Hudson’s Adventure Island is a side-scrolling platformer developed and published by Hudson Soft for the NES, an adaptation of Sega’s arcade Wonder Boy. Players guide Master Higgins across eight worlds of Adventure Island to rescue Princess Tina — jumping, throwing axes and fireballs, and riding skateboards while eating fruit to keep a constantly draining vitality meter topped up.
How To Play Adventure Island
Control
Action
D-Pad
Move; crouch
A Button
Jump
B Button
Throw weapon (axe or fireball when equipped); hold to run
Start
Pause
About Adventure Island
Release date
Famicom (JP): September 12, 1986 · NES (NA): September 1988 · NES (EU, as Adventure Island Classic): 1992
Developer
Hudson Soft
Publisher
Hudson Soft
Platform
NES / Famicom; also MSX; later Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PS2
Genre
Platformer (side-scrolling)
Series
Adventure Island (first entry)
Modes
Single-player
Also known as
高橋名人の冒険島 (Takahashi Meijin no Bōken Jima) — Japan · Adventure Island Classic — Europe
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
