Monthly Retro Game Club

Video Games
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For December 2020, the retro games of the month shall be:

  • Monster World IV – 1994 – action-adventure
  • Power Strike II – 1993 – shoot-em-up

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Wonder Boy… Monster World… Adventure Island? This is definitely one of the most confusing series of video games when it comes to how any of the games are titled. There was an arcade game called Wonder Boy released in 1986, developed by Westone and published by Sega. A sort of 2D platformer meets horizontally-scrolling shoot-em-up. Westone would make five more games with this IP, some of which went the more traditional 2D platformer route–but with some RPG elements thrown in and a more “open world” for the level design. These constituted the “Monster World” sub-series of Wonder Boy games, but it was kind of more the main series of Wonder Boy games by the time the fourth Monster World entry released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan. This particular entry dropped the “Wonder Boy” part of the title because the protagonist is a girl named Asha.

Monster World IV was the last game in the series made by Westone, and the last one to be published by Sega. It was a 1994 release for the Sega Mega Drive (AKA Sega Genesis), and didn’t make it over to any other regions… At least, not until 2012, when it was officially translated by M2 into English for the Wii (via Virtual Console) and for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 (via a compilation that included a couple other Wonder Boy/Monster World games). Monster World IV also made it onto the Sega Genesis Mini (and Mega Drive Mini) last year. And this year, a remake of the game with 3D graphics was announced by developer Artdink, probably to release next year for Steam, Playstation 4, and Switch.

Monster World IV stands out in a number of ways. Instead of the more typical medieval Europe setting, this one goes for more of an Arabian-style land. (And when paired with its girl protagonist, it all feels like a bit of a precursor to the Shantae series of 2D platformers.) Compared to the previous Monster World games, this one is a bit less exploration-heavy and has less emphasis on the RPG elements, instead focusing more on the actual platforming and action-based gameplay. The game also stands out for its fun and colorful graphics, and is considered by many to be one of the best-looking games on the Mega Drive system.

So this month, it will be up to you all to find out for yourselves if Monster World IV deserves to be considered one of the top games of its genre and era. Most everyone outside of Japan missed out on it back in the day, but in more recent years it has made a big comeback–along with the rest of the Wonder Boy series just in general. Howlongtobeat dot com says this one will take 7-8 hours to beat, though I see Youtube playthroughs clock under 5 hours.

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So the theme for this month’s games might very well be region-limited entries for confusingly-named game series… and published by Sega… and the series at large is making something of a comeback. In 1988, developer Compile released a vertical shoot-em-up titled Aleste in Japan for the Sega Mark III (AKA the Sega Master System). (This game was actually a sequel to a shooter titled Zanac.) A revised version of Aleste was released for the West, renamed as Power Strike. Aleste would go on to get a bunch of sequels.

But at one point, Compile decided to make a shooter specifically for PAL territories (namely Europe and Brazil etc, where the Master System was still a big deal in 1993) and titled it Power Strike II. This game is not a port of Aleste 2 (which was on a Japanese PC called MSX2). It is also not a port of the Power Strike II game released on the Sega Game Gear (which was also made by Compile in 1993… that one was just a localization of GG Aleste II… which is also not the same as Aleste 2).

So be careful which Power Strike II you’re playing! We’ll be discussing the Master System game. That home console is one that didn’t really make a splash in some regions (e.g. it was only the NES that most people knew about in the USA), but it had some great games which had a look and sound to them that differ somewhat from the Nintendo Entertainment System’s offerings at the time. The Power Strike games are considered some of the best shoot-em-ups for the Master System, and I think it will be interesting to look back at how well Compile managed to make the fast-paced and frantic gameplay of the genre work on 8-bit hardware.

This particular entry, I should note, doesn’t take place in outer space like most of the other Aleste and Aleste-related titles. (And indeed, like most other shoot-em-ups at the time in general.) Power Strike II takes place specifically during the Great Depression, down here on Earth! And yet all these vigilantes have such advanced and futuristic air vehicles…

The other interesting thing I’ll note is that the game is getting re-released! M2 (there they are again) is porting it along with three other Aleste games from the Master System and Game Gear in a collection for the PS4 and the Switch. These will also be on the special-edition white Game Gear Micro that Sega is releasing in Japan! And also M2 made a new title called GG Aleste 3 specifically for that collection (and the Game Gear Micro)… I might be the only one here who finds all this cool though.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on either (or both) of these games as you play them over the course of December. If you finish, you can give a mini-review if you’d like. Let us know if you think these games stand the test of time!

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Monster World IV First Impressions

I’ve played through the tower of silence and the capital city, and am currently working through the earth shrine lava mountain.

