Adventure Island series

[BetaWolf47]

What's the general opinion on these games?

As someone who enjoys platformers more than most genres, I'm really mixed on these games. On one hand, they're pretty decent for their time. Graphics and music are what you'd expect from an 8-bit platformer, and the controls and jump physics are spot on. While the original Adventure Island borrowed from many other platformers of its time, it did so in grace. For the most part, each new entry brought new innovations. In the second game, being able to set aside powerups, as well as having dino pals, was really amazing for its time.

What wasn't so amazing, however, was the horribly flat level design. Rather than jumping on platforms, swinging on ropes, climbing up trees, scaling mountains, and infiltrating bases, you were just running in one direction the whole time, with the occasional pit. The series has been like this throughout its whole life. Which brings forth another issue: games after 2 brought forth very little. The 16-bit games actually pulled off a Pokemon, and removed many of the features introduced in Adventure Island 2.

I still haven't played the recent ones. Is Adventure Island Rebirth worth getting? Is the Gamecube/PS2 remake worth importing?

[buzz_n64]

Wrong. Missing one game that defies your logic, Adventure Island IV, my favorite Adventure Island game, non linear, involves climbing, and is a real adventure.

[BetaWolf47]

Hey, that doesn't count! That game never got a US release!

[buzz_n64]

I still haven't played the recent ones. Is Adventure Island Rebirth worth getting? Is the Gamecube/PS2 remake worth importing?

I guess those don't count either then ...but I do have the ps2 japan remake, and it's quite enjoyable, but basically the same as the first. Adventure Island 4 would have been great over here, but was released way too late in the nes lifespan, actually was the last officially licensed famicom game.

[pseudonym]

I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the Adventure Island series. Fun and simple platform games but then you inevitably reach that one level or group of levels that requires you to restart it for an hour to finally finish it. Yeah, I'm talking about 8-3 in the original game and there are a couple of levels in AI2 that are equally hard.

[wyethin]

I love the series, however arguably simple the games might be. They had an unusual element of speed due to the skateboard that few platformers had/have. The original Adventure Island was one of the first games I bought for the NES and still a minor favorite. I can always summon nostalgia at the memory of face-planting (repeatedly) after hitting rocks on the skateboard.

[Xexyz]

Super Adventure Island 2 was also a non-linear Wonderboy style adventure game like Adventure Island IV. That one got released for the North American SNES. I always wondered how many of the Adventure Island titles Westone worked on.

For those that might not know, Westone wanted their then arcade hit Wonderboy on the NES, but Sega being the publisher, owned the rights to the IP. Because of that, Westone made a deal with Hudson Soft and released what is essentially Wonderboy for the NES, but with a different main character and theme to avoid legal issues. What I don't know is what, if any, involvement Westone had with the Adventure Island series beyond the first title. I always assumed Hudson Soft did their own thing with the sequels for various systems, but then you realize Adventure Island IV and Super Adventure Island 2 both evolved into the same non-linear adventure style the later Wonderboy console gamed went. Makes me think that maybe Westone was involved with the whole series. Anyone have any insight on this theory?

I enjoy the series BTW. I had Adventure Island for the Gameboy, which is essentially Adventure Island II for the NES, when I was a child and it was one of the top 5 games I frequently rotated through.

[mobiusclimber]

The first game always bored me, so I never tried playing any of the other ones. Way too simplistic for me.

[BetaWolf47]

I enjoy the series BTW. I had Adventure Island for the Gameboy, which is essentially Adventure Island II for the NES, when I was a child and it was one of the top 5 games I frequently rotated through.

Bleh, all of Hudson's Game Boy iterations are complicated. Bonk's Adventure is the same as the NES/TG16 title, but with modified levels. Bonk's Revenge is a completely different game. Adventure Island (GB) is Adventure Island 2 (NES). Adventure Island 2 (GB) is Adventure Island 3 (NES). And you thought the Final Fantasy titles were complicated!

[j_factor]

Super Adventure Island 2 was also a non-linear Wonderboy style adventure game like Adventure Island IV. That one got released for the North American SNES. I always wondered how many of the Adventure Island titles Westone worked on.

For those that might not know, Westone wanted their then arcade hit Wonderboy on the NES, but Sega being the publisher, owned the rights to the IP. Because of that, Westone made a deal with Hudson Soft and released what is essentially Wonderboy for the NES, but with a different main character and theme to avoid legal issues. What I don't know is what, if any, involvement Westone had with the Adventure Island series beyond the first title. I always assumed Hudson Soft did their own thing with the sequels for various systems, but then you realize Adventure Island IV and Super Adventure Island 2 both evolved into the same non-linear adventure style the later Wonderboy console gamed went. Makes me think that maybe Westone was involved with the whole series. Anyone have any insight on this theory?

Westone had nothing to do with those games. Hudson did continue to put their own version of every Wonder Boy game (except Monster World IV). Maybe they just took a little inspiration. Jaleco kind of did the same thing -- Saiyuki World is a conversion of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, and its sequel, Whomp 'Em, is an original game in the Westone style.

