Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is free at Epic Store this week — here’s how to get it

Say what you will about how the Epic Games Store compares to Steam, but it’s hard to beat getting a new free game to play every week. Last week, Epic Games gave us two free games: Ancient Enemy and Killing Floor 2. But if you were in need of a break from RPG card combat and zombie slaying, now it’s time for something different.

The Epic Games Store is offering Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap for free (opens in new tab) this week. If you add it to your collection, you’ll own it permanently, and can play it whenever you want.

To get Wonder Boy from the Epic Games Store, all you have to do is visit the Epic Games Store Free Games page (opens in new tab). You’ll need an Epic Games account to claim the title, and the Epic Games software client to play it with, but both of these are free as well.

Epic Games has another free offer running this week, too. Log into the free-to-play game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (opens in new tab) through the Epic Games store, and you’ll get the “Baeloth’s Gladiators of the Black Pits Pack.” This pack contains over $100 worth of in-game loot, including equipment, an exclusive skin, and an exclusive Baby Tarrasque familiar.

These deals are active now, and will run until July 21 at 11:00 a.m. ET. After that, the company will have a different free game available.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap — is it worth your time?

Getting in-game loot for a free-to-play title is nice, don’t get us wrong, but the real meat and potatoes on Epic Games’ menu this week is Wonder Boy. This is a remake of the classic game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, which released in 1989.

In Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, you’ll platform across a variety of environments while fighting monsters and collecting treasure. As you play, you’ll unlock different forms for Wonder Boy that each have different abilities, whether it’s a piranha form that can swim across water or a mouse form that can run up walls.

The original version of the game was already great, and this remake only enhances its best features. The hand-drawn art is the most obvious upgrade over the original, and looks more like you’re watching an animated movie rather than playing a video game.

However, this is a remake of a game that’s more than 30 years old, and unfortunately some aspects of its design reflect this. You’ll have to grind to earn enough gold for upgrades, and traveling back and forth between important areas takes longer than it should.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap has gained some decent praise on Metacritic (opens in new tab), earning a score of 8/10 from users. Players praised the games robust gameplay and beautiful graphics, but some were disappointed more hadn’t been done to modernize the antiquated parts of the game.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for the classics and want to experience some truly excellent animated visuals, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is the game you’re looking for.