Let's Play Wonder Boy in Monster Land: Round 11

Round 11: The Undersea Kingdom of Catfish. If you cast your mind all the way back to round 7, you’ll recall that the Great Catfish will replace the CHARM OF STAR that I’m carrying with the HERO’S EMBLEM (if I am truly brave man). I bet he’s around here somewhere.

I take a hit from these OCTOPI, but pick up some fireballs and wing boots in exchange.

This huge jump is trivial with my wing boots!

Unfortunately, this one’s a bit more difficult. I’m able to get over, but I’m hit by a ROHPAH. At least I get the chance to pick up some life from that RAT. And to visit the bar!

I’d kind of surmised as much about the Catfish, but it’s nice to have confirmation. We’ll have to keep an eye out for the seabed store.

I take another shot at the roof. I get hit again, but it looks like I might make it anyway.

I was too caught up in fierce battle to get any shots, but I managed to take out the ROHPAHS. The rewards are some hidden coins, for a total of 11G profit. Whoo!

It also lets me drift through the sky instead of moving forward ground-wards. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be anything up there. Thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure there’s actually a hidden LIFE HEART on the island with the tree that I just avoided. Whoops.

I seem to have reached a dead end, so I throw myself into the waves. What will happen now?

Underwater adventure time! The HARD SHIELD he’s selling is tempting, but I’m gonna hold out for a better one for now.

What a nice fellow. Unlike basically every other shopkeeper at this point in the game, this guy doesn’t close up immediately. You know, he’s such a nice guy, maybe I will buy that shield.

Oh! It’s the Great Catfish! He seems as surprised to see me as I am to see him. He’s clearly making up his speech as he goes along.

He gives me the EMBLEM, because of how I courageously re-entered the store, and gives me some solid advice.

There it is, the HERO’S EMBLEM. I guess the CATFISH must’ve been a hero himself at some point.

You know, I hate to nitpick, but the seabed store the bartender was talking about isn’t actually on the seabed. And I don’t know that I’d call the CATFISH a riddle. No wonder I had to find out where he was from a friend when I was a kid.

I’m playing as well as ever. That GAUNTLET will come in handy, though. For some reason it takes two hits to kill these undersea OCTOPI. The guys at the start of the level only take one.

Yep, top form.

Eventually I get the first one, for another GAUNTLET. For some reason you usually can’t get into the gaps here. I think you have to be falling.

I wasn’t able to get to that MANTLE, for example. I had to get my temporary invincibility by getting hit again instead.

OK, phew. No more OCTOPI.

Argh!

Alrighty! Time to move on.

Great, a TARMAN. Maybe the only thing worse than OCTOPI.

I seem to have gotten a higher than usual proportion of screenshots where you can’t see Wonder Boy in this update. The TARMAN hit me, and then I hit it. And I got another GAUNTLET. Why won’t anyone drop me some money?

There is at least some hidden money here. 3G!

Yet another GAUNTLET, and a MINI-COIN COLLECTOR to go with it.

I’ve had enough! I’m taking this guy out! Unfortunately he got the first hit.

I got the second...

He gets the third. I’m down 10G so far.

And he drops fireballs.

I’m not bothering with this guy.

I manage to take this one out without getting hit. He drops 8G. Apparently he’s not very good at collecting coins.

I get hit by this BAT, but in the process I find a hidden LIFE HEART. So I come out ahead.

Another dead end. I take the plunge. There’s actually another hidden heart I’ve found before on this screen. If you have wing boots and you jump right across the top of the screen with them, a heart comes out at the right edge of the lowest part of the ceiling. Thing is, hidden hearts drift upwards, so you can’t get it.

I’m not sticking around for this!

Not interested.

These things always seem to show up when your hourglass is already full.

Aww crud.

Luckily I’m in the jumping animation rather than the falling animation. The latter moves more slowly, and I’d almost certainly have been swooped.

No thanks! I think there’s hidden money on this screen, but I’m not that desperate.

I know there’s money on this screen.

There it is!

OK, let’s move on!

Well, I guess I’ve been warned.

Sadly, it turns out that this isn’t the dragon. It’s a statue.

The castle is guarded by MINI-BLUE KNIGHTs. They don’t seem to carry any cash, either.

This is one brave bartender.

The RED STONE sounds like something we want. His second bit of advice is kind of a rip-off. That’s gonna be pretty clear, pretty soon.

There’s actually quite a few brave souls keeping up the spirit of commerce here in the Monster Castle.

This was kind of a tough choice. I don’t have enough money to buy both the POTION and the LEGENDARY SHIELD yet, and all the shops around here close up after the first time you enter. I’ve gotten POTIONS as random drops from the MINI-BLUE KNIGHTs before, too. I decide I’d feel more comfortable having one, though.

I decide I’m going to only go through the doors which are visible, thinking that the merchants are all behind hidden doors. This one takes me to:

My old friend, the nurse! I’d really like to have full health going into the last stage, but I’m not sure how much money I’m going to get from the boss, and I don’t want to come up short for the SHIELD, so I decline. The nurse is not impressed.

Wing boots! Completely useless right now!

Here’s the boss, the GREY SILVER KNIGHT. In keeping with what’s sadly become my tradition, he hits me right away.

I get in a quick follow-up.

He jumps away and I give pursuit. Suddenly:

He comes right at me!

Luckily, my hit-invincibility lasts longer than his, and his attack is harmless. Mine, on the other hand, is effective.

He tries to retaliate, but today is not the SILVER KNIGHT’s day.

He has the good sense to back off.

Awright, this is it!

Crumbs!

I recover, and take another swing. You watch now, I’m gonna turn my back and he’ll fall apart, cut head to toe.

Or he’ll explode. I guess the graphics weren’t up to it back in the SMS days.

I cash up and get out. I’ve now got 412G. The SHIELD is 350G, so I’d’ve had 62G left for the nurse’s 40G fee. I should’ve gotten treatment. Darn.

I head back to find the shield store. Unfortunately, the KNIGHTs are respawning.

As you no doubt predicted, I get hit.

It’s hard to make out, but I think he dropped a GOLDEN SCALE. Those’re only good for points, and I’ve already got all the benefit I can from those. This isn’t really a high-score kind of game.

I find the shoe shop.

Turns out the shield store is in the other direction, just past the SILVER KNIGHT’s door.

OK! Now I’ve got the full set of pastel blue gear, it’s time to enter the castle!

Oh, alright. I suppose I can get hit again first.

Wing boots. Rockin’. Let’s see what’s behind this door.

Hey, I know you! You’re the mayor of the City of Wonder Land, from back in Round 1! I sort of wonder why she didn’t give me this stuff back then. I guess she’s been setting up everyone who comes past with a sword and potion and telling them to kill the dragon, and I’m the first to get this far. And she’ll still only give me one item! Cheap! Anyway, the BELL helps you navigate in Round 12. If you go the wrong way, it rings. It’s pretty good for beginners trying to find their way. Since I’m a total pro, I’m gonna take the RUBY. Like the bartender said, it has the mysterious power to weaken the dragon. If you come here without the EMBLEM, then “THERE’S NOTHING TO TELL YOU ABOUT”.

And there it is! As you can see, I’m in pretty good shape. I’ve got all the best stuff, I’ve got a revival potion, I’ve got some fireballs (the tornados are pretty much useless at this point, though). It’s a shame I don’t have full health, but if I play it right that hopefully won’t matter. Let’s wrap this up!