Adventure Island Countdown 🕹️ Every Game in the Series {8 Games, 1 Video}
0Gameplay and Genre: The Adventure Island series is primarily known for its side-scrolling platformer gameplay. Players control the main character, Master Higgins (also known as Takahashi Meijin in Japan), who embarks on various adventures to rescue his girlfriend Tina from the clutches of the evil witch doctor, Dark Cloak.
Inspiration: The original Adventure Island game was heavily inspired by Sega's arcade game "Wonder Boy," which was developed by Escape (later known as Westone Bit Entertainment). Due to copyright issues, Hudson Soft had to modify the game slightly, resulting in the creation of the Adventure Island series.
Master Higgins' Abilities: Throughout the series, Master Higgins is depicted as a tribal caveman. He is often seen wielding a stone axe and wearing a grass skirt. He can run, jump, and use various weapons like boomerangs, axes, skateboards, and more.
Game Releases: The first game in the series, "Adventure Island," was released for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1986. It was followed by numerous sequels and spin-offs on various platforms such as the Game Boy, Super Nintendo (SNES), Sega Master System, and TurboGrafx-16.
Difficulty and Continues: The Adventure Island games are known for their challenging difficulty. Players have a limited number of lives and continues to complete the levels. Collecting fruit along the way helps in gaining extra lives.
Different Versions: Over the years, some Adventure Island games were localized differently for various regions. In Japan, the series was known as "Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima" (translated as "Master Higgins' Adventure Island") as a tribute to the real-life employee of Hudson Soft, Takahashi Meijin, who was famous for his quick button-tapping skills.
Spin-offs: The series had some spin-offs, including the "Super Adventure Island" series on the SNES, which introduced some RPG elements to the gameplay.
Legacy: Adventure Island has left a lasting impact on the gaming industry and remains a nostalgic favorite for many gamers. It helped popularize the platformer genre and became an iconic part of the NES era.
Modern Influence: While the main series hasn't seen new releases in some time, elements of the Adventure Island games have inspired other platformers and indie games, keeping the spirit of the franchise alive.