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Post by zilliont on Jan 6, 2015 1:18:04 GMT -5
Monster World IV is one of my favorite Genesis games, and a damn fine action-RPG too. However, what I find more interested is that Westone pushed the console's hardware to a certain point where the game looks it came straight out of a GBA... The "intermission" music in particular sounds like something you'd hear in the 3rd gen Pokémon games. And this is VERY good, since I'm terribly nostalgic for Nintendo's 32-bit portable
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Post by Ace Whatever on Jan 7, 2015 3:10:42 GMT -5
Ok, I can finally see why the dungeon length can grate on people's nerves. Everything after the first volcano boss felt a bit like padding, especially all those corridors with golems and/or spiked caterpillars. On the flip sides, the bosses are kind of a joke once you figure out it's much easier to cheese them than to try to fight normally. The harpy never did the shockwave attack after I jumped up a platform and just kept flying face first into my sword. The 2nd boss 1st form I wrecked in less than 10 seconds by pogo swording over it at the cost of some health. 2nd form just kinda spun around and never touched me for some reason while I stabbed him from below. I'm still using my starter equipment. Anything I should upgrade to now? Also, apparently the warlock was the peppelogoo salesman?
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Post by kal on Jan 10, 2015 20:06:33 GMT -5
I definitely recommend playing the Wonder Boy series for anyone that completes this game early.
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Post by xerxes on Jan 12, 2015 0:46:40 GMT -5
I just finished it. Didn't get all of the life pieces and didn't buy the legendary sword, but it was still way too easy. One tip I'll give y'all: don't be afraid to warp out of Subterranea after fighting two or three bosses. You won't have to fight them again, and you'll be able to sell those gold bars and buy the kickass legendary sword.
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Post by Feynman on Jan 16, 2015 14:08:48 GMT -5
Well, I completed both Monster World III & IV, and both were still as fun as ever.
The most noticeable change going from the third game to the fourth is how much better the animation is. Before Monster World IV, the series has fairly basic animation. For example, the main character in Monster World III doesn't move his head or upper body at all when walking... only the legs move. When jumping, the torso and head still don't change, and only the legs move a bit. The animations for attacking and taking damage are better, but as a whole the hero, despite having a large and detailed sprite, has very little personality. The heroine of Monster World IV, on the other hand, is animated quite well. The animations for walking, jumping, attacking, getting hit, opening treasure chests and more is much more expressive and makes for a much stronger character. The artists really put their all into the series' final game.
Also interesting is the way the series sort of comes full circle. Monster Land was a stage-based arcade game with some action/RPG elements. Dragon's Curse used an interconnected world branching off a core hub, and then Monster World III refined that concept. Monster World IV, however, goes back to being more of a stage-based game like the original Monster Land. It technically has a "hub" in the form of the town you return to between levels, but this town is basically just a resupply station and story dispenser. Exploration is very limited; you don't have to revisit old areas with new animal forms like Dragon's Curse or scour old areas with new abilities to find more power-ups or essential items as in MW III. It works out well, as it keeps the game's pace brisk, and the changes that gradually occur in the hub town between stages are an effective storytelling method.
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Post by Ike on Jan 18, 2015 10:39:32 GMT -5
If yall are enjoying this game, the Shantae series has a pretty similar sort of feel to it (although personally I think Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is pretty weak, esp. compared to the second game, which I like a lot)
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Post by kal on Jan 18, 2015 18:31:36 GMT -5
Well Monster World 4 has hit a few people (myself included) with a bit of tedium in terms of trapping you in the hub area until you manage to stumble onto a hidden area to continue the game. I'd say that's different to Monster Land but that did have the secret doors.
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Post by Malev on Jan 18, 2015 19:23:37 GMT -5
Well Monster World 4 has hit a few people (myself included) with a bit of tedium in terms of trapping you in the hub area until you manage to stumble onto a hidden area to continue the game. I'd say that's different to Monster Land but that did have the secret doors. I can't recall if it explains that you have to select the egg on the healing fountain to make it hatch.
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Post by Bobinator on Jan 18, 2015 19:32:22 GMT -5
Well Monster World 4 has hit a few people (myself included) with a bit of tedium in terms of trapping you in the hub area until you manage to stumble onto a hidden area to continue the game. I'd say that's different to Monster Land but that did have the secret doors. I can't recall if it explains that you have to select the egg on the healing fountain to make it hatch. There's a book in town that explains that, at least in the VC translation.
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Post by kal on Jan 18, 2015 20:13:07 GMT -5
I was referring more to the tree / fruit you have to find. Which has to be found by realizing the way architecture works in the game is kind of weird. Doubly confusing because arbitrary invisible walls exist in the previous games. The egg thing is mentioned (it says they hatch in water) but it's a little out of the way.
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Post by Joseph Joestar on Jan 19, 2015 10:27:02 GMT -5
Well, I completed both Monster World III & IV, and both were still as fun as ever. The most noticeable change going from the third game to the fourth is how much better the animation is. Before Monster World IV, the series has fairly basic animation. For example, the main character in Monster World III doesn't move his head or upper body at all when walking... only the legs move. When jumping, the torso and head still don't change, and only the legs move a bit. The animations for attacking and taking damage are better, but as a whole the hero, despite having a large and detailed sprite, has very little personality. The heroine of Monster World IV, on the other hand, is animated quite well. The animations for walking, jumping, attacking, getting hit, opening treasure chests and more is much more expressive and makes for a much stronger character. The artists really put their all into the series' final game. Also interesting is the way the series sort of comes full circle. Monster Land was a stage-based arcade game with some action/RPG elements. Dragon's Curse used an interconnected world branching off a core hub, and then Monster World III refined that concept. Monster World IV, however, goes back to being more of a stage-based game like the original Monster Land. It technically has a "hub" in the form of the town you return to between levels, but this town is basically just a resupply station and story dispenser. Exploration is very limited; you don't have to revisit old areas with new animal forms like Dragon's Curse or scour old areas with new abilities to find more power-ups or essential items as in MW III. It works out well, as it keeps the game's pace brisk, and the changes that gradually occur in the hub town between stages are an effective storytelling method. Based on what others have told me, I'm near the end of Monster World III. I'm in the Demon Castle and have made two attempts to beat this annoying "pressure sensitive" platform section; it might be that I'm trying to move too fast, but holy shit is it annoying. Snarboo reminded me that the bullshit platforming part at the end of Monster Land was worse, though, since that dumped you right at the beginning of the maze.
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Post by Feynman on Jan 19, 2015 13:59:49 GMT -5
Yeah, the key to the bastard platforms in MW III is to not rush. You have more time to react than you did in Monster Land, so keep your momentum under control and make sure you know exactly where the next platform is going to be before you jump... this is especially important for the second set of platforms, as they try to trick you a couple times.
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Post by Joseph Joestar on Jan 19, 2015 17:37:10 GMT -5
Yeah, the key to the bastard platforms in MW III is to not rush. You have more time to react than you did in Monster Land, so keep your momentum under control and make sure you know exactly where the next platform is going to be before you jump... this is especially important for the second set of platforms, as they try to trick you a couple times. Cool, thanks! I'll give it a shot when I get home.
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Post by Ace Whatever on Jan 19, 2015 18:18:00 GMT -5
Finally finished the Ice Pyramid. Such a pain. I really hope the game stops throwing cheap traps and omni-blocking enemies at you after this, though that's probably par for the course for this series.
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Post by Feynman on Jan 20, 2015 17:06:33 GMT -5
The Ice Pyramid is easily the worst stage in the game. I have no idea what they were thinking when they made that level.
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