In the shadow of Super Mario himself and after 40 years, not many people speak very highly about Westone Bit Entertainment's 8-bit gem. Except me. I'm still standing where I've always stood, in a place where the scantily clad cave boy with the bright blonde hairdo offered mystery, challenge, variety and exuberantly beautiful graphics that still stand the test of time.
This Sega-owned series founded a new genre with the first Fantasy Zone, which was described as a cute 'em up, where the formerly frustrating space mutant monsters of R-Type were replaced with cute flowers and mushrooms. Almost 40 years later, it is easy to understand why both the first game and the brilliant sequel were such successes, as the gameplay is simple but challenging, and the design, as well as the pace of play, is incredible.
I'd just turned 10 when Shinobi was first released and saw it for the first time in an arcade aboard a Finnish ferry. It was magical. Freaky ninjas, throwing stars, katanas, lots of enemies, and bonus levels played from an innovative first-person perspective for the time. I loved Shinobi then and love it just as much today, hence why it's the third best game Sega rolled out for their 8-bit machine.
I still hum the music often today, it's there, burned into my consciousness. I play the game sometimes too, with the kids, and it's as maddeningly difficult as it is delightfully entertaining. I've always loved Alex Kidd and always will, and I think Miracle World is one of those platforming gems that should be talked about more, generally.
Phantasy Star was really good, one of the best titles for the Sega Master System, as was the arcade conversion of Operation Wolf and Out Run. I was also very fond of Psycho Fox, Asterix, R-Type, and Double Dragon for this lovely little glossy black console. None of those games, however, had the slightest sigh of relief from the downright, boiled-down, concentrated brilliance found in Westone Bit Entertainment's marvellous genre mix Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. It blended traditional platforming with proper role-playing elements, where exploration was a significant part of the gaming experience. In addition to this, the design was extremely nice as was the music that I still hum to this day.