[SPOILERS] Did you know...? Easter Eggs, references and other tiny little secrets

[GSandSDS]

I tried to create a little list of things I found in the game that belong to the "did you know?" chategory. Maybe some people might find it interesting. Even though I excluded most of the music references so far. Feel free to add own entries to the list.

• Jin's and Zeke's Home and it's position in the environment (standing near a cliff with a moving plattform, and a secret source for coins on the roof) is a reference to the beginnings of Wonder Boy II and Wonder Boy V.

• You can get to the sewers in the very first minute of the game after getting the sword. Can you find the entrance?

• The music used in the first area of the game is called "Welcome to Monster World" is a reference to the beginning of Wonder Boy 2, where it also was the music for the first area. Even though it's actually not: This is only true for the Master System version (SEGA's old 8-bit console) where some BGMs where removed and exchanged with some remaining tracks, in this case some town music from a later "stage" in the game. The original arcade version of the game had a different song for the beginning of the game.

• The blue pepelogoo searching for a green-haired girl is actually a reference to Monster World IV and the main character Asha and her blue pepelogoo.

• The pig character is a reference to the shop keepers in Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap.

• Okay, this is far from being a secret: Lupia is called "a village" even though it is actually a town or even a city (in middle-ages standards).

• All inhabitans of Monster World are turned into animal creatures? Actually no. In the market place there is a woman in the background who is still human. Or maybe she was an animal-like character who was turned into a human? These actually exist in the Wonder Boy series, so... who knows?

• The star symbol on the "town's gate with the clock" in the background is actually the symbol of the "legendary equipment" that isn't shown in Monster Boy. Monster Boy by the way isn't the first game, where it's used in architecture. For example: In Wonder Boy V the symbol was also used on at least one building and on several clothes. It's also used on some clothes of the human version of Jin in Monster Boy.

• I'm sure that most players will already know this but still: The four characters on the windows of the chapel are (from left to right): Tom-Tom from Wonderboy, a blonde-haired version of Book (Bocke Lee Temjin) from Wonderboy II and Dragon's Trap, Shion from Wonder Boy V and Asha from Monster World IV (well, Wonder Boy... err... Girl VI?). There is a little bit of confusion going around about Tom-Tom and Book since Book was declared to be Tom-Tom 11 years later in the english manual of the Master System version of the game. In the original versions however they are two different characters.

• I'm sure many people will already know this. The character Ollie in the market place is actually a cameo character of the Youtuber "Banjo Guy Ollie" who plays lots of video game music on a banjo. Check out his Youtube channel.

• The Mushroom King is actually a classical enemy in the Wonder Boy series. A version of him is known as The Myconid in Wonder Boy V.

• When the sphinx asks about the number of the tentacles of the first boss (the giant octopus), the correct answer is 5. That seems strange since this boss only attacks with 4 tentacles. The answer is the door to the left during the fight where, when you take a closer look, a tip of 5th tentacle can be seen. Interestingly: Even then the answer could be actually wrong since the octopus shows six tentacles when it's still small and is thrown around by Uncle Nabu.

• In the temple of the sphinx there are several drawings of the Meka Dragon scattered around.

• In one of the later underwater locations a statue that strongly resembles Poseidon can be seen in the background. This is actually a reference to Wonder Boy V where you can meet this entity.

• In the upside-down sunken ship, where you can finde the pirate flag, there is a big picture of Mouse-Man from the Wonder Boy game Dragon's Trap. Mouse Man was one of the possible forms of the hero. Very fitting since the whole idea with the ship came from this game.

• When the ghost ship emerges it is indeed possible to jump onto the three crow's nests of the ship to get sone coins. They are easily missed.

• The interior of the ghost ships has some nice details that are easily missed too since the ship will sink after it's finished. For example: Somewhere in the ship there is a pirate squid with a captain's hood and an eyepatch rinding the skull of a creature that is holding a barrel in it's jaws.


• There are two very similar versions of music that can be played during the ride in the elevator of the White Tower (the one leading to the city in the sky). Both of them are actually a variation of the main BGM of the first Wonder Boy title.

• In the volcano when going for the lower eastern gong there is a passage where the ceiling is coming down. It's a "one-time" passage where you have to run fast switching between lion form and snake form. There are boots from Sonic the Hedgehog, together with a crushed skeleton, that can be seen near the end of the run but only as long as the ceiling hasn't reached the floor yet.

• The boss enemy Voldrake and his color scheme isn't a reference to Spyro the Dragon as some may think but more to the Wonder Boy V boss enemy Tyrant Dragon, who has the same color scheme.

• The whole shooter game sequence during the erruption of the volcano including the fight with the fish boss is actually a reference to the Wonder Boy game Monster Lair.

• When Jim turns into his dragon form for the first time, the player gets the archievement "Breath of Fire" (at least on steam with english language settings on). This is most likely a reference to the RPG series with the same name, where the protagonist also can turn into a dragon.

• When Jim meets Zeke in his dragon form for the first time, Zeke says that they should call themselves Double Dragon. This is a obviously a reference to the game with the same name.

• In some rooms of the Haunted Manor there are some jars that contain corpses of horned goblin-like creatures. These are actually common enemies in Wonder Boy II.

• If you look through the telescope in the observatory above the sky city you can actually see the final castle of the game Dragon's Trap (where you originally got the Salamander Cross) in the background.

• The three sacred relics in the game are acutally all references to former Wonder Boy titles. The stone axe is from the original Wonder Boy, the Salamander Cross is from Dragon's Trap and the ocarina is from Wonder Boy V.

• The second part of the castle area is (as far as I know) the only one that plays two complete different BGMs depending on when you enter the castle in the game. The first time a variation of the "final area" music of the games Monster Lair and Wonder Boy V is played.

• In the "console room" several pictures can be seen in the background. One shows the cover of the international version of Wonder Boy V, the other one shows the Mummy Dragon from Dragon's Trap. Furthermore a little statue of something that looks like the Meka Dragon can be seen.

• When fighting the 8-bit Meka Dragon the fighting area you are currently in is actually based on the PC Engine / Turbo Grafx version of Dragon's Trap (called Dragon's Curse) of that area and not after the usual Master System version. The battle music however is based on the Master System version (without FM chip) and not the Turbo Grafx version.

• Aside from the original Wonder Boy (not counting Wonder Boy Returns) and Monster World IV this game is one of the few games that does not contain the "Legendary Equipment".

• Monster Boy is the second game that shows the "Dark Realm". The first time it was shown in Wonder Boy V. Even though it should not be confused with the "Dark World" that is an icy area in the same Wonder Boy V.

• Monster Boy is the only game that, aside from the original Wonder Boy (not counting Wonder Boy Returns), does not include a final boss that is part of an alien invasion force (the ones with "Meka" in the name) from outer space.

[Kakhi]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

I tried to create a little list of things I found in the game that belong to the "did you know?" chategory. Maybe some people might find it interesting. Even though I excluded most of the music references so far. Feel free to add own entries to the list.

Fine, thanks a lot for this thread. It indeed may be interesting.

- Jin's and Zeke's Home and it's position in the environment (standing near a cliff with a moving plattform, and a secret source for coins on the roof) is a reference to the beginnings of Wonder Boy II and Wonder Boy V.

- Funny things : And Wonderboy V was already loaded with references and Easter Eggs from pasts WB/MW games...

- You can get to the sewers in the very first minute of the game after getting the sword. Can you find the entrance?

- ( Yup ! ;) But, I keep it being a secret... )

- The blue pepelogoo searching for a green-haired girl is actually a reference to Monster World IV and the main character Asha and her blue pepelogoo.

- I'd always wonder if this critter was only here for ref' (Or a kind of running-gag ? ), besides its actual role in the game ?
( I guess it couldn't be really the "same" Pepe' we saw in MW IV, knowing what this little blue flying-cat creature became when advancing through this same game... ? )

- The pig character is a reference to the shop keepers in Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap.

