Monster World IV Took 18 Years to Arrive in the United States

Released in Japan in 1994, Monster World IV is a game that didn’t officially land in the United States until 2012.

I want to tell you, though, that this is certainly a game worth tracking down. Combining elements of The Adventure of Link with 16-bit platforming goodness similar to QuackShot: Starring Donald Duck, Monster World IV delivers everything you could want from the genre: collectibles, weapon and armor upgrades, catchy music, colorful graphics, and a perfect difficulty curve.

So why didn’t we see it in North America for almost two decades?

It’s probably because it came out so late in the lifespan of the Genesis/Mega Drive. Translating and marketing a game for a console that’s cracking out its death rattle simply wasn’t a smart business move.

It’s perhaps interesting to note that the Wonder Boy/Monster World series has been split. Hudson Soft was given the task of porting the original arcade game to home consoles back in the 1980s, but they changed the character of Wonder Boy to Master Higgins and the result was Adventure Island for Famicom/NES. The Wonder Boy series carried on into the adventure genre after the third installment, where it became Wonder Boy in Monster World, while Adventure Island for the most part stuck to the side-scrolling action style.

In any case, you should give Monster World IV a try; it’s a quality title that’s full of charm. And while you’re at it, take a look at my video review below: