of the later Monster World RPG games. Dragon's Curse played like an RPG light. You still had to find items, level up, and etc, but it was more of a Metroid clone where you would use the different abilities you could get from transforming to further explore the world. I loved that idea as a kid, and I think to this day Dragon's Curse is one of my favorite gaming memories.

My only reservation right now is I hope they don't play this game too straight. Flying Hamster II looked pretty awesome to me as is. I don't get the complaints on the art style, but art is highly subjective so... That's cool, I don't have to get the people in this thread's complaints. You like it or you don't, and I know this isn't going to appeal to everyone, so don't fret over it... You guys have tons of games that will tickle your aesthetics out there.

I'm just happy this game is going to see the light of day.
 

ki_atsushi

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I can see it being hard for designers to make games look 'correct' for 8-bit and 16-bit games nowadays. I think part of the problem is our preconceived notions of what the game was, and what we think it 'should' look like...especially when referring to the original source material - Wonder Boy.

One could also say SSF2T HD Remix looks like a flash game. Same for Ducktales remastered. I think it's the issue of vintage game mechanics mixed with new sprites make it seem...chintzy.

Agreed on all counts, SSF2HD and Ducktales really do look like flash games. Hated that. But they both are really good, so I guess I should give this game a chance too.
 

greedostick

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curious to see how this comes out since I am a huge wonderboy fan. But I do not like the flashy look. But at least it looks like decent flash art.
 
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