NES Action Platformer 1987

Adventure Island

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Hudson Soft's 1987 NES platformer — Adventure Island follows Master Higgins across tropical island worlds rescuing Princess Tina, with a stamina meter that depletes as you walk (requiring constant fruit collection to survive), skateboard power-ups, and eight worlds of side-scrolling platformer action. The franchise origin that spawned multiple NES and SNES sequels.

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💡 Adventure Island — Key Facts

→ Adventure Island was developed by Hudson Soft and published by Hudson Soft
→ Released in 1987 on NES
→ Genre: Action, Platformer
→ We rate it 8.2/10 — highly recommended
→ Hudson Soft's 1987 NES platformer — Adventure Island follows Master Higgins across tropical island worlds rescuing Princess Tina, with a stamina meter that depletes as you walk (requiring constant fruit collection to survive), skateboard power-ups, and eight worlds of side-scrolling platformer action. The franchise origin that spawned multiple NES and SNES sequels.

Overview

Master Higgins is always running. Not from enemies — from time.

The stamina meter depletes constantly. Standing still drains it. Running drains it faster. The only way to stay alive between enemy contacts is collecting fruit, and Adventure Island stages are designed so there’s just enough fruit along the natural route to survive — if the player moves efficiently.

The Meter

Most NES platformers kill you through contact. Adventure Island kills you three ways: contact with enemies, falling into pits, and running out of fruit.

The third failure mode changes every design decision. Stages aren’t just platformer obstacle courses — they’re resource management systems. The fruit scattered across terrain is as important as the platform layout. A path clear of enemies but sparse in fruit is dangerous. A path crowded with enemies but rich in fruit might be survivable.

The stamina meter made Adventure Island distinct. Players who approached it like Mario found themselves dying to nothing but empty time.

The Skateboard

When the egg cracks open and a skateboard appears, the calculation changes.

The skateboard makes Higgins faster — the stamina meter is less punishing because distance covers faster. More importantly, the first enemy contact knocks Higgins off the board without killing him. The board is a buffer between the player and failure.

Losing the skateboard to an enemy hit is the same emotional register as losing a Fire Flower in Mario — the power-up wasn’t just functional, it was a safety margin the player had been carefully maintaining.

Wonder Boy, Parallel

The same game existed on Sega platforms with a different character name. Wonder Boy was the arcade original; Master Higgins was Hudson’s licensed NES substitute. Both games lived simultaneously in homes where players knew only one of them.

The child who owned a NES in 1987 played Master Higgins and never met Wonder Boy. The child who owned a Master System played Wonder Boy and never knew Master Higgins existed. They played the same game.

Our Review

8.2

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

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Audio

★★★★★

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Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Adventure Island is a side-scrolling platformer where Master Higgins runs through eight worlds of four stages each (32 stages total). The defining mechanic is the stamina meter: a constantly depleting health bar that runs out if Higgins doesn't collect fruit scattered across each stage. Collecting fruit restores stamina; running out kills Higgins regardless of enemy contact. Eggs hidden across stages contain power-ups: a skateboard (faster movement, one-hit protection), a stone axe (ranged weapon for enemies), and a fairy companion. Bosses end each world. Higgins can be killed by enemies, falls, and stamina depletion — three distinct failure modes requiring different types of stage awareness.

Graphics

Adventure Island's NES visuals present cheerful tropical island environments — bright colors, varied island settings across eight worlds. The visual character is distinct from contemporaries with its sun-baked color palette and simple but clean sprite work.

Audio

The Adventure Island soundtrack provides upbeat platformer music appropriate to the tropical adventure aesthetic. The stage themes are energetic and suited to the game's brisk movement pace.

Replayability

Thirty-two stages with the stamina mechanic creating survival urgency across all of them. Adventure Island II and III on NES continued the franchise with enhanced mechanics including selectable companions.

