Wonderboy – Games & Tech with the Sarkologist

Publisher: Hudsonsoft

Designer: Hudsonsoft

Type: