Anyone who knows me knows how important the Wonder Boy games are to me – and just how much of a part they played in my video game obsession from a young age. Having discovered both the original Wonder Boy and its pseudo-RPG, platform hack-and-slash sequel Wonder Boy in Monster Land at arcades in the mid to late 80s, both played a part in my absolute obsession with acquiring a Sega Master System, so I could play both titles in relatively faithful conversions in the comfort of my own home (and without having to insert coins every time I died – which was a lot!).

Fun fact: Wonder Boy in Monster Land was the very first video game I completed and saw the end credits for. It took ages of obsessive playing for me to conquer it – and I played it so much that even now I recognise where most of the secret coins are, as well as the hidden doors and the right path through the annoying maze in the final level.

So naturally, when I heard that the Wonder Boy Collection was being released physically by ININ Games for the PS4 and Switch, I took notice immediately. Featuring four games from the series (which has some seriously confusing naming and numbering conventions), the collection features the aforementioned Wonder Boy and Wonder Boy in Monster Land, along with 1991 title Wonder Boy in Monster World and 1994’s Monster World IV. The PS4 version can be pre-ordered from Amazon here, and the Switch version here.

Special versions (containing six games and 21 versions in total) can be found in the more comprehensive releases from Strictly Limited Games, along with fancier collectibles included with the much more limited editions.

Be warned though – some of these have already sold out. You can check those editions out here. The Wonder Boy completists (and I count myself among them!) won’t want to miss out on the Ultra Collector’s Edition, which has some absolutely unmissable collectibles included along with, of course, that very comprehensive collection of games itself!