The Wonder Boy series is getting a new installment with Asha in Monster World, as IGN reported today. A full reveal will happen during the Gamescom Awesome Indies showcase, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific on August 29. The game is coming out in 2021 for Switch and PlayStation 4.
The Wonder Boy games are best known for their focus on 2D exploration with light role-playing game elements. The series started in 1986 but then went quiet after the 1994 release of Monster World IV, the first in the franchise to star Asha.
The series had a revival in 2017 with the remake of Wonder Boy III: Dragon’s Trap, one of the earliest Metroidvanias. These are a style of 2D exploration games that blend mechanics of the Metroid and Castlevania series. Then 2018 saw the release of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, a spiritual successor to Dragon’s Trap. StudioArtdink and ININ Games are developing this new game. Neither studio was involved with the Dragon’s Trap remake or Monster Boy.
Ryuichi Nishizawa, the creator of the series, is returning to direct Asha in Monster World.
