Introduction:

Adventure Island is the start of a great trilogy for the NES. It has been compared as a "Lesser Version of Super Mario Bros." but I find it a completely different game, it does have some similarities, but a lot of games have similarities. This is one of the first NES games I played, and one of the NES games I still play.

Story:

To shorten the story down, The Princess has been kidnapped and you have to save here. (Thats nothing like Super Mario Bros., he saved the Princess on Land, not an Island.) You will have to adventure through an island to save the princess, and the island is covered with enemies. (I wonder how they got the name of the game?)

Gameplay:

The Gameplay is very basic, yet very fun, (WOW, DejaVu, I remember saying that before, Oh Yeah! in my Super Mario Bros. Review.) Well, the gameplay is simple, you run and jump and through hammers at enemies. That may sound very simple, but it gives a very fun game. In Adventure Island you control the hero, you will have to run, or skateboard across each stage. You are basically always running, you never really stop. You will have to run and avoid all the many enemies, because if your hit once, and you don't have a skateboard, your dead. The time limit is different then the classic time that counts down at the top of the screen, it is a fruit meter, in each stage there is fruit all over the stage, you have to get this fruit to replenish your time limit meter. If your time runs out, your dead! Thats about it. You will start the game with just yourself, no hammers or skateboard. But very soon you will find hammers to throw at enemies. You will also sometimes find a skateboard, the skateboard will make you go faster, and allow you to have two hits before dieing, instead of 1, but with the skateboard your always moving, you cannot stop, you can slow down, but not come to a complete stop. The game is comprised of you making it alive across each stage, like in Super Mario Bros. There are worlds, but they are called Areas. At the end of each Area there is a Big Enemy, this is the same for Super Mario Bros.. Thats about it, the game is very simple and easy to learn how to play. It may sound like a cheap Super Mario Bros. Rip-Off, but it's not, it's a really fun game, that anyone can learn to play in a matter of minutes.

I give the gameplay: 7/10

Graphics:

The graphics are good. I love the look of the hero, as well as the enemies. The background is nice, from trees to a cave, its all good. The graphics of when the hero is running is cool, almost funny. The enemies look very nice, such as the snails, or those annoying little frogs that will just leap at you

I give the graphics: 7/10

Sound:

The sound is very good. "Do Do Do, Dada Do Do Do Do." I guess you can't tell without the tone of my voice, I was trying to sound out the background sound. Well, the background sound really doesn't change much, but it is a cool little song that doesn't get old. The Sound FX are ok, you will hear your hammer being thrown or you running into a rock. (Just jump, don't give that rock the satisfaction of hitting you.)

I give the sound: 6/10

Replayability:

The replayability is extraordinary, you can play this game over and over again, just like Super Mario Bros.. This is one of the first NES games I got and I still play it, it's just a really fun game that you can put in the good ol' NES and play for a little bit.

I give the replayability: 9/10

Challenge:

The Challenge is good, you will get a few game overs before you beat the game. I found it slightly harder than Super Mario Bros, but then again, maybe thats because I've played Super Mario Bros. Hundreds of times. (Gotta love the Mario Bros.)

I give the challenge: 6.5/10

Value:

The value of this game is good, you should be able to pick it up for $10, and if you play the NES, than it is definitely worth it, I would pay more if I didn't have it, It's a must have for a NES player, but I haven't paid more than $10 for a copy of it.

Overall:

Overall this a fun/simple game. I have compared it many times over this review to Super Mario Bros., but that's just because it has many similarities, but they are not so close that Adventure Island is just a cheap Rip-Off, its a very fun game. It has a very simple and fun gameplay style, one that you can learn into very fast. The graphics and sound are good, the replayability is extraordinary, the value and challenge are good. This is a must have game for a NES player, and a must play game for a Nintendo Player.

I give Adventure Island: 7/10

Conclusion:

Adventure Island is a very fun game, it has been compared to Super Mario Bros. since it's release, but it was so different and fun that it managed to have 3 games in total for the NES, just like Super Mario Bros., that's kind of cool. This is one of those rare NES games that my Brother will actually play, he doesn't play the NES very much, basically not at all, but when I'm playing it, he will sometimes ask to play Adventure Island, I guess it's a fun little game even if you don't play NES much, or Video games at all. Its just goes to show what good games can do, get people to play a system that is nearly 2 decades old.

Written By: Joey Anderson

Date Written: May 26th, 2004