Virtual Console Reviews

Hudson's take on the Sega classic Wonder Boy has skateboarded its way to the Virtual Console. It's a bit of a shallow game in many senses compared to Mario or Sonic, but somehow this doesn't matter, it is still good fun to play!

You guide Master Higgins through levels by running forwards jumping rolling stones and fire, throwing axes at snakes and even skateboarding over floating clouds! The pressure is always on as your energy meter drains, you must keep collecting fruits scattered about the levels to avoid losing a life!

The transition to the TurboGrafx platform meant a graphical upgrade for the franchise beyond its 8-bit roots, but the gameplay remained largely untouched. New Adventure Island feels and plays much like the first Adventure Island felt and played – so much so that it's almost more of a remake than a sequel. It's a side-scrolling platformer. You, as Higgins, run and jump through jungles and caves, collecting power-ups, attacking enemies, clearing checkpoints and dying if you get hit just once. Pretty standard for the platformer genre back in the late '80s and early '90s. But the Adventure Island series always had a little something extra to pick up the pace.

The fruit gauge. A combination life meter and countdown clock, the fruit gauge is displayed at the top of the screen and is endlessly depleting itself. Time ticks away the blocks on the gauge – if you don't move quickly enough through each stage, it will empty completely and Higgins will die. The meter will also take a hit when Higgins does. Contact with enemies with kill the Master straight out, but minor bumps like tripping over a rock will just knock off a fruit gauge block.

It's called the fruit gauge because it's refueled by the power of citrus. Grabbing Vitamin C-enriched foods like apples, watermelons and banana bunches will refill the meter, giving you more time to clear each level. New Adventure Island's platforming play, then, is a balance between both moving quickly and collecting enough fruits to give yourself the leeway needed to take extra time navigating the more difficult sections of each stage.

The game is separated into multiple worlds – or islands – each with a different graphical theme and each with multiple levels. An animal-headed boss character throws down at the end of each island, and defeating him saves one of six kidnapped children. Save all six and the way is open to the final confrontation, where you and Master Higgins will take on the evil Baron Bronsky to rescue Tina. The game feels fairly lengthy overall, meaning that if you get on board with the basics of its platforming gameplay and can handle its considerable challenge factor, you should have a lot of island-hopping fun.

Playing New Adventure Island is a fairly fun experience, but the game is not inventive, engaging or timeless enough to separate itself from the pack. The Virtual Console is already home to several spectacular platformers of the past, including major hits from Bonk, Sonic and Mario. So while Master Higgins' fourth adventure isn't a total letdown, you're still better off spending your Wii Points on a game that doesn't feel quite as old as "New" Adventure Island.