Remembering the SNES: Super Adventure Island (SNES Review) by Robbie P.

Super Adventure Island
Publisher: Hudson
Developer: Hudson
System: SNES, Wii Virtual Console
Release: April, 1992

June 13, 2011, by Robbie P. - Super Adventure Island was first released in 1992 and just recently on the Virtual Console. Developed by Hudson Soft, Super Adventure Island is a continuation of the series following its lovable hero Master Higgins. Our adventure begins with Master Higgins and Tina hanging out and enjoying life. Moments later an evil sorcerer appears and turns his girlfriend, Tina, into a stone statue. Motivated by love, Master Higgins sets off to save Tina from the clutches of evil and reverse the spell's effects. A feat he accomplishes while not wearing a shirt.

Gameplay wise, Super Adventure Island is very much like its predecessors. Adventure Island games up to this point have been simple platformer games in which the main objective is to find the end level goal avoiding and killing enemies. Super Adventure Island also retains one hit deaths and its famous diminishing timer bar. Once this bar is empty you will die, but you can replenish your time alive by collecting fruits. All of the elements from the original titles are here, except for one of my favorites. Master Higgins is no longer able to ride dinosaurs! I realize that this wasn't in the first game, but this was an element that I thoroughly enjoyed; however, Master Higgins can upgrade his basic weaponry this time. Tomahawks and boomerangs will be your main sources of attack. After collecting multiple tomahawks (or boomerangs) you will be given an extra weapon to throw at the enemy. After collecting four of the same item, you will be given an extremely powered up version of the weapon. When at this stage, the weapons take on a fireball like appearance and do much more damage. A fully powered up weapon makes boss fights extremely easy.

Master Higgins will journey through five worlds consisting of three stages each. Stage themes range from a jungle setting to the belly of a whale and more. Also, at the end of each world you will go one on one with a boss. Level design varies greatly and offers much more than just scrolling to the right. Levels you will encounter will have you swimming inside the belly of a whale, climbing a large tree and even mine cart levels. All of this variety will no doubt fulfill your platform desires. Its challenge, however, isn't in the variety, but in the actual level design itself. Levels are built to really challenge your platforming skills and this is evident with both enemy and bottomless pits placement. Enemies are usually placed to stall your progress through a level almost forcing you to take them down, otherwise you will fall to a one hit death. Pits on the other hand will test your jumping skills.

Master Higgins uses three different jumping techniques with one being a standard jump. Jumping higher is done by pressing jump while moving. Lastly, Master Higgins can also utilize a super jump. To perform the super jump you need to be ducking and then press the jump button, it is important that you master this jump as it will save you many a time. Also making the levels challenging is the way that Master Higgins handles. He is a little heavy or slow feeling making accuracy very important for some jumps. I have suffered a few deaths because of inaccurate jumping. It can be frustrating because even if you're sure the pixels landed the jump, the game may disagree.

The Verdict

Sound
7/15- Super Adventure Island really lacks in the music department. Technically, the sound is much better than what can be produced on the NES, but I truly feel that the Adventure Island spirit is lost in this entry of the series.

Graphics
16/20- Graphically, Super Adventure Island delivers. Sprites are extremely detailed and level environments look fantastic. Throw in a little Mode 7 to show off what the Super Nintendo is capable of and you have a pretty good looking game.

Appeal
14/25- Fans of the series will really enjoy this iteration of Adventure Island, however, that being said it is a pretty short game. There are a few secrets scattered throughout the game, but there isn't a whole lot more to see.

Gameplay
35/40- Super Adventure Island is a good example of a solid platformer. There are a variety of levels and enemies to conquer as well as secrets and bonus stages to find. Master Higgins is easy to control, even if he is a bit slow. It also offers a pretty solid challenge, but nothing too difficult to overcome with a bit of practice. Literally everything you want in a platformer can be found here.

Overall
72/100- Fans of the Adventure Island series will really enjoy this journey with Master Higgins. It brings everything that you love about the series to the Super Nintendo including the skateboard! One hit deaths and well designed stages will keep you on your toes and challenge you to complete the game. Now that the game is on the Virtual Console, I would recommend that Adventure Island fans check it out for only 800 points. Fans of platformers may also be interested if they are up for a solid platforming challenge.