Below the Cut: Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis)

(Source: Wikipedia)

Wonder Boy in Monster World - Rating(8 RPP)
1) 1 - Character Advancement: practice/experience based advancement, stat or level increases, multiple classes or characters, customize characters
2) 1 - Combat: character stats used for combat, additional combat options, turn based
3) 2 - Items and Equipment: store to buy and sell, equipment decisions, item decisions
4) 2 - Story: main story at the forefront; world full of hints and lore; descriptions for objects, people, and places
5) 1 - Exploration: open world from the beginning, visited locations remain open
6) 1 - Quests and Puzzles: side quests not related to the main quest, puzzles and riddles to solve

Wonder Boy in Monster World, strangely the only Wonder Boy found on the SeedyGamer's list, is an action platformer where precise jumping, waving a sword, and dodging are necessary skills. It could be accurately compared to Faxanadu, except for the one difference that drops it below the 10 point threshold: no character development through experience or practice. Instead, the abilities and stats are built into equipment upgrades and life containers. It's fun being able to run and jump around while swinging a sword, and I'd probably play the game if I could get a compilation of Wonder Boy games, but I can't honestly include it among other RPGs.

I believe there are also limited puzzles, quests, exploration, and world lore built into the game. If I'm wrong on this, then it may be enough to get it back on the list, so let me know if this isn't completely accurate. The series lasted through a number of games, 5 - 7 at least, so if there are other Wonder Boy games I should check out, then let me know that as well.