u/LordFunghi

The Full Version of the Super Ghouls n' Ghosts Randomizer is out now!

Every enemy & boss has been randomized, including hazards like the skull droppers or guillotines!

The GnG-Arcade melee sword weapon has been added, it also has a Green Armor Variant and a custom spell to it.

Maiden Artoria from GoodLuckTrying's romhacks can be selected as a character in the randomizer menu!

A new custom secret boss can be found!

Download it here: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9958/

The first version of the Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts Randomizer is now available!

More info & download: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9958/

Discord for future updates: https://discord.gg/7E4rGEY4cd

I've been working on an editor for Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI on the Nintendo DS, and I figured it was finally at a point where it's worth showing.

Current features include:

• Editing items, spells, abilities, enemies, and other database content
• Adding completely new custom items, spells, enemies, animations, graphics, and more
• Fully editing the 2D overworld maps

The biggest roadblock right now is figuring out how to properly edit the 3D local maps.

The end goal is to create an editor that lets people build their own JRPG adventures for the Nintendo DS, using the Dragon Quest DS games as a framework and starting point. Ideally, it will become something closer to a full game creation toolkit rather than just a basic ROM editing tool.

This game was probably my first contact point with any kind of metroidvania elements and that coming from an arcade game.

It still has the arcade level formula, but the unique thing about this game is that it has permanent progression. You can find sword damage and length upgrades, boots that let you jump farther or glide, stronger armor and shields and also extra health. Your character keeps getting stronger from level to level, which was very unusual for an arcade game at the time.

It also has a very unique trading quest that goes through multiple levels. You can find a hidden item in one stage and then many stages later give it to a specific NPC. That NPC gives you another item and then you need to bring that item to someone else. The game does not really explain any of this and it is very easy to miss one part of the quest and lose access to the later rewards.

The sword upgrades work in a similar way. Some of the best swords are not bought in normal shops. You need to find hidden rooms and fight secret enemies to get them. You also need to get them in the correct order, so if you miss one sword upgrade you can also miss the next ones. This can leave you much weaker for the final parts of the game.

Then there is the final dungeon, which is a large maze with many rooms that look almost the same. If you completed the trading quest you can get the Bell. The Bell rings when you are going in the correct direction, so it helps you find the right path through the maze. Without it the final dungeon can feel almost impossible because the game gives you very little information about where to go.

But the most important part is that none of this is actually necessary for skilled players who know the game.

You do not need the Bell if you already remember the correct path through the final dungeon. You do not need every sword upgrade if you are good enough at fighting the bosses. You can also finish the game with weaker armor and less health if you understand the enemy patterns and know where everything is.

So the game has two different kinds of progression. Your character gets stronger through items and upgrades, but the player also gets stronger by learning the game. On the first playthrough the hidden items and upgrades feel very important. On later playthroughs your own knowledge starts replacing them.

And I think that is the most unique thing about Wonder Boy in Monster Land. It looks like a normal arcade platformer with separate stages, but under that it has secrets, permanent upgrades, trading quests and a final dungeon that rewards both exploration and player knowledge.

Didn't have this problem in 4.6.3