Adventure Island IV (NES) Playthrough [English]
177A playthrough of Hudson Soft's 1994 action-adventure game for the Nintendo Famicom, Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima IV (高橋名人の冒険島IV, "Master Takahashi's Adventure Island IV).
Since the game was a Japanese exclusive, I am using a fan-made translation patch created by Zynk Oxyhyde. There are two versions of the patch: the one featured here simply translates the in-game text and the title logo into English, while the other provides additional "enhancements" to the original game's graphics. If you are interested in trying either out for yourself, you can learn more at https://www.romhacking.net/translations/3703/.
I let the intro sequence cycle a few times to show the different title screen animations. The game begins at 5:02.
Adventure Island IV was the third NES Adventure Island game to be created by Now Production, and it was the fourth and final numbered entry in the Adventure Island series. It also carries the important distinction of being the final official release for the Nintendo Famicom.
Instead of being yet another "back to basics" reimagining of the Wonder Boy formula like we saw in New Adventure Island (https://youtu.be/vbAWLo5FIcs) and Super Adventure Island (https://youtu.be/rJXyhLoJBNo), it is is a direct follow-up to Adventure Island III (https://youtu.be/UGCbrm5xXnY) that incorporates several elements introduced in the previous NES sequels. Master Higgins' mission is to rescue his dinosaur friends who have been kidnapped by an evil eggplant wizard, and though the game retains many of the series' gameplay staples, the format is different this time around.
Adventure Island IV is still a run-and-jump platformer, but it replaces the traditional stage-based structure of the earlier games with an open-ended design that encourages exploration, similar to what was used Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. Much of the world is blocked off at the beginning, but as he progresses in his quest, Higgins will gain tools and abilities that'll help him gain entry to previously inaccessible areas. The path to the end is a fairly linear one, but the illusion of freedom the game provides makes the gameplay feel fresh and new again.
The graphics, though similar in style into the older games, have been updated, the new music is as fun as ever, and though they feel a bit looser than AI 2 and 3's, the controls are responsive and dependable. The game retains the familiar feel of the earlier games while changing just enough to avoid feeling like a rehash.
It's not surprising that such a late release as Adventure Island IV never made its way west - the NES was all-but-buried by 1994 - but it is a shame that more people didn't get the chance to experience Higgins' final trip to 8-bit Adventure Island. It was quite a good one.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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