  • A pleasant game! Easy to jump right into and get the hang of. Controls are solid.
  • The art style for this is very cute, much like the other Wonder Boy / Monster World games. I don’t know if I’d say the game looks amazing – but it does have a fun cartoon look to it. Animation feels simple, but expressive. Very bright and colorful.
  • The way Asha does a shimmy each time she opens a treasure chest is great.
  • You get a Kirby-looking pet friend! And you use it to double-jump… Reminds me a lot of Klonoa, actually. Will be curious to see all the ways this little guy will be utilized in the platforming.
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It has been a hot minute since I joined in on the club. I think I will play a bit of catchup with Sin and Punishment, along with the latest titles in December. Pretty excited as it’s always fun to play and experience a game that I know next to nothing about. :slight_smile:

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I will play a bit of catchup with Sin and Punishment

No rush for that one, that will be a January retro game club game!

Especially nice when the game turns out to be a good one, right? I’m hoping Monster World IV stays good throughout my whole playthrough; it might become a Genesis favorite for me if so.

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New around here, but this kind of retro club seems really neat, I’ll probably give this a try this month! Started Power Strike II (my first master system game period, actually) and this is pretty neat! Very impressed with the presentation, especially compared to the Compile shooter I had played previously, Gun Nac. This game, while not as insanely creative as gun nac, manages to be far more colorful and everything just pops out of the background far easier in my opinion. Excellent soundtrack too!

Gameplay-wise though, can’t say this one blows me away though. It’s a pretty standard shooter fare, and while the presentation is lovely, the levels just drag on for what feels like an eternity with few new ideas in each one, which kinda kills it for me. Also the mechanics just feel very inconsistent to me. In my opinion the best shmups depend on having total control over dodging bullets, but this game’s hitboxes just feel a little off to me. Plus the intense sprite flickering issue that pops up sometimes can make that very difficult, especially when it’s not clear if your shield will cover you for that specific shot.

All in all, a pretty solid game, but I prefer faster paced, more modern shmups like doujinsoft games or cave releases. Think I’ll try Monster World IV tomorrow, I’ve heard really great things about this one, I’m pretty excited to try it! Always was curious about the wonder boy games, and this’ll be my first one I’ve tried (not counting adventure island but that’s a whole other can of worms).

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Welcome to the Grouvee forum, mbrown! And thanks for sharing your thoughts on Power Strike II. I think this can be considered one of those games–like many 8-bit era games–that was great for its time but can be hard to go back to nowadays when the genre in question has seen so many improvements over the decades since. I’ll need to play some more before I expound on this, and perhaps I should check on what other shoot-em-ups were releasing in 1993 and the years prior for fair comparisons. Power Strike II might be a bit of a standout in that there were plenty of 16-bit shooters by that time, but was a really late release for hardware of the previous generation.

I recommend these game guides to the Master System, if you want to dive in further!

For an RPG that was ahead of its time and still holds up, I think it’s worth checking out Phantasy Star. The best way to play it now is via the Sega Ages digital release on the Switch, which offers some quality of life improvements to cut out most of the grinding and automatically create maps for the dungeon mazes.

For a platformer, you can’t go wrong with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. (A precursor to Monster World IV.) There was a remake of Dragon’s Trap released for all modern consoles, giving it a beautiful fresh coat of paint. If you end up enjoying Monster World IV at all, I strongly recommend looking into this one at some point.

From the Master System, I also like to recommend Master of Darkness. It’s a ripoff of the original Castlevania, but it’s a great ripoff of the original Castlevania. =P

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S&P is a good one. that is such a good pick for the N64! IT was never a game that was widely available in NA, but was really popular in the wii store from what i remembering reading.

The menu isn’t in english but its not an issue. (This might dissuade some folks from playing it, i was almost one of them!)

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it can be patched supposedly but i think that’s more trouble that it’s worth. (which doesnt seem worth it. there is possible an HD textures upgrade for this (which might be worth it) at forums.dolphin-emu.org or somewhere else, i seem to recall it.

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I think it’s worth checking out Phantasy Star. The best way to play it now is via the Sega Ages digital release on the Switch, which offers some quality of life improvements to cut out most of the grinding and automatically create maps for the dungeon mazes.

I actually bought that Sega Ages release a while ago, never got around to starting it haha. Ended up doing catchup on classic dragon quest instead of phantasy star around that time, but it’ll move up my list for sure knowing that version has such nice QoL updates definitely ups my motivation. Thanks for the master system recommendations btw, I’ll definitely take a look! I’ve had a lot of experience with the Genesis’ library but the Master System is one of those little consoles that slipped under my radar (maybe because so much of its library kind of carries over).

