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I haven't heard anyone mention this classic NES title in what seems like years, so I thought I'd make it my job to drudge up any loving memories/haunting nightmares you guys may have that are related to Adventure Island.
[img width=400 height=550]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/adventureislandtitle.jpg[/img]
Adventure Island plays very similar to most other Platformers of the time.
Objective: run to the right and get to the end. Fight a boss at the end of the fourth level. Repeat.
A few things make this game unique however.
Its absolutely insane how many secrets are stashed away. From power ups, to score boosters to secret levels there is a good chance you'll just stumble across a heap of them by accident. The down side is that if you are moving too quickly you'll uncover the secret, but it will have left the screen by the time you realized what you'd done. This is quite frustrating, because they are extremely helpful most times.
[img width=450 height=422]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/adventureislandgameplay.gif[/img]
Master Higgins (who looks an awful lot like an 8-bit Ron Jeremy) is your character. He starts with absolutely no offensive or defensive moves. He is vulnerable to anything. After cracking open a few eggs you'll hopefully have found a Tomahawk to use as a weapon. In later levels this Tomahawk is so important it can make a level that seems impossible without it like a cakewalk when equipped. If you're lucky enough to find a secret egg with the Fireball upgrade, you'll be one happy Higgins. Now he can destroy rocks and boulders. Also very helpful in later levels.
In addition to the levels all ready being pretty challenging by themselves, you're on the clock. But not just a standard timer. A power meter will slowly be depleting as you run around and can only be filled by eating. So grabbing fruits, vegetables, and the occasional milk hatched from an egg will keep you alive long enough to fight the Witch Doctor who stole your lady friend.
This game is well known for its intense difficulty, but I was saddened by the lack of variety and challenge when facing the boss of each level. Its the same guy every time. The only difference is he is wearing a different mask and takes a few more hits.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/adventureislandending.png[/img]
All in all this is actually a very short game, but the extremely high (yet fair, unlike some NES games) difficulty should keep you busy for some time. I should be able to beat this game in around an hour, but because of all the deaths and restarts it ends up taking me closer to four. Its a great game and if you missed out on it or just haven't played in a while, I encourage you to find a copy and give it solid chance.
Final Score - 6.5/10
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Is this the same game as Revenge of Drancon on the sega game gear? If not they sure look like a lot.
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I've never heard of Revenge of Drancon before, but after looking it up they look amazingly similar. Sounds like they have a lot in common, but also a few differences. Maybe someone with more knowledge of both games can chime in.
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Adventure Island is actually a port of a SEGA game entitled Wonderboy, with some minor changes. Wonderboy is available for the SMS and GG, but when the GG port came to the US they retitled it Revenge of Drancon for some reason. If you like this game, be sure to give Wonderboy a play through.
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Adventure Island is a blast to play. It was one of the first few NES games I would rent. Fun and for the most part, fairly difficult, now that I think of it, beating it didn't happen until I was older. All 3 for the NES are fun. Nice write up.
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Looks cool, I should try to pick it up.
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I first played this on a super joy pirate controller. I was so hook I remember refusing to stop playing until I finished the first level!!
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I'm a big Adventure Island fan. When I first started playing NES via my cousin's gracious gift of an emulator on a floppy disk, I had nothing but Marios and the three Adventure Island games.. As a result, I really, really appreciate Adventure Island. They're hard as hell, and I still haven't beaten any of them, but I still love to start them up and at least attempt to win. 
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I remember playing this game for the first time back in middle school at a friends house, stayed up all night until I beat it. I might just have to bust out my Power Joy 84in1 multicart and play this game again.
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Adventure Island 3 helped to spurr my love interest of dinosaurs in general. I'd love to try out Wonderboy...
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