Hudson's Adventure Island (NES) 8-3, Stage 4 Help

[InsaneDavid]

Back for just a moment (won't be back full time until September) with a very pressing question. Pretty much all of us have played Hudson's Adventure Island at one time or another. Many give up on it after awhile though simply because it becomes so cheap and technical as the game progresses. This is no more apparant than Area 8, Round 3, Stage 4.

Often called the most difficult platforming area in all of video gaming, the end of 8-3 seems nearly impossible. This is where I'm stuck. You have to perfectly run and jump along a series of platforms that drop off the moment you touch them. That's not the hard part though, in fact this little area is recycled from earlier in the game.

The reason why 8-3-4 is hard is because there are three bats that swoop down as you're jumping aross the platforms. The first bat is easily jumped over, the second I take out with my weapon (I'm using the little fireballs at this point), but the third bat swoops down right on the edge of a platform - taking a quick delay to line up a shot at the bat causes your timing to be disrupted and makes you miss the jump.

ANY real advice concerning how to pass this area would be greatly appreciated. Yes, I'm playing it through emulation right now on the Dreamcast (I couldn't bring an NES and games with me out on business) and yes I'm using a savestate but only at the beginning of each Area. Thanks in advance for any help and congratulations to anyone who has ever passed this part of the game.

[Garry Silljo]

This is definately one of the hardest parts of any game I've ever played. It's even harder when your playing on the NES and can't save to keep that weopon. I did it along time ago. The first time I attempted it I died and had to go it weoponless. I tried on several occasions for hours and hours trying to time it all perfectly. I can't give you any real advice other than to assure you it is possible. I did by pure persistance. I guess after 6 straight hours I had no choice but to get the timing right.

Never again though.

[Synergy]

Dear. Freaking. Lord.

I recently played through Adventure Island on a ROM. And I would have never beat it if I didn't find the Hudson Bee located at the end of the first level that grants you unlimited continues.

That game slowly challenges you to make your jumps perfect the farther you go, but seriously, all of 8-2 and 8-3 made me want to KILL someone. I died at least 50 times between those two stages.

I can't remember if you get a weapon before you get to the platforms in the cave with the bats (8-3, Stage 4), or not. I'm pretty sure you do, since if you didn't have any weapon, you'd be screwed.

I basically did running jumps from platform to platform, spraying hammers everywhere, and saying a prayer in my head, hoping I made it to the other side. I wish I could give you a specific strategy, but I couldn't think of one. What I DO know is I had a headache after that. It took me a good hour to get across that damn part.

I even looked for advice on gamefaqs for a strategy:

"Now get ready for the hardest section in the entire game. If you'll remember from 5-3, all the platforms will drop out, so you will have to go at full speed, but this time you also have Bassers to worry about!! All I can say is... good luck."

Yeeeeah....thanks...

[InsaneDavid]

Thanks for the assistance thus far. What the hell was Hudson thinking when they designed some of these stages? It's like "this is a cute little platformer" and then "ahhh.. it's eating my soul!!" Anyway, I'll keep at it and see what happens.

I even looked for advice on gamefaqs for a strategy:

"Now get ready for the hardest section in the entire game. If you'll remember from 5-3, all the platforms will drop out, so you will have to go at full speed, but this time you also have Bassers to worry about!! All I can say is... good luck."

Yeeeeah....thanks...

I saw that too, including the alternate FAQ with even less information. Had a good laugh if anything.

I'd kill to see a speed run of this game - would make those SMB runs look easy.

[InsaneDavid]

I am proud to say Master Higgins is now my bitch.

Turns out the key is that you can't use the fire weapon, you have to use the stone axe to get past this part. A stone axe is provided at the start of Stage 4 after the first fire pit. I don't know if it moves at a different angle or is just a larger sprite, but the stone axe makes contact with the third bat. My jumps and firing pattern were all correct, the fire just wouldn't take out that last bat.

So here's my mini guide to getting past 8-3-4. I've reloaded my savestate and played through this three times with success. I will admit, it's still really difficult and still did give me problems but 3-20 tries with the stone axe compared to 0-400 or so with the fire is a pretty good statement to support that you must use the stone axe.

