VaultGames

Adventure Island

高橋名人の冒険島

Year
1986
Developer
Hudson Soft
Publisher
Hudson Soft
Platform
FC / NES
Hardware
Family Computer (8-bit)
Genre
Platformer
Players
1 player
Controls
D-pad + A (jump) / B (run, shoot)
Series
Adventure Island series
Adventure Island cover
⬇ Coming soon

Gameplay Screenshots

Adventure Island gameplay
Adventure Island gameplay

About This Game

Adventure Island drops you on a tropical island with a skateboard, a stone axe and a stamina meter that is always draining. Based on Westone's Wonder Boy and licensed to Hudson Soft, the Famicom version stars the company's own mascot, celebrity gamer Takahashi Meijin, on a quest to rescue Tina from the Evil Witch Doctor.

The constant stamina drain is what separates it from other platformers: you cannot stop to think, because standing still is losing. Fruit restores stamina, hidden eggs contain hearts, skateboards, fairies and the essential axe upgrade, and touching a single enemy costs a life — the meter only protects you from running out of time.

  • Constantly draining stamina meter that forces forward motion
  • Hidden eggs containing weapons, fairies and vehicles
  • Skateboard sections that speed you through hazards
  • Eight worlds with increasing enemy density

Version History

  • Famicom (Japan)1986-09-12

    Released as Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima; the version on this page.

  • NES (North America)1988

    US release as Adventure Island, with the mascot branding removed.

Tips & Strategy

Fruit first, everything else second

The stamina bar is your real health system. On every screen, clear the fruit within safe reach before you chase hidden eggs — arriving at a boss with an empty meter means losing regardless of skill.

The axe is mandatory for bosses

Stone axes are what actually damage most bosses; jumping on them rarely works. So know where the hidden eggs sit in each world and route through them before the boss screen rather than after.

Ride the skateboard carefully

The skateboard is fast but uncontrolled — it cannot stop on a coin. Use it on straight sections to outrun the stamina timer, and step off before any screen with tight platforming.

Download Resources

Resource packs for this game are provided through the button below.

⬇ Coming soon