Historical Significance

Adventure Island (1987, NES) is Hudson Soft's flagship platformer franchise and the game that established Master Higgins as Hudson's mascot character. The franchise ran through Adventure Island II, III, and IV on NES, plus entries on Game Boy and SNES. Adventure Island is a licensed adaptation of Sega's Wonder Boy arcade game — Hudson licensed the character and concept while Sega retained the Wonder Boy name for their own home conversions. The simultaneous existence of Wonder Boy and Master Higgins — same origin game, different characters, different home platforms — is one of gaming history's unusual licensing stories.

✅ Pros

+ Stamina meter creates unique survival urgency throughout all stages
+ Skateboard power-up significantly changes movement and survival
+ Eight worlds with 32 stages for substantial platformer content
+ Egg-hidden power-up discovery rewards exploration
+ Distinct character compared to other NES platformers

❌ Cons

- Stamina mechanic punishing — constant fruit collection required
- Losing power-ups on death creates frustrating skill regression
- Platform physics less refined than Mario
- Limited continues forces replay from early worlds on failure

Also Known As

Adventure Island NESMaster Higgins NESたけしの挑戦状

Adventure Island FAQ

What is the connection between Adventure Island and Wonder Boy?

Adventure Island is a licensed adaptation of Sega's Wonder Boy (1986 arcade). Hudson Soft licensed the game's mechanics and design from Sega's arcade game for NES publication, but Sega retained the 'Wonder Boy' character name and used it for their own home console releases on the Sega Master System and Mega Drive. Hudson created Master Higgins as a substitute for Wonder Boy — the same basic concept (tropical island platformer with fruit collection) with a different character. The result is two parallel versions of the same original game: Wonder Boy on Sega platforms with the Wonder Boy character, and Adventure Island on NES/Hudson platforms with Master Higgins. Players who owned both Sega and Nintendo hardware in the late 1980s could play what was essentially the same game with different protagonists.

How does the stamina meter work in Adventure Island?

Adventure Island's stamina meter is a constantly depleting health bar displayed at the top of the screen. As Master Higgins moves through a stage, the meter automatically decreases over time — standing still drains it slightly slower than running. If the meter reaches zero, Higgins dies regardless of enemy contact status. Collecting fruit scattered across stages — pineapples, strawberries, various tropical fruits — restores the meter by varying amounts. The mechanic means every Adventure Island stage is simultaneously a platformer and a resource management challenge: collecting enough fruit to maintain stamina while navigating enemies and terrain. Some stages have sparse fruit and require careful planning; others are generously stocked. The stamina system distinguishes Adventure Island from contemporaries where health only depletes from enemy contact.

What are the power-ups hidden in Adventure Island's eggs?

Eggs are hidden throughout Adventure Island stages — often placed invisibly and revealed by walking over specific floor tiles, or visible but requiring discovery. Breaking an egg (by jumping or hitting it) releases one of several power-ups. The skateboard provides significantly faster movement and acts as a one-hit buffer — enemy contact knocks Higgins off the board without killing him, leaving him without the board but alive. The stone axe is a ranged throwing weapon that defeats enemies in the path ahead — useful for long-range hazards. A fairy companion accompanies Higgins temporarily when found. Eggs also occasionally contain Miss Island (a temporary invincibility power). Finding egg locations is part of Adventure Island's replayability — experienced players know where hidden eggs appear and plan routes to collect them.

Is Adventure Island available on modern platforms?

Adventure Island is available through Nintendo Switch Online's NES library for subscribers. The game appeared on Wii Virtual Console. Adventure Island II and III are also available on Switch Online. Hudson Soft was acquired by Konami in 2012; the Adventure Island franchise rights are now held by Konami. Original NES cartridges for all Adventure Island entries are available through retro game stores at moderate prices. A 2012 WiiWare entry (Adventure Island: The Beginning) was released before Hudson's Konami acquisition but received limited attention. The franchise has been dormant since 2012 — Konami has not released new Adventure Island titles.