- ( Fun fact : It seems, including the Dragon's Trap remake, that nobody noticed the two little horn on the back of his head, on the original WB III game... So, was he actually as a proper Pig-Man, or a kind of the Goblin family ? )

- Okay, this is far from being a secret: Lupia is called "a town" even though it is actually a town or even a city (in middle-ages standards).

- I actually didn't care, but it would make sense... ^^'

- All inhabitans of Monster World are turned into animal creatures? Actually no. In the background of the market place there is a woman in the background that is still human. Or maybe she was an animal-like character who was turned into a human? These actually exist in the Wonder Boy series, so... who knows?

-Thanks about this fact I didn't noticed. I'll check it out.

- I'm sure that most players will already know this but still: The four characters on the windows of the chapel are (from left to right): Tom-Tom from Wonderboy, a blonde-haired version of Book (Bocke Lee Temjin) from Wonderboy II and Dragon's Trap, Shion from Wonder Boy V and Asha from Monster World IV (well, Wonder Boy... err... Girl VI?). There is a little bit of confusion going around about Tom-Tom and Book since Book was declared to be Tom-Tom 11 years later in the english manual of the Master System version of the game. In the original version however there are two different characters.

- Oh, well, Westernization...
( And Book was Green-Haired in the original Dragon's Trap game, mostly because of color palette scheme restrictions, and a matter of choice depending on this fact. )

- I'm sure many people will already know this. The character Ollie in the market place is actually a cameo character of the Youtuber "Banjo Guy Ollie" who plays lots of video game music on a banjo. Check out his Youtube channel.

- Yup ! ( Nice Playlist choice. ;) )

- The Mushroom King is actually a classical enemy in the Wonder Boy series. A version of him is known as The Myconid in Wonder Boy V.

- Agreed. But, the Myconid was also a sub-boss in WB II, and an actual boss in WB III - Monster Lair. ^^'
( It may refered both to a boss from "The Incredible Flying Hamster", too, which had kinda the same "throwing-cap" pattern. )

- In the upside-down sunken ship, where you can finde the pirate flag, there is a big picture of Mouse-Man from the Wonder Boy game Dragon's Trap. Mouse Man was one of the possible forms of the hero. Very fitting since the whole idea with the ship came from this game.

- Thanks again. I'll check it.

- There are two very similar versions of music that can be played during the ride in the elevator of the White Tower (the one leading to the city in the sky). Both of them are actually a variation of the main BGM of the first Wonder Boy title.

- The second part of the castle area is (as far as I know) that plays two complete different BGMs depending on when you enter the castle in the game. The first time a variation of the "final area" music of the games Monster Lair and Wonder Boy V is played.

- (I always thought it was the same tunes, but thanks for telling there was a difference. )

- The boss enemy Voldrake and his color scheme isn't a reference to Spyro the Dragon as some may think but more to the Wonder Boy V boss enemy Tyrant Dragon, who had the same color scheme.

- I thought so, mostly a ref' to WB V, here. ( Dragon's boss theme, too. ;) )

- The whole shooter game sequence during the erruption of the volcano including the fight with the fish boss is actually a reference to the Wonder Boy game Monster Lair.

- I also suspected it may be a ref' to some level of "The Incredible Flying Hamster", a previous game from the same team. One of the Best part of the game, by the way !

- In some rooms of the Haunted Manor there are some jars that contain corpses of horned goblin-like creatures. These are actually common enemies in Wonder Boy II.

- ^^" Thanks, I'll check it out...

[...]

- Monster Boy is the second game that shows the "Dark Realm". The first time it was shown in Wonder Boy V. Even though it should not be confused with the "Dark World" that is an icy area in the same Wonder Boy V.

