Three Wonders

Overview

Three Wonders (known in Japan as Wonder 3) is a multi-game arcade board developed and released by Capcom for arcades (using CP System hardware) on July 1991.

Its main feature is allowing players to choose from three unique games on the same arcade cabinet: the side-scrolling action-platformer "Midnight Wanderers", the horizontal-scrolling shoot-'em-up "Chariot", and the maze game "Don't Pull".

It was later ported to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation by Xing in early 1998, released exclusively in Japan as part of their Japanese-exclusive Arcade Gears series. It was then included in multiple compilations: Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2, Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, and Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium. For 2nd Stadium, it was included as a bonus for early purchases of Capcom Fighting Collection.

Midnight Wanderers

Midnight Wanderers: Quest for the Chariot (known in Japan as Roosters: Chariot o Sagashite, the sub-title loosely translated to "Search for the Chariot") is a high-fantasy, side-scrolling, run-and-gun platformer similar to Ghosts 'n Goblins and Caveman Ninja. It is considered Three Wonders's "Action Game".

In Midnight Wanderers, players play as one of the titular "Midnight Wanderers" ("Roosters" in the Japanese version), Lou or Siva, as they fight the dark army of the demon Gaia to retrieve the legendary Chariot of Light.

It is a two-button game, one for Shoot and one for Jump. Players can fire upward by holding the joystick upward, and can fire downward by holding the joystick downward while jumping. Players can also crouch by holding the joystick downward, and can Jump while crouching to either vault down an upper platform or perform a quick dash. Similar to Strider, players can hang onto upper platforms by jumping up to them (holding the joystick upward) and can either shoot from them, move across them, fall down, or clamber upward. Similar to Ghosts 'n Goblins, both Lou and Siva have a limited two-hit health system, with their clothes as "armor".

While shooting a variety of enemies with their weapons (a rapid-fire bow gun for Lou or throwing daggers for Siva), they can collect power-ups to either augment their shots or select from a variety of Options (small companions that accompany them and shoot their own unique weaponry). They can also collect heart cards in multiple denominations, with every 100 hearts earning an extra life.

Power-Ups

• Hyper Shot - Rather than normal arrows / daggers, players fire a double-shot of both a straight-firing dagger and an arcing boomerang.

• Bound Shot - Shoots energized arrows / daggers that refract laser blasts once it hits something.

• Tail Shot - Rather than arrows / daggers, players fire spinning blades that return in the opposite direction after some time.

• Option - Chooses between three magical companions: Firestorm (which breathes a line of fire that moves upward), Chilly (which summons gusts of winds that glide along the ground), and Corkscrew (which surrounds itself with a shield of balls before releasing them as homing projectiles).

Chariot

Chariot: Adventure through the Sky (known in Japan as Chariot: Tenkuu e no Tabi), the sub-title loosely translated to "Journey to the Skies") is a high-fantasy horizontally-scrolling shoot-'em-up similar to U.N. Squadron and Gradius. It is considered Three Wonders's "Shooting Game".

Set after the events of Midnight Wanderers, players again don the role of Lou or Siva as they use special gliders (the Chariots of Light) to fight the dark forces of the demon Lar and rescue the kidnapped princess of Ashtar.

It is a two-button game, one for Shoot and one for Tail Shot. Along with an upgradable multi-weapon power-up system (Wide Shot, with multiple shots in a wide arc, and Rapid Shot, with more powerful blasts in a straight line) and an air-to-ground sub-weapon (Bomb), the game features both an Extend system (where collecting 50 heart pickups grants an extra life) and the unique "Tail Option" system. Players can also collect a power-up that transforms the Chariot, giving it a one-hit shield.

For "Tail Option", each player's ship has a line of connected pods behind them that acts like a moving "tail" (which moves in the opposite direction of the ship's movement, similar to X-Multiply). While it's powerful enough to destroy ships by colliding with them, they also serve as the game's "Bomb", as pressing the Tail Shot button releases three of them to fire a larger, more powerful weapon blast. The blast chosen is determined by which weapon the player has, and is considered the "opposite" of that weapon (with Wide Shot firing a thinner blast and Rapid Shot firing a wider blast). Empty pods regenerate after a short time. Players start with three pods, and can add more pods by collecting power-ups, up to seven.

Don't Pull

Don't Pull (known in Japan as Don Pull) is an action-puzzle maze game similar to Pirate Ship Higemaru and Pengo. It is considered Three Wonders's "Puzzle Game".

With a cutesy setting unrelated to the other two Three Wonders games, Don't Pull has players controlling either Don the Rabbit (Don-kun in the Japanese version) or Pull the Squirrel (Pull-kun in the Japanese version) as they crush monsters by pushing blocks at them. Similar to Pengo, players can push any block using either game button, which slides along the floor until it hits a wall, destroying it along with any monsters caught in its slide (with multiple monsters giving bonus points). Each round ends when all monsters are cleared from the board.

Some unique aspects of the game include Bomb Blocks that temporarily stun nearby enemies when it hits a wall, Star Blocks that drop random pickups (including score bonuses and a potion that stuns all enemies), and the three Heart Blocks which, when together in a straight line, causes all enemies to dance for a short while for an easier clear. It also features outside border areas that can't be reached by enemies or blocks, with fireballs that roam around the area to prevent players from staying on them for too long.