Pick up the axe at the start of Stage 4, let the first boulder roll above you. Run and jump over the remaing fire pits / boulders, they can be jumped over in a single pass each. Move over to the cliff so that the last fire pit is JUST off screen. Get all the way over to the left and then run full tilt, making running jumps as you go, spend as little time as possible on the platforms.

Jump over the first bat. The second bat is taken out with one shot while on the platform below him. On the jump to the platform that the third bat flies across, toss a pair of stone axes, one should kill him just as you land on the platform. The trick here is to ignore your reflex to jump over the bat, by the time you get up to him he should be dead and that extra jump will eat all your momentum, causing you to miss the final platform. Don't worry about the last fire pit, tripping over it will reveal the bonus pot and cause no hurt to Master Higgins.

Whew, I'm never playing this level again either.

[Dr. Morbis]

Ha ha, using savestates to keep fireball...

Anyway, it looks like you already solved it, but I was going to say it's easy if you keep in mind these two points (which you already covered):

1. Don't jump over bats onto the same platform.
2. The fire is the pot, so don't worry about it.

Although that level is incredibly tough, I always found it much easier than 8-2 with the millions of hopping octopi. And 8-1 (desert right?) was mostly a breeze. I would get hung up on 8-2 and then again on 8-4 if I lost my axe. The final level in the game is quite easy with the axe, but if you lose your weapon... oh man!

[Synergy]

I am proud to say Master Higgins is now my bitch.

Nice! Grats on getting past that part. I'll keep your strategy in mind in case I go back and play it.

I would get hung up on 8-2 and then again on 8-4 if I lost my axe. The final level in the game is quite easy with the axe, but if you lose your weapon... oh man!

The worst part of 8-2 was those stupid fish thingys that would come at me every .5 seconds and kill me when one of them barely touched Master Higgins foot. Ugh. 8-4 wasn't much better where your jumps had to be *perfect* between those little bonfires.

I can't believe how much more fun Adventure Island II was just because it wasn't nearly as frustrating as the first one. III was good too. Then after those I tried Adventures of Dino Riki, which also has a pretty tough last stage, but it's not as sadist as World 8 in Adventure Island, in my opinion.

[InsaneDavid]

Ha ha, using savestates to keep fireball...

I was only using savestates at the start of each Area (in the case of this example, I kept restarting at 8-1-1) and really only because I've had such little time to devote to playing games this summer while working. I have had to clear some earlier spider-heavy stages weaponless and man was that a pain in the ass. Fire can be picked up in 8-4 again however.

[Jorpho]

I can't believe how much more fun Adventure Island II was just because it wasn't nearly as frustrating as the first one. III was good too. Then after those I tried Adventures of Dino Riki, which also has a pretty tough last stage, but it's not as sadist as World 8 in Adventure Island, in my opinion.

IV (the very last official Famicom game) is pretty cool too; a fanmade translation patch exists.

Super Adventure Island II (for the SNES) is a radical departure from all the other games in the series - it seems to borrow more features from the later Wonder Boy games - but it is also quite nice as platformers go.

I'd like to help contribute an article on the series for the awesomeness that is Hardcore Gaming 101, but I have only accumulated substantial experience with four of the eleven games bearing the Adventure Island name (fourteen if you count Takahashi Meijin no Bug Honey, Saturn Bomberman, and that Takara Smash Bros. fighter).

[Synergy]

IV (the very last official Famicom game) is pretty cool too; a fanmade translation patch exists.

Super Adventure Island II (for the SNES) is a radical departure from all the other games in the series - it seems to borrow more features from the later Wonder Boy games - but it is also quite nice as platformers go.

I'd like to help contribute an article on the series for the awesomeness that is Hardcore Gaming 101, but I have only accumulated substantial experience with four of the eleven games bearing the Adventure Island name (fourteen if you count Takahashi Meijin no Bug Honey, Saturn Bomberman, and that Takara Smash Bros. fighter).

Indeed, I played through the Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Shima IV (Adventure Island IV) translated ROM, and that was also a good game. I really wish it made it over here to the states. Oh well.