History VideoGame / WonderBoy

** Half the time, the [[CharacterTitle titular Wonder Boy]] is not actually the player character depending on the game, since only Bocke Lee Temjin (AKA Book the Hero, the protagonist of ''Monster Land'' and ''The Dragon's Trap'') is said to be the original game's "Wonder Boy" in both ''The Dragon's Trap'' and the localized version of the ''Monster Land'' manual, although other sources, such as ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' outright contradict this. In any case, other protagonists Leo from ''Monster Lair'', Shion from ''Monster World'' and Jin from ''Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom'' are clearly different characters, and Purapril and Asha are girls, thus obviously unfit for the "Wonder ''Boy''" title.

* TitleConfusion: There are two games titled "Wonder Boy III" and both are justified since they're the third Wonder Boy games for their corresponding platforms. ''Monster Lair'' was the third arcade game and ''The Dragon's Trap'' was the third Master System game. Officially speaking, the latter is known as ''Monster World II'' in Japan, where it is recognized as the fourth Wonder Boy game, since the following game (''Wonder Boy in Monster World'') was called ''Wonder Boy V: Monster World III'' over there.

* AlienInvasion: [[spoiler: The sneaky infiltration variety occurs in ''Wonder Boy in Monster World'' with the reveal that the dragon leading the evil monster invasion was actually a robot crafted by aliens in flying saucers. They try it again in ''Wonderboy in Monster World'' by brainwashing the Darkworld prince and making him the head of a new monster army. Finally, the last surviving alien tries to take over using a HatePlague spread by cute fuzzy pets in ''Monster World IV'']]

* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler: Each new threat of evil monsters turns out to be yet another world conquest attempt by the technologically-advanced space aliens from the previous game.]]
* LegacyCharacter: Half the time, the [[CharacterTitle titular Wonder Boy]] is not actually the player character depending on the game, since only Bocke Lee Temjin (AKA Book the Hero, the protagonist of ''Monster Land'' and ''The Dragon's Trap'') is said to be the original game's "Wonder Boy" in both ''The Dragon's Trap'' and the localized version of the ''Monster Land'' manual; Leo from ''Monster Lair'', Shion from ''Monster World'' and Jin from ''Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom'' are each different characters, and Purapril and Asha are girls, thus obviously unfit for the "Wonder Boy" title.

* {{Metroidvania}}: After experimenting with different genres, the series settled for this from with ''The Dragon's Trap''.

* Metroidvania: After experimenting with different genres, the series settled for this from with ''The Dragon's Trap''.

* ToBeContinued: ''Monster Land'' and ''Monster Lair'' both end with ominous foreshadowing, and ''Monster World'' explicitly ends on a "To be continued."

* GenreShift: The three arcade games in the series are different from each other. The first ''Wonder Boy'' is a straightforward platformer, ''Monster Land'' is an action RPG, and ''Monster Lair'' is an AutoScrolling platformer with ShootEmUp segments. All of the console sequels though, stuck to the action RPG format of ''Monster Land''.

* ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' ([[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame Arcade]], [[UsefulNotes/OtherSegaSystems SG-1000]], UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem, UsefulNotes/GameGear)

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (2018 title for [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC)

** ''Revenge of Drancon'' on the western Game Gear

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (2017 title for [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC)

** ''Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap'' (2007 remake for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows PC]])

** ''Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap'' (2007 remake for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and PC)

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (set for a 2017 release for [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC)

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (2007 SpiritualSuccessor for [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC)

** '''Wonderboy/Wondergirl: The Dragon's Trap'' (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC)

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, PC in 2017)

A series of side-scrolling {{platform game}}s developed by Creator/{{Sega}} and Creator/WestoneBitEntertainment. Originally began as a trilogy of thematically-related arcade games (''Wonder Boy'', ''Monster Land'', and ''Monster Lair''), each with drastically different play mechanics from the last. The second arcade game spun-off the ''Monster World'' sub-series on home consoles, which adapted an action RPG approach.

A series of side-scrolling {{platform game}}s developed by Creator/{{Sega}} and Westone. Originally began as a trilogy of thematically-related arcade games (''Wonder Boy'', ''Monster Land'', and ''Monster Lair''), each with drastically different play mechanics from the last. The second arcade game spun-off the ''Monster World'' sub-series on home consoles, which adapted an action RPG approach.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (coming to UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, PC in 2016)

* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Quite literally with the Legendary equipment, canonically worn by each successive Wonderboy ([[AndZoidberg and Asha]]) since Monster Land.

* LegacyCharacter: Half the time, the [[CharacterTitle titular Wonder Boy]] is not actually the player character depending on the game, since only Bocke Lee Temjin (AKA Book the Hero, the protagonist of ''Monster Land'' and ''The Dragon's Trap'') is said to be the original game's "Wonder Boy" in both ''The Dragon's Trap'' and the localized version of the ''Monster Land'' manual; Leo from ''Monster Lair'' and Shion from ''Monster World'' are each different characters, and Purapril and Asha are girls, thus obviously unfit for the "Wonder Boy" title.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' (coming to UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 4}}, PC in 2016)

* CompilationRerelease: The ''Monster World: Complete Collection'' ({{PlayStation 2}}, Japan only) not only has all six main games, it also includes all of the cross-platforms ports (at least the ones that came out on Sega consoles) and some of the different regional releases.

* ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' ([[ArcadeGame Arcade]], [[UsefulNotes/OtherSegaSystems SG-1000]], UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem, UsefulNotes/GameGear)

** Likewise, Shiela Purapril from ''Monster World'' and Princess Purapril XIII from ''Monster World IV'' are both separate from the ''Monster Lair'' heroine (seemingly Purapril ''I'').

* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheWizardOfBooze'' (coming to UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 4}}, PC in late 2015)

A series of side-scrolling {{platform game}}s developed by Sega and Westone. Originally began as a trilogy of thematically-related arcade games (''Wonder Boy'', ''Monster Land'', and ''Monster Lair''), each with drastically different play mechanics from the last. The second arcade game spun-off the ''Monster World'' sub-series on home consoles, which adapted an action RPG approach.

* ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' ([[ArcadeGame Arcade]], [[OtherSegaSystems SG-1000]], MasterSystem, GameGear)

* ''[[VideoGame/WonderBoyIIIMonsterLair Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair]]'' (Arcade, MegaDrive)
** ''Monster Lair'' on TurboGrafxCD

** ''Dragon's Curse'' on [[TurboGrafx16 TurboGrafx-16]]

* ''[[VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheWizardOfBooze Monster Boy and the Wizard of Booze]]'' (coming to {{PlayStation 4}}, PC in late 2015)

* ''VideoGame/MonsterWorldIV'' (Mega Drive, Japan only until May 2012)[[/index]]
* ''[[CompilationRerelease Monster World: Complete Collection]]'' ({{PlayStation 2}}, Japan only)

* CompilationRerelease: The aforementioned ''Monster World: Complete Collection'' not only has all six main games, it also includes all of the cross-platforms ports (at least the ones that came out on Sega consoles) and some of the different regional releases.