- Well... I guess it's actually not the same kind of darkness : "Dark World" from WB V may surelly referred to some Arctic/Antarctic regions, where there is barelly daylight.
( And I even don't know if the Dark Realm shown in this game may actually be the same as the one in Monster Boy ? They look kinda differents... )

- Monster Boy is the only game that, aside from the original Wonder Boy (not counting Wonder Boy Returns), that does not include a final boss that is part of an alien invasion force (the ones with "Meka" in the name) from outer space.

- Yeah ! Sad part of the story, but I was slightly disappointed by this choice, not because it may be unoriginal, but I always felt "Who's this Guy ?" about the last boss until the very end, and actually get no response, except assuming it could be another random anonymous classic "Dark Lord".

[GSandSDS]

I added some more entries to the list (and removed some grammar and other errors in the text).

[FDG Entertainment]

It seems nobody found the Sonic the Hedgehog boots in Volcano area yet, right? ;)

[GSandSDS]

Hmm, I revisited the volcano and did not find the boots. Maybe they are in one of the one-time passages of the volcano, those that cannot be revisited? Or maybe in the area of the falling scene at the beginning of the volcano (this is too fast for me to look for easter eggs). I also tried the "pinball room" since the whole room looks like something from a sonic game. But I couldn't find any boots there too.

[Kakhi]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Hmm, I revisited the volcano and did not find the boots. Maybe they are in one of the one-time passages of the volcano, those that cannot be revisited? Or maybe in the area of the falling scene at the beginning of the volcano (this is too fast for me to look for easter eggs). I also tried the "pinball room" since the whole room looks like something from a sonic game. But I couldn't find any boots there too.

I didn't find it, either -but, as many hidden things in this level, I guess.
( Anyway, Thanks for telling : it surely worth coming back for some volcanic "tourism", then. )

Well, it could make sense, about the pinball room, but I felt more of a "Dragon's Fury/Devil Crash" spirit, first , maybe for some reasons. ( ...And the music. ;) )

[GSandSDS]

Another additions:

• In the temple of the sphinx there are several drawings of the Meka Dragon scattered around.
• When the ghost ship emerges it is indeed possible to jump onto the three crow's nests of the ship to get sone coins. They are easily missed.
• The interior of the ghost ships has some nice details that are easily missed too since the ship will sink after it's finished. For example: Somewhere in the ship there is a pirate squid with a captain's hood and an eyepatch rinding the skull of a creature that is holding a barrel in it's jaws.

And finally the Sonic boots:
• In the volcano when going for the lower eastern gong there is a passage where the ceiling is coming down. It's a "one-time" passage where you have to run fast switching between lion form and snake form. There are boots from Sonic the Hedgehog, together with a crushed skeleton, that can be seen near the end of the run but only as long as the ceiling hasn't reached the floor yet. Here is an image of the boots: https://ibb.co/ZLPm0b0

[Kakhi]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Another additions:

• In the temple of the sphinx there are several drawings of the Meka Dragon scattered around.
• When the ghost ship emerges it is indeed possible to jump onto the three crow's nests of the ship to get sone coins. They are easily missed.
• The interior of the ghost ships has some nice details that are easily missed too since the ship will sink after it's finished. For example: Somewhere in the ship there is a pirate squid with a captain's hood and an eyepatch rinding the skull of a creature that is holding a barrel in it's jaws.

And finally the Sonic boots:
• In the volcano when going for the lower eastern gong there is a passage where the ceiling is coming down. It's a "one-time" passage where you have to run fast switching between lion form and snake form. There are boots from Sonic the Hedgehog, together with a crushed skeleton, that can be seen near the end of the run but only as long as the ceiling hasn't reached the floor yet. Here is an image of the boots: https://ibb.co/ZLPm0b0

Thanks a lot. ( ...Now, I know why this one can be easily missed. )

Thinking back about "mysteries" & "clues", there is also a bunch of painting/portraits in the Mansion with something familiar, but I can't really tell what it is about most of them.

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/782982187231775770/9AFA051C2F1453D4AB24D374C17E194F0712DEFB/