Also, Monster World IV is absolutely gorgeous! A little simple but very cute so far, and I’m really impressed with the way it’s world is laid out and the delightful animation work, very much enjoying it so far!

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i would love to see people on this site make a top 10 for some systems such as SMS. (I haven’t currently had enough games under my belt to do so! It seems when i’m in the mood to play SMS it’s some kind of property referenced/mentioned in a newer game (like the yakuza series for instance) or the wonder boy series

I’ll take a peek at your link.

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I just finished a full playthrough of it recently actually. It’s good! So long as you go in with the right expectations (1987 = the time of the first Final Fantasy, not the 6th or 7th) I think most RPG fans will find a lot to enjoy there.

There are a fair number of games that appeared on both systems – but in many cases it seems that the Master System version is actually its own unique game, rather than just a scaled-down demake. It’s actually quite interesting how Sega and other devs were keen on continuing to release Master System games several years after the Genesis/Mega Drive was out. Just goes to show how big of a deal the Master System continued to be in some regions. (Though it also helped that Sega’s new handheld at the time, the Game Gear, was basically just a portable Master System – so making 8-bit games was often a 2-for-1 deal.)

I’ve still got a ways to go as well before I can attempt a top 10 Master System games list. One other set of titles I’ll throw out as suggestions though are the Fantasy Zone games – I’ve always had a soft spot for that series of colorful Defender-style shooters. The spinoff “The Maze” game on the Master System is also a cool one, basically combining Pac-Man with shooter mechanics.

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I’ve continued to play Monster World IV a bit, and I’m still enjoying it a lot. Everything about it is just charming and delightful. I think I’ll give a shoutout to the enemy design for this one – some of those cute monsters are quite memorable, like they came right out of a cartoon.

My only other thing to add for now is that the game seems to be meatier than I expected. This might actually be a pretty long one for a 16-bit platformer, so IDK if I’ll finish by the end of the month. I’ve been distracted by a couple other time-intensive games, along with other real life stuff. But I’ll put in an effort for a final push this final week.

I’ve also been working on Power Strike II. And I’ve been really impressed with this one! To be honest I’m a bit amazed by how much can be going on at any given moment on-screen. Loads of enemies, tons of flashy bullet effects from your weaponry, and of course all the enemies’ projectiles. Plus stuff moving about in the background, all the while. All of this stuff flying around, and I haven’t noticed any slowdown. There’s definitely sprite flickering and whatnot (lines within sprites disappearing, etc), but since I’m focused on enemy fire it’s not all that noticeable. What matters is that the game plays fine, and I really dig all the options available for your weapons, fire patterns, and upgrades. The devs at Compile really went all-out with this one.

Have to call attention to the music for this one too. The Master System isn’t what I’d call great in the sound department (play a handful of games, and you’ll likely feel they all have the same overly high-pitched tune), but Power Strike II gets surprisingly intense for some of its songs. Really adds to the fast-paced feel of the game in general. And really, I have to wonder if this is the most frantic 8-bit game there is (or at least, one of the most frantic). I’ve dabbled in a few NES shooters for comparison’s sake, and yeah, I think Power Strike II would’ve really impressed people at the time.

But on the other hand, as I’ve mentioned before, 16-bit consoles had already gotten plenty of shoot-em-ups by this time. Even Compile had already released the likes of MUSHA Aleste on the Genesis, and Robo Aleste on the Sega CD. But though games such as those were certainly flashier, more impressive visually and sound-wise – I feel there’s still something to be said for the simpler graphics of the 8-bit era in the hands of experts. In the case of Power Strike II at least, I feel I can always tell where everything is on-screen pretty clearly, regardless of how chaotic everything gets.

I’m going to go ahead and announce what the February 2021 games will be a little early, since there are some relevant sales going on right now that people might want to take advantage of:

  • Mr. Driller Drill Land (Nintendo Gamecube – 2002 – puzzle-action – 3 hours)
  • Twinkle Star Sprites (arcade – 1996 – puzzle-shooter – 2 hours)

feb 2021 games

The Mr. Driller game is on sale for the Switch right now, half-off. Sale ends on Dec 30th it looks like. It is also on sale on Steam right now, again half-off – sale will end Jan 5th there. You can also find Twinkle Star Sprites on Steam half-off (also with a Jan 5th deadline). I’ll note that Twinkle Star Sprites is also available on Switch (as a standalone) and on PS4 (as part of a PS2 compilation of 5 arcade/Neo Geo games titled ADK Damashii). (But those versions are not on sale.)

As a reminder the January 2021 games will be Trace Memory (DS) and Sin & Punishment (N64). I should have full write-ups for those around New Year’s.

