Or, “I can’t believe it’s not Wonder Boy”. Since it is, in almost every way, a Wonder Boy game. You’re a boy, with a sword, and you collect money and buy better armour and unlock abilities and it looks like a 16 bit Wonder Boy game and it plays like one and sounds like one.
But, it’s a bit slicker. It has a few improvements (like warps). It isn’t as impossible as Wonder Boy in Monster Land. But, it’s still good. Really good.
The plot is generic “find X items and banish the dark”, but it plays out in an explore the overworld, beat four “dungeons” sort of way (so is actually a little more like Zelda II in that respect, I suppose). There are massive bosses, silly side characters, and a pig who runs a pub who says you’re too young to drink there.
There’s no outstanding features, but it’s all well put together and enjoyable in a Metroidvania type way, and I do like games that are in the Metroidvania way,