What's extra confusing is that the Japanese version of Dragon's Curse (the TG16 conversion of Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap) was titled Adventure Island. Note that "our" Adventure Island in Japan is called Takahashi-Meijin no Bouken Jima, which means "Adventure Island of Master Takahashi" in Japanese, so it's unclear if "Adventure Island" for PC Engine (those words in English) was thought of as related.

[tomaitheous]

For those that might not know, Westone wanted their then arcade hit Wonderboy on the NES, but Sega being the publisher, owned the rights to the IP. Because of that, Westone made a deal with Hudson Soft and released what is essentially Wonderboy for the NES, but with a different main character and theme to avoid legal issues. What I don't know is what, if any, involvement Westone had with the Adventure Island series beyond the first title.

I dunno. The Sega thing sounds a bit iffy. Sega ports were for the PC-Engine (rival of the Megadrive in Japan) and IIRC Sega ports were on the Famicom too (not sure how many). I.e. the relationship between Sega and Nintendo, in Japan, was different than outside of Japan. What evidence/information do you have for this (your) theory?

[Nintega Grafx-16]

The first game sucks (way too hard to be fun). The NES sequels afterwards are a bit better. Super Adventure Island is easily the best game in the series. Super AI 2 is alright. New Adventure Island for TG-16 is a step backwards from SAI.

The End.

[Xexyz]

I dunno. The Sega thing sounds a bit iffy. Sega ports were for the PC-Engine (rival of the Megadrive in Japan) and IIRC Sega ports were on the Famicom too (not sure how many). I.e. the relationship between Sega and Nintendo, in Japan, was different than outside of Japan. What evidence/information do you have for this (your) theory?

I'm wrong, I don't know where I got the idea Westone developed the original Adventure Island. Hudson Soft just got permission to make an adaptation of Wonderboy for the NES. As far as the Sega ports on the Famicom/NES and PC-Engine/TG-16 go, the simple answer is 3rd parties. I guess maybe if Hudson Soft wanted to pay Sega royalties like Sunsoft did with their various Sega arcade to Famicom ports, they could have just kept the game as a straight port of Wonderboy, but I don't really know.

[TheClash603]

I really enjoy New Adventure Island, and the last time my friend from out of town came over, I used that game to show off the TG-16.

The NES games are alright, but I usually only play for a few levels before moving on. When you look at Mario 3, or some of the best games of the genre, you see how much more different and difficult the later stages become. The NES games missed that.

[shopkins]

I always enjoyed them and have nostalgic memories of skateboarding through the early levels of the first one, but they were just too damn hard for me to finish.

[rbudrick]

I haven't played 2 or 3, but the original Adventure Island for NES is one of the hardest platformers ever made, certainly one of the top 15 hardest games the NES has to offer...right up there with Ghosts N Goblins.

After beating GnG legitimately for the first time ever last year, I finally decided to beat Adventure Island. Both were very rewarding once I finished them...like I really accomplished something in gaming few can do. I think I even posted about doing so here somewhere....at least I did about GnG.

The Super NES game was a lot easier and less repetitive (more fun too).

I too would like to hear how the other games compare to the first.

Also, the somewhat recent 250th issue of Nintendo Power with Mega Man 10 on the cover has an interview with Takahashi Meijin himself. Great article!

-Rob

[Xexyz]

I found 2 and 3 to be more enjoyable than the original, but best remember 2 for also having it on the Gameboy. It's not as hard as the original, especially since you can stock up on hammers and dino buddy's, but it's a very long game if you don't want to utilize warp zones. The levels aren't as long as they were in the original Adventure Island, but each island world in two has around 8 or so levels a piece. There's 7 or 8 islands too...

[tomaitheous]

I'm wrong, I don't know where I got the idea Westone developed the original Adventure Island. Hudson Soft just got permission to make an adaptation of Wonderboy for the NES. As far as the Sega ports on the Famicom/NES and PC-Engine/TG-16 go, the simple answer is 3rd parties. I guess maybe if Hudson Soft wanted to pay Sega royalties like Sunsoft did with their various Sega arcade to Famicom ports, they could have just kept the game as a straight port of Wonderboy, but I don't really know.

But there's got to be some connection between Westone and Hudson, no? Or did Hudson just straight out copy Westone's (or Sega, whoever) game?

[Jorpho]

At this point I would link to the informative HG101 article, but for some reason this series hasn't been covered yet.

I enjoy the series BTW. I had Adventure Island for the Gameboy, which is essentially Adventure Island II for the NES, when I was a child and it was one of the top 5 games I frequently rotated through.

It was a pretty good game, but it is made completely and totally irrelevant by Adventure Island II GB (i.e. Adventure Island III NES). It's like the difference between Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2, except that Super Mario Land still has enough quirkiness to make it worth playing. But AI1 GB is just a primitive and somewhat broken version of AI2 GB.

(The bug that most easily comes to mind is that Higgins loses no speed or agility while on the elmasaur, which basically just functions as an extra hit. Kind of handy for the final level, actually.)

[jcalder8]

I've never been a fan, I only ever played the first one though. I couldn't get very far and I just didn't enjoy the gameplay so I never tried any others.