It was only a matter of time. Since Hudson was the PC Engine/Turbo Grafx-16’s biggest supporter it wasn’t unreasonable to assume all of their major brands would come to the system in one form or another. Generally this was a good thing as the likes of Bomberman and Star Soldier received an adrenaline shot in the arm on more powerful hardware. And then you have odd cases like New Adventure Island, a title that should have easily been a slam dunk but instead is kind of disappointing. Underneath its numerous flaws is a decent game if you can believe it. However even at the time of its release there were better options and that still rings true today.
Don’t let the new in the title fool you as this could very well pass for a remake of Master Higgin’s first adventure. While the series had progressed in terms of gameplay New Adventure Island feels like a throwback, as if it were created in a vacuum. None of the cool features that the later games added are present here which is important as they went a long way towards giving the series a distinct identity separate from the Wonder Boy series it spawned from. That leaves you with an incredibly simple platformer that unfortunately begins to wear out its welcome by its midpoint due to its length.
All of the core elements of the series are present and accounted for. Master Higgins has a life bar that functions as a clock rather than allowing you to soak hits. Eating fruit and the occasional jug of milk is the only way to keep it going which creates the odd sense of pacing these game are known for. You have to keep moving to collect fruit before they disappear but at the same time must exercise caution since it is easy to run head long into enemies. The deliberate enemy placement is what really makes these games great as they are generally annoying but placed in such a way that you know it was your own fault when you die.
At six worlds with four levels each this is a bit long but also repetitive. Not just in the sense that you are essentially doing the same thing but because it recycles a lot of content. The fourth level of each world is uses the exact same tile sets and enemies but simply rearranged. Each boss has the same body with a different head although their attacks are different. The game is also more difficult than you would expect but not always in a good way.
The major issue with the game comes from its controls. For no inexplicable reason Hudson decided to reverse the buttons. I know I’ve ranted about how much I hate this it’s for a good reason. This is a game in which time is an important factor and so you need to constantly be on the move. It is simply not intuitive to hold down button I to run and press II to jump. With some practice you can make it work but not without suffering a number of cheap deaths in the process. This isn’t the game’s only problem however.
New Adventure Island finds itself in a strange place. In 1992 we had both Super Adventure Island and Adventure Island 3 for the NES, both being games that added something new to the series. Between the great level design and production values of the SNES game and the cool inventory management of the third installment you can’t but feel as though this game just feels really old. Even without the stupid reversed buttons that stigma would still apply. The platforming genre as a whole had come a long way by the time this was released making it hard to get excited over when something like Super Mario World exists.
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For all of my problem with the game its graphics are not an issue. Hudson really went all out as the sprites are larger and more expressive than before. The initial worlds are simple in appearance but there is a steady ramp up as each successive stage comes to life in an explosion of color and visual effects. The stages cover all of the usual staples but through great art it doesn’t matter. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the generous amount of parallax scrolling; it wasn’t all that common on the system and really stands out here.
In Closing
New Adventure Island isn’t a bad game but there are other games in the series I would point to first before going for what essentially feels like an upgraded rehash of the first game. This is a decent game but there are far better platformers available on the system.
