Adventure Island (NES)

Adventure Island was developed by Hudson Soft and released for the NES in North America in September 1988, following an earlier launch in Japan. This side-scrolling platform game is an adaptation of the arcade game Wonder Boy, in which the player controls Master Higgins, the game's protagonist, as he tries to save a kidnapped princess from the Evil Witch Doctor.

 

The gameplay was considered similar to Super Mario Bros at the time. While avoiding enemies, boulders and other environmental hazards, Master Higgins must collect food items to earn points as he progresses through each level. He can also find power-ups inside eggs, including a weapons,   a  skateboard, and fairies. 

 

There are 8 areas in the game, with a boss waiting at the end of every area. Each area also consists of four rounds. The levels are the exact same as the ones that appear in the original Wonder Boy game, with one exception: the eighth area in Adventure Island was originally a bonus area in Wonder Boy. 

 

The sprites used in this game are almost identical to those used in Wonder Boy, as well.

 

The game continued separately from the Wonder Boy series and has two sequels for the NES, Adventure Island 2 and 3, as well as New Adventure Island for the TurboGrafx-16 and Super Adventure Island 1 and 2 for the SNES.