Monster World IV
Encyclopedia
Monster World IV is an adventure
platform game
, released exclusively in Japan
for the Sega Mega Drive
in April 1994. It is the sixth and final game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World
series.
The story involves a young girl named Arsha, who upon hearing spirits whisper on the wind pleading for help, embarks on a journey to find and aid them. Along the way she becomes master of a genie
and adopts a small monster she names Pepe'.
Gameplay revolves around walking along a 2D
landscape fighting a variety of monsters, as well as interacting with various people. Playing the game also requires Arsha to utilize Pepe's abilities; such as clogging a lava geyser with his flame resistant body.
While this was viewed as another sequel
to the Wonder Boy
series, it remains solely as part of the Monster World series, as it was only released in Japan. Still, some games from both series overlap, therefore allowing for some continuity
; one example is a book in the Royal Rapadagnan Library that mentions the disappearance of Shion, the playable character from the last game
, stating that a large hole appeared next to his house and he was never seen from again. There is also a book entitled The Magic of Eleanora, the Fairy Queen of Alsedo from the last game
.
An English fan translation
was released in 2002 by longtime translation groups Demiforce and DeJap.
Afterward a bug fix patch of the English translation was released by Michele Di Somma. North Americans can play Monster World IV through Gametap
, although it is left untranslated.
On December 28, 2007, Nintendo announced on its official Japanese website that a port of the original Mega Drive game would be released in January 2008 on the Japanese Virtual Console. On May 12, 2011 Sega announced plans to localize Monster World IV for release on North America and Europe in English on both the Virtual Console and PlayStation Network.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, released exclusively in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
in April 1994. It is the sixth and final game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
series.
The story involves a young girl named Arsha, who upon hearing spirits whisper on the wind pleading for help, embarks on a journey to find and aid them. Along the way she becomes master of a genie
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
and adopts a small monster she names Pepe'.
Gameplay revolves around walking along a 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
landscape fighting a variety of monsters, as well as interacting with various people. Playing the game also requires Arsha to utilize Pepe's abilities; such as clogging a lava geyser with his flame resistant body.
While this was viewed as another sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
series, it remains solely as part of the Monster World series, as it was only released in Japan. Still, some games from both series overlap, therefore allowing for some continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
; one example is a book in the Royal Rapadagnan Library that mentions the disappearance of Shion, the playable character from the last game
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Wonder Boy in Monster World, known in Japan as Wonder Boy V: Monster World III, is a side-scrolling action RPG originally developed by Westone Bit Entertainment and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in...
, stating that a large hole appeared next to his house and he was never seen from again. There is also a book entitled The Magic of Eleanora, the Fairy Queen of Alsedo from the last game
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Wonder Boy in Monster World, known in Japan as Wonder Boy V: Monster World III, is a side-scrolling action RPG originally developed by Westone Bit Entertainment and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in...
.
An English fan translation
Fan translation
A fan translation, in video gaming, refers to an unofficial translation of a computer game or video game.The fan translation practice grew with the rise of video game console emulation in the late 1990s. A community of people developed that were interested in replaying and modifying the games they...
was released in 2002 by longtime translation groups Demiforce and DeJap.
Afterward a bug fix patch of the English translation was released by Michele Di Somma. North Americans can play Monster World IV through Gametap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
, although it is left untranslated.
On December 28, 2007, Nintendo announced on its official Japanese website that a port of the original Mega Drive game would be released in January 2008 on the Japanese Virtual Console. On May 12, 2011 Sega announced plans to localize Monster World IV for release on North America and Europe in English on both the Virtual Console and PlayStation Network.
Characters
- Arsha is a young, green-haired girl dressed in Arabian-influenced nomadic gear. Sensitive to the presence of spirits, Arsha is able to hear the pleas of the Elemental Spirits coming from Monster World, and ultimately endeavors to free them.
- Pepe' is a pepelougoo, which are a race of small, spherical-shaped monsters, who flap their ears to fly. While most of the peperogus in Monster World are yellow, Pepe' is blue. He is seen as more than just a curiosity to several people in Monster World; as in ancient days, the blue ones had been all but wiped out by people fearful of their magical abilities.
- Purapril XIII, descendant of Purapril from the previous Monster World games, and ruler of the kingdom.
- Save Master is an elderly man who travels across Monster World, popping up in unexpected places, and recording people's memories. Game mechanic-wise, by talking to him, the player can save their progress thus far.
- Genie of the Lamp is a sarcastic spirit being who resides in an old oil lamp. He becomes Arsha's companion and servant on her quest, which he treats as just another hum-drum activity he will do before he is (as with several classical genie stories) lost for another one thousand years. He is the one who transports Arsha to and from Monster World.
- Elemental Spirits, the four Companions from the previous game:
- Priscilla, a Fairy Sprite originally hailing from Alsedo, the Fairy Village.
- Hotta, the dwarf child, whose background is rooted in the swampy area of Lilypad, the Dwarf Village.
- Shabo, a Grim Reaper-esque wraith who offered aid in the frozen wasteland of Childam, the Darkworld Village.
- The Elder-Dragon's Grandson, a young fire-breathing dragon who provided much-needed assistance in-and-around Begonia, the Dragon Village.