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For January 2021, the retro games of the month shall be:

  • Trace Memory – 2005 – point-and-click adventure
  • Sin and Punishment – 2000 – rail shooter

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I felt we needed something more story-driven to talk about for a change, and decided upon a visual novel-style adventure game titled Another Code: Two Memories (or Trace Memory as it’s known in NA region). This was developed by Cing, which also made Hotel Dusk and a few other titles before going bankrupt in 2010. Trace Memory was published by Nintendo for the DS, and would eventually get a sequel on the Wii titled Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories (but was released only in Japan and EU region).

In this game you play as Ashley, who is searching for her long-lost father on a mysterious island. You explore various places, inspect items with the touchpad, solve puzzles, and read dialogue whenever you talk to someone. Trace Memory was an early release for the Nintendo DS, and uses its different functions for a wide variety of clever puzzles. In-game, Ashely even uses a device that looks exactly like the (model 1) DS, adding to this sense of immersion.

Though not one of the most popular story-focused adventure games by a long shot, Trace Memory seems to still be regarded as something of a cult classic, and is representative of how visual novel style games gained some traction outside of Japan during the DS era. But unlike titles like 999 and Phoenix Wright, Trace Memory is a much more subdued mystery story with more “everyday” characters who carry on more regular–and sometimes lengthy–conversations. The game as a whole is not long though, a playthrough likely to take around 5-6 hours.

This is a game I borrowed many years ago, but never got very far in. I’m eager to finally get back to it and finish the story, because it always seemed like something I’d like. Feel free to leave comments on the game’s plot as you go along from chapter to chapter, but consider using spoiler tags when bringing up any significant twists and developments. (Click the gear icon, then select “blur spoilers.”)

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Here is another cult classic of sorts published by Nintendo, which also later got a sequel on the Wii. This one is Sin and Punishment, or more specifically, “Tsumi to Batsu: Hoshi no Keishōsha” – “Sin and Punishment: Earth Successor.” (Tsumi can mean crime actually, so Crime and Punishment, yeah?) This was a Japan-only game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Treasure and Nintendo R&D1, a late 2000 release for the system.

Monsters are on the loose, and it’s up to you to shoot them. The game plays as a rail shooter along the lines of Star Fox and Panzer Dragoon, but with a unique control scheme. You move your character with the D-pad, and aim your reticle with joystick (and shoot with the Z-trigger button). The idea behind this was to get players to hold the wonky unique N64 controller in a different way than usual – i.e. right hand holding the middle instead of the right side, left hand holding the left side instead of the middle. (However, you can also use the C-buttons for movement if you want.) You can also jump with the shoulder buttons, and can use a sword to counter enemy projectiles with a well-timed Z-press. It’s a lot to take in at first, so it might take some practice to get the hang of it all.

Treasure was well-known for its frantic run-and-gun and shooter-focused games (Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, Radiant Silvergun, Bangai-O) but Sin and Punishment stands out as a 3D take on the formula. It is also known for its stylish and gritty visuals (a contrast to most N64 games), which keep things low-poly to ensure a smooth framerate amidst all the bullets and explosions. There is also a (perhaps infamously) bonkers storyline tying all the stages together too, and though the game was Japan-only the characters are all voiced in English (with Japanese subtitles at the bottom). Like most rail shooters this is a short game that can be replayed to aim for higher scores. Along with the original Japanese N64 release, it was also made available on the Wii and Wii U virtual consoles for all regions.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on either (or both) of these games as you play them over the course of January. If you finish, you can give a mini-review if you’d like. Let us know if you think these games stand the test of time!

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Is MRCB still a thing?

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@kupomog337, I think it’s on a bit of a hiatus, but I’d be down to resurrect it.

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If it is to come back, I would suggest one of the games be a more winter themed game. If I may make a suggestion, I would say NHL '94. A fantastic retro hockey game that is still very much playable, easy to get a hold of, and fun as it was back in '93. Just a suggestion though.

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@Prin, The best one! Now the question is, Genesis or SNES? lol

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I never owned the Genesis version, so I would personally play the SNES, but either should be fine. I certainly wouldn’t want to limit anybody and it would be fun to see the various differences people note during their playthroughs.

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I had a SNES so I also played that version, but I lived with the knowledge that NHL’94 on Genesis was the version. I mean even Mallrats confirms it:

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Oh of course, especially with the constant high sprite count for the time and the Genesis being able to handle them with more ease.

Also, what a film. lol Such a great freeze frame of culture.

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I just tried '94 on an online emulator,I chose NY Islanders (because they’re my favourite team), and frankly I’d probably enjoy this a lot more if I didn’t suck donkey-horse-ass at this game.

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