Developer
Hudson Soft launched a new series of
video games in
1986 with the release of
Adventure Island (co-developed by developer
Westone as a
Nintendo version of
Wonder Boy) for the
Nintendo Entertainment System. It was also remade in later years as
Super Adventure Island for the
Super NES and
New Adventure Island for the
Turbografx-16. The game follows the adventures of a baseball capped,
loincloth wearing hero named
Master Higgins (aka Master Takahashi in Japan) as he travels the land in search of his girlfriend, Tina, who was snatched away by the evil
Witch Doctor. The game is a standard run-n-jump platformer with a great amount of difficulty and frustrating moments.
Master Higgins's main attacks include throwing stone axes or fireballs. These weapons can be found inside large eggs that are found on the ground. When Higgins kicks the egg it cracks, revealing the prize inside. The collected weapon is available for use until our hero dies, and then he has to recollect it when he repeats the level. Other items inside eggs include skateboards (for faster movement), milk (two kinds: red and white), Honey Girl (the invincibility fairy), a ring (worth points), 1-ups, and the evil eggplant that saps energy off of the life meter. Speaking of the life meter, it gradually ticks down as the level proceeds and Higgins must collect the fruit scattered around the level to keep the meter filled. White milk will refill the meter all the way, while red milk will refill and extend the meter. Higgins will die if his meter runs out or if he takes a hit from an enemy or hazard. During all of this madness our hero should also try to collect the secret pots that provide a point bonus at the end of the level. Each level has one pot in it. Some are hidden, while others are out in the open.
There are a variety of enemies to be found in the game, although most of them tend to repeat patterns. Snails are found in the jungle levels, octopi in the seas, spiders in the woods, and so on. At the end of every fourth level our hero faces off against one of the Witch Doctor's forms, and if Higgins can hit him in the head enough times with a weapon, the head will fly off, a new one will appear, and the doctor will flee to the end of the next set of four levels. This continues for eight worlds, meaning that it takes 32 levels to finish the game.
As mentioned earlier this game is quite difficult. Aside from the one-hit kills and overwhelming amounts of enemies in some levels, the biggest challenge in this game is that it lacks continues in a traditional sense and there are no passwords or save game abilities. To earn continues Higgins must find the secret Hudson Soft Bee that is hidden inside an invisible egg somewhere in the first level. If it's collected you can continue the game after a Game Over by holding Right on the Control Pad and pressing Start.
Adventure Island was a fun jungle romp in its day, but in this era of gaming many players demand more from their games. The graphics in the game are quite simple compared to the sequels in the series, but the series did get off to a good start. Recognizing the faults in this game helped Hudson Soft refine the formula for the game's sequels on the NES, Game Boy, Super NES, and Turbografx-16. The original Adventure Island is typically found in the usual used game shops and online auctions, although you are more likely to find one of the sequels than you are the original game. Also be aware that the Game Boy title Adventure Island is actually a port of the NES's Adventure Island II.