That game brought in many new enemy types and environments. The parts of 2016’s Wonder Boy Returns that have been abandoned are not insignificant. This again emphasises the fun of Wonder Boy: clear the path as you run, jump and throw. This axe will run through multiple enemies and smash some previously indestructible obstacles. Holding the throw button saves up a jumbo axe, unleashed with a happily retro, scaled-sprite aesthetic. This enables the second innovation, which is that your axes go further, moving the point of contact with enemies just a little further away, giving you a fair chance to react to any misses. This means you have a more reasonable chance of sight-reading the level, rather than having to learn by rote, as was the punishing culture of the '80s arcade. The first is to fit more of the level onscreen than in previous games. Three significant innovations by Korean developer CFK complement the core mechanics. The skateboard power-up is perhaps the fullest embodiment of the Wonder Boy spirit: it constantly drives you forwards, it’s fun, and it makes no sense whatsoever for a caveman to be doing it. This gives a great sense of flow and is the beating heart of the arcade original: run, jump, throw and the baddies somehow disperse before you like parting seas. The cues will have you intuitively finding arcs through the level that result in your axes clearing the path of enemies before you get there. The basic pattern of play is to run left-to-right, leaping as cued by items and platforms, throwing axes almost constantly.