Monster World IV

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***Monster World IV*** (モンスターワールドIV *Monsutā Wārudo Fō*) is an action-adventure platform game, developed by Westone and released exclusively in Japan by Sega for the Mega Drive in April 1994. It is the sixth game in the *Wonder Boy/Monster World* series.

## Official Releases

* Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (April 1st, 1994 in Japan)
* PlayStation 2 as part of the *Sega Ages 2500* series under the name *Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection* (2007)
* Wii Virtual Console (January 15, 2008 in Japan. May 10th, 2012 in North America and Europe)
* Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World for XBox Live Arcade and Playstation Network (May 22, 2012)
* Sega Genesis Mini (September 19th, 2019)
* Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 via Wonder Boy Collection (2022) and Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (2023)

## Gameplay

*Monster World IV* is a mix of action-adventure, platforming and RPG genres, in which the player traverses a 2D landscape fighting a variety of monsters as well as interacting with non-playable characters.

Expanding upon previous games in the series, Asha has the ability to swing her sword upward, downward, and across while in air, depending on which direction is pressed. She can also use her shield in a standing position by holding down.

Asha can summon her pet Pepelogoo to reach areas that she cannot on her own. By holding onto him, she can slow the descent of her jump (via his flying ability) or even perform a double-jump. Pepelogoo can also protect Asha from falling rocks, be used as a platform over lava geysers, and blow out fires that obstruct Asha's progress.

Equipment upgrades are purchased in the hub town. Armor increases Asha's pink life heart meter. Shields increase her defense and give her stat defenses to certain elements, such as fire or ice. Swords increase Asha's attack stats with critical effects depending upon the sword.

Some items cannot be purchased and must be found in the temples and caverns that Asha must explore. Healing Medicine will restore Asha's health or bring her back to life if she has Pepelogoo. Gold Bars can be traded with the rich lady in town for in-game currency. And finally, there are 150 Life Drops hidden throughout the game. Collecting ten will add a blue life heart to the life meter.

Items can be permanently missed. Once an area's boss is defeated, that area is inaccessible for the rest of the game.

## Plot

The story involves a young girl named Asha, who upon hearing spirits whisper on the wind pleading for help, embarks on a journey to find and aid them. Along the way she becomes master of a Lamp Spirit and adopts a small monster known as Pepelogoo.

## Characters

* Asha is a young, green-haired girl dressed in Arabian-influenced nomadic gear. Sensitive to the presence of spirits, Asha is able to hear the pleas of the four spirits, and ultimately endeavors to become a warrior and free them.
* Pepelogoo is a race of small, spherical-shaped monsters, who flap their ears to fly. While most Pepelogoos in Monster World are yellow, Asha's is blue. He is seen as more than just a curiosity to several people in Monster World; as in ancient days, the blue ones had been all but wiped out by people fearful of their magical abilities.
* Praprill XIII, descendant of Purapril from the previous *Monster World* games, and ruler of the kingdom.
* The Sage of Save is an elderly man who travels across Monster World, popping up in unexpected places, and recording people's memories. Game mechanic-wise, by talking to him, the player can save their progress thus far.
* Lamp Spirit is a sarcastic spirit being who resides in an old oil lamp. He becomes Asha's companion and servant on her quest, which he treats as just another hum-drum activity he will do before he is (as with several classical genie stories) lost for another one thousand years. He is the one who transports Asha.
* The four spirits, which resemble the four companions from the previous game:
	+ Earth Spirit (Lotto, a young fire-breathing dragon who provided much-needed assistance in-and-around Begonia, the Dragon Village)
	+ Moon Spirit (Shabo, a Grim Reaper-esque wraith who offered aid in the frozen wasteland of Childam, the Darkworld Village)
	+ Sun Spirit (Hotta, the dwarf child, whose background is rooted in the swampy area of Lilypad, the Dwarf Village)
	+ Wind Spirit (Priscilla, a Fairy Sprite originally hailing from Alsedo, the Fairy Village)
* Flame Wizard, Water Wizard, Ice Wizard, and Cloud Wizard, the four wizards that captured the four spirits and work for an unknown being.

## Trivia

* The final dialogues mention this game being the last in the series. Years later this statement was refuted with Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom.
* The reason why some RPG elements were dialed back was because the theme of Monster World IV is to go out and have great adventures with a mysterious creature called "Pepelogoo", which will not only help you solve puzzles, but become your trusty friend.
* Monster World IV didn't release officially overseas until 2012, 18 years later. It released late in the Mega Drive life cycle and due to Sega moving on from the hardware at the time and the fact that the game had so much text to be translated (which would be very expensive), it was kept in Japan.

## Gallery

The Monster World IV DioramaThe in-game title screen.Early screenshots of the game.The early title screen of the game.An official wallpaper.Art of the kids and Pepelogoo.Artwork of some of the game's enemies.World map of the game.Monster World IV used to be the final entry.Original title screen sketch
## Videos

Lost INTROs - Monster World IV Intro CinematicWonder Boy 6 - Monster World IV Longplay (100% completion, no saves)Monster World IV (Mega Drive) - Cheats and tips
## External links

* *Monster World IV* Japanese Virtual Console page