“Let’s just make the same stuff as before, but add the word ‘Super’ to it” – every SNES developer in history
It was long, long ago in October 2019 that I took a look at the late NES release Adventure Island 3. That one was a late enough release, in fact, that this week’s game pre-dates it by about 6 months, in terms of their original releases in Japan. So for those keeping track, numbers go 1, 2, Super, and 3. It’s canon.
As before, our hero Master Higgins detests wearing clothes and most of God’s creatures, forcing him to kill them all with axes and boomerangs to stay alive (you even kill penguins in this one). Outside of that, it’s your fairly standard simple platformer – run, jump, don’t die, fight the occasional cool-looking boss.
As with other games in the series, you have a ‘health’ meter that is always slowly draining, but can be replenished by picking up various fruits. This is because Master Higgins has scurvy, and spends his life seeking a cure. It consumes him.
Throughout the game, you’ll encounter a number of different standard ‘2d platforming’ sorts of levels – vertical climbs, underwater slogs, and even a mine cart auto-scroller, which is an interesting portent of things to come on the SNES. While they’re generally well-done, none of the levels are all that lengthy or complicated, and the whole thing can be beaten in less than an hour without a ton of trouble. This keeps the game from feeling truly essential, but it’s definitely an enjoyable platformer, if also a bit of an unambitious one.
When playing this, I couldn’t help that while it isn’t an especially exciting game for an adult, this feels like the perfect introduction to this sort of game for younger kids. If you’ve been dying to start corrupting your children by getting them into video games (and admit it – you know you have), Super Adventure Island is an excellent choice. If you’re not a kid but still a fan of simple platformers, this is worth an hour or two of your time, too.
I just realized he looks constipated and now i can’t unsee it. It’s the same in EVERY screenshot, too – just scroll up and look. It’s weird.
In addition to the subsequent NES game Adventure Island 3, there was one more sequel, Super Adventure Island II, released in late 1994. That one commands a weirdly high price tag, and is apparently pretty good, and made an effort to do more with the series’ relatively simple formula.
We’re sticking with the SNES next week, for a very weird game in an extremely overdone and early-90s genre. I’m excited! See you then.