Developer: Westone/Hudson
Publisher: Hudson (Japan), NEC (USA)
Year: 1991
Fun Fact: originally released for the Master System in 1989

As the fun fact states, this game was originally released 2 years earlier on the Master System, as Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap.  As with most of the Wonder Boy series, Hudson licensed this game, changed the names and graphics, and released it for a non-SEGA system.  I haven’t played all the way through the Master System version but in this case the only major changes seem to be a decent upgrade in graphics.

Read the rest of the review:

Dragon’s Curse continues the insane, awesome and respectable evolution of the series.  Wonder Boy was a 2nd-rate Mario-wannabe.  Wonder Boy in Monster Land was a 1st rate Mario vs. Zelda mashup.  Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair was an innovative attempt at combining platformers with auto-scrolling shmups.  DC attempts to combine mascot platforming with Metroid-style exploration and power acquisition.  It’s hard to say if this game was popular with certain people at Konami but the Symphony of the Night style Castlevania games seem to have been inspired by it.

The game begins with a remade, and much much easier, version of the final castle and boss fight from Wonder Boy in Monster Land.  Our hero is then cursed and the action unfolds as you set out to lift the offending spell.  Platformers always expect us to set off to save a girlfriend or a kingdom so it’s nice to have a game where you get to be all about you. 

The curse has transformed you into a rather wussy dragon and you’ll find that this is a rather complicated spell to reverse.  You’ll end up transforming into many other forms throughout the adventure.  Each of these forms naturally has strengths and weaknesses that make them unique.  These qualities will grant you access to new areas and treasures.  Armors and tools are sold in shops as long as you have the money and the charisma level to buy them.  This can be occasionally annoying as you may find yourself grinding to earn money and charisma-raising stones.

Dragon’s Trap was an innovative game in its day and 2 years later Dragon’s Curse provided the same experience.  The music and character designs are a step down from Wonder Boy in Monster Land but everything else is top-notch.  This will sound like a strange list, but if you’re a fan of Mario, Metroid, Zelda and/or the recent Castlevania games, you should give this one a shot.

Grade: A-
Personal conclusion: deserves to be more widely known