Nostalgia Game review: Adventure Island

Welcome to another edition of Nostalgia Game Review, where I highlight games from the past that you may like (or may not). This edition tackles Adventure Island, a platformer for the NES.

Ironically, this was released on September 12 (my birthday), 1986 by Hudson Soft. The main developer for most of the Mario Party series also published Adventure Island and its sequels. Adventure Island is an adaptation of the arcade game, Wonder Boy, which was developed by Escape for SEGA.

The game takes Master Higgins on a quest through the South Pacific to find his girlfriend, Princess Tina. He must save her from the clutches of the nefarious Witch Doctor. Adventure Island has a total of 32 stages with eight areas (four "rounds" per area). There's a boss at the end of each area. You get a health gauge that costs you a life when it reaches zero. You also find eggs throughout each round that contain items such as a stone axe and a skateboard. There's also a honey pot at the end of each stage, which doubles your score once you've cleared the stage.

Adventure Island has decent controls, making it easy to move around. The collectibles are a nice touch and you get a nice set of weapons. There is one thing that's interesting about Adventure Island, though. That's how difficult the game is.

From the get go, you're riding on a skateboard, flying through the stage. You're dodging enemies and scaling challenging jumps at the start, making for a tough traverse. It's not because the game handles poorly, either. It's literally because Adventure Island offers hard gameplay and a complex level design at a fast-paced setting. Back in the day, numerous NES games were challenging, including Contra and Castlevania. But Adventure Island is in a league of its own.

I liked Adventure Island as a game. It offered a tougher alternative to other classic games, giving you an uptempo game in the process. This isn't a recommend game for the casual gamer, though. It may prove to be too hard for the average person. However, if you fancy a challenge, give Adventure Island a shot.