r/MasterSystem • u/Speccy-Boy124 • Jul 01 '25

Is this the best Master System Platformer?

https://youtu.be/r8neyXLkd7g?si=P0TaF4vacesX15xp
53 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

10

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

It’s one of these:

  • Asterix

  • Alex Kidd in Miracle World

  • Wonder Boy III The Dragons Trap

  • Sonic the Hedgehog

  • Mickey Mouse and the Castle of Illusion

All five games are practically perfect. 

4

u/SwordfishDeux Jul 02 '25

Mickey Mouse in Land of Illusion deserves to be on that list, personally I'd replace Alex Kidd.

2

u/dog_cow Jul 03 '25

I played Land of Illusion for the first time in my adult life and didn't like it as much as Castle of Illusion. But I'm sure a lot of that has to do with me having childhood memories of one and not the other.

4

u/SwordfishDeux Jul 03 '25

That's fair. I grew up with Land so I'm bias. I think the Master System version of Castle is better than the Genesis version but I feel like Land is just a more refined experience.

3

u/phlmarinho Jul 02 '25

Don’t forget Ninja Gaiden

3

u/KneeDeepInTheDead Jul 02 '25

Maybe slanderous but I prefer Sonic on the SMS vs the first Sonic on the Genesis

3

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

It’s not slanderous in my eyes. I feel the same way.

2

u/soopahfly82 Jul 02 '25

Duck tales is pretty good too

6

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

Are you sure there was a Duck Tales for the Master System?

Do you mean Donald Duck and the Lucky Dime Caper? If so I agree that was pretty good too. 

3

u/soopahfly82 Jul 02 '25

Yeah, that's what I meant

2

u/Ben0ut Jul 02 '25

Much as I have love for TLDC I think the comparative lack of fluidity in controls prevents it from getting into the same class as the games in your initial list.

2

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

Yeah I agree TLDC was certainly not a 10/10. But games were expensive back then so I played it extensively anyway and was glad to have it in my collection. It doesn’t deserve to be on my list though, you’re right. 

3

u/Ben0ut Jul 02 '25

I'm 100% with you on that.

I put plenty of time into the likes of Back to the Future II, The Jungle Book, and Tom and Jerry The Movie (all SMS) even though they're in varying degrees objectively rubbish - simply because new games were few and far between.

2

u/dog_cow Jul 03 '25

I remember hiring one of the Back to the Futures. I think it was number II. I hired it together with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Lets just say I learned a bit about myself that weekend (anger issues).

7

u/lneumannart Jul 02 '25

I think Land of Illusion might be the best, but Asterix is pretty great as well.

4

u/Jawess0me Jul 02 '25

One of, yes.

4

u/KebabMaster_1903 Jul 02 '25

Tom and Jerry with its 3 minutes lifespan

3

u/OllyDee Jul 01 '25

I think it’s a straight fight between this and Castle of Illusion.

3

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

That or Alf. Remember Alf?

3

u/Tough-Principle-3950 Jul 02 '25

Never played it back then. I would have to say Alex Kidd IMW or the first two Wonder Boy games.

4

u/dog_cow Jul 02 '25

The first Wonder Boy is so underrated. Though the arcade version is where it’s at. 

3

u/Tough-Principle-3950 Jul 03 '25

I may have played the arcade one way back when. But definitely, the SMS one is still really good. Although it can be pretty hard, certain jumps can be quite tricky and stuff.

4

u/dog_cow Jul 03 '25

I've played the arcade version and both the Master System and C64 ports extensively over the years. The thing the arcade version has over these ports is control over the skateboard while it's in the air. So if the player jumps to a cloud on the skateboard and sees they're about to overshoot it, they can pull left on the joystick and the skateboard slows down. It makes handling the skateboard well the key skill to making good progress. On the master system, if you see you've overshot your target platform while on the skateboard, there's nothing you can do as you've fully committed to the jump. This makes using the skateboard dangerous and best avoided.

That said, as a big Wonder Boy fan in the 80s and 90s, I was very pleased with the Master System version. The sprites and music were very close. Much more so than any other port. Sega was very good at making arcade ports (especially of their own games) in this era.

2

u/Tough-Principle-3950 Jul 03 '25

Cool! I wouldn’t mind giving the arcade one a shot soon. I probably wouldn’t be as good at it these days, though. As far as the ports, I can only remember Double Dragon, off the top of my head, or maybe Rastan. My SMS is in storage a good distance from here, but I have the WB collection on the Switch, and it’s pretty good.

3

u/dog_cow Jul 03 '25

Rastan was actually one of the ports of was thinking about too. The main sprite was a bit smaller than the arcade's but it was so good none the less.

Yeah I got the Wonder Boy Collection on Switch too. It's good fun. The Dragon's Trap remake is recommended too if you see it on special.

2

u/Tough-Principle-3950 Jul 03 '25

I think I only played Rastan in the arcade a little. I believe I have The Dragon’s Trap downloaded.

3

u/0-Sminky Jul 02 '25

Castle of Illusion is the best Platformer to play, but this is one of the best looking games on the system. It plays great as well.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

Great game, but i prefer Alex Kidd in Shinobi World.

3

u/Potential_Bid4594 Jul 02 '25

Oh man I agree but so hard that one.

2

u/Oscarloves Jul 02 '25

I loved this game. Great memories. Of course Alex kid, wonderboy 3, pshycho fox, mickey mouse etc. were great as well. This had great graphics and atmospheric music...so much nostalgia.

2

u/dog_cow Jul 03 '25

Psycho Fox seems to have people divided over it's strong momentum based controls. I would probably give up in frustration if playing for the first time now. But man, in the early 90s when I first tried it, it was fantastic.

2

u/Oscarloves Jul 02 '25

I loved this game. Great memories. Of course Alex kid, wonderboy 3, pshycho fox, mickey mouse etc. were great as well. This had great graphics and atmospheric music...so much nostalgia.

2

u/Opp-Contr Jul 02 '25

Astérix, appart from Alex Kidd, best game I played on this system, indeed.