Welcome to Modojo, 
Adventure Island Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Wednesday, May 25, 2005
No change from the original. A classic adventure game, lots of fun!
Don't expect anything new.
It's been awhile since we've seen the likes of Master Higgins in a video game. Hudson Soft's Adventure Island series made him very popular on a number of early game platforms, including the NES (which saw the first three Adventure Island games), the SNES, and the Turbo Grafx 16. Now, he's making a comeback, this time for play on your cell phone, and the adventure brings back good ol' memories of his antics.
The game pits you against an evil witch doctor who, like most evil doctors before him, kidnaps your girl for dastardly deeds. Higgins must make his way across the troubled Adventure Island to get her back, battling all sorts of enemies from treacherous snails (yep, treacherous snails, you heard it here first) to wicked boss enemies that await you at the end of each level.
As Higgins proceeds, he can collect fruit scattered across each level, which provides him points and also allows his energy to remain at a stable level. He can also pick up a useful hammer weapon that he can throw at enemies, as well as a skateboard option and the occasional invincibility icon that makes him powerful enough to literally walk through rocks, fire, and enemies for big points. It's a pretty basic formula, one unchanged from the games of old, but it works surprisingly well here.
Kudos to Hudson Soft for not changing the formula around. The graphics remain just as colorful and delightful as always, although a bit simple in terms of design. The sound also brings back wonderful memories, with bouncy music and sound effects that fit perfectly with the game. And the controls are surprisingly fluid, not really allowing for mistakes unless, of course, you cause them.
Adventure Island won't change the way you play cell phone games, obviously, but for an old-school favorite or a distraction to get you through a stay at grandma's house, it certainly fits the bill. It brings back memories of gaming of old while still feeling somewhat fresh enough to last in today's ongoing wireless community. Give ol' Higgins a try.
