Hudson Soft brought
Master Higgins to the
Super NES in 1992's
Super Adventure Island, a bright colorful remake of the original
Adventure Island for the
Nintendo Entertainment System. The game opens as Tina, our hero's girlfriend, is
turned to stone by the resident
witch doctor. It's up to
Higgins to trek through five worlds of gratuitous
Mode 7 effects and repetitive generic dance music to track down the shaman. Being a remake, the game plays a lot like its 8-bit cousin but does have a few changes, such as the addition of a
boomerang to the weapons collection and the lack of the bonus pots.
What sets the game apart from the original Adventure Island are its bright and colorful graphics. Master Higgins is a large sprite and the world he inhabits is filled with all kinds of colorful tropical plants. The enemies have also been given an overhaul and a whole new assortment of threats wander about, such as spearmen and killer crabs. While the game is primarily a horizontal platformer, there are several vertical climbing sections to endure. By holding Down on the control pad just before jumping, Higgins will perform a super jump, enabling him to reach higher platforms quickly. Speed counts as the time/life meter counts down whether or not our hero is in motion. Large fruits are hanging around and collcting one refills a bar of the meter. Extra filled units are worth points at the end of the level.
So there you have it: Super Adventure Island. It didn't shatter any sales records or cover any new and exciting territory, but it's good for about an hour or so of play. Don't count on any amazing memorable moments though; after all, when was the last time you met someone who could hum the Master Higgins theme song? You're most likely to find this game at used game stores, but failing that the ROM is floating around the Internet for play on emulators. The only other Super NES Adventure Island game is not a remake: Super Adventure Island II.