Adventure Island for NES

[bearhawk72]

Adventure Island is a platformer from Hudson. It is basically the same game as the SMS and Arcade game called Wonderboy.

You play the role of Master Higgins on a quest to save his girlfriend Tina from the Evil Witchdoctor.

Controls:
Left/Right: Move Master Higgins left and right. The screen will not scroll backwards, though you can move backwards to avoid some enemies

B button: Attack. Hold to run

A button: Jump. Jumping while holding B makes you jump higher and farther

Start: Pauses game

Health Meter
Across the top of the screen you will see a health meter. It also functions as a timer of sorts. it looks like this: [][][][][][][][][][][]

As you play it will slowly start to decrease. If it reaches 0 you lose a life. However, eating fruit or finding items replenishes it and/or extends it. Grab the fruit whenever you can.
One hit from an enemy will kill Master Higgins instantly

Levels:
There are 8 areas and each area has 4 levels. Each level also contains 4 checkpoints and a goal. Checkpoints are marked by numbers and you will restart at the closest one after you die.

There are 4 different types of levels.

1. Forest/Open area
2. Water levels
3. Caves(may also contain ice areas)
4. The 4th level is always a forest/open area at night with a boss at the end.

Enemies
There are several different enemies in the game.

• Snails: Slowly inch towards you. Jump over them or hit them with your weapon
• Snakes: They do not move, but they may shoot at you(some do, some don't)
• Pigs: They just run at you. Jump over them or shoot them
• Octopus: There are 2 version, red and blue. Blue takes 2 shots to kill, red take 1. A blue octopus turns red after being shot once
• Frogs: Again 2 versions, brown and green. Both take 2 hits to kill. Brown frogs will hop at you. Green frogs sit still but turn brown after 1 hit.
• Crows: Fly in an up and down pattern and are seldom alone. If timed correctly you can run underneath them all.
• Jumping fish: Found only in water levels. Jump out of the water at you
• Skulls: They don't move and have a fireball like shield around them, though it doesn't actually shield them.
• Boulders: they will come rolling at you. Can be destroyed with the weapon upgrade
• Fire: Exactly what it says, a Camp fire. Can only be destroyed if you have the fairy
• Running Coyotes: When you pass a flower, it triggers the Coyotes to run at you. In the later stages they can jump.

All of the above kill Master Higgins in 1 hit. However there are also rocks. Hitting a rock makes Higgins trip over it and lose some of his life bar, but does not kill him. Rocks can be destroyed with the weapon upgrade

Items
There are several items to be found. All but 1 are found in eggs. Sometimes eggs are hidden(more on that later). To open an egg hit it with your weapon, jump on it, or kick it. Be warned you can kick eggs off ledges and loose whatever was inside.

• Tomahawk. Your basic weapon. While it can be found in an egg, if you need it it will be clearly visible to grab. Will bounce off anything hard
• Fire stones: Your upgraded weapon. While not physically stronger than the tomahawk, it can destroy rocks and boulders.
• Skateboard: You ride a skateboard. You can move quickly but not backwards. Getting hit loses the skateboard but not your life or health
• Milk: Extends your health bar and replenishes health. Bottle may be white or red, but there is no difference
• Ring: Gives you 2,000 points. Collecting enough of these without dying will cause a 1-up to appear in an egg but it is very rare
• Eggplant: This is a bad item you don't want to find. It will latch onto you and gradually drain your health. No way to get rid of it. It will leave when you have 1 health icon left
• Flower: Flowers double the points you get from fruit
• Key: Grants access to the bonus stage. The key is usually near the platform that will take you to the special stage. Without the key the platform will not move.
• Pots: There is one in every level, some are plainly visible, some are hidden. Grabbing one awards you bonus points at the end of the level
• Bee: Hidden somewhere in 1-1. Allows you to continue.
• Fairy: Grants you immunity for a brief period.

Finding hidden eggs and bonus stages
As you use your weapon you may notice it will kind of disappear without hitting the ground. This is the clue that something is there. If in the open it's probably an egg. Jump where the weapon disappeared and an egg will appear.

If the weapon disappears inbetween 2 things(can be in the background or between rocks, it is a special stage entrance. Simply stand still and a platform will appear and take you to the special stage.

Bosses
Always the same, but with different heads. They will walk forward and backwards and shoot fireballs. Only vulnerable if hit in the head. As the game progresses they move faster and shoot more fireballs. You can stand in the far left and they won't physically hit you, but fireballs can still get you.

Random Useful Info
- Get every piece of fruit you can, but only when it's safe
- Platforms can and will move up and down, side to side, or drop when you jump on them.
- Hold right and press start to continue if you found the bee.
- Some areas involve a lot of moving platforms and jumping. It takes precise timing, so be prepared to die
- Looking for hidden pots can be dangerous and some are in dangerous spots. All can be gotten with timing
- If you see an egg right before a checkpoint marker, run into it and kick it past the sign. It is usually a flower if you open it before the sign, but a bottle of milk on the other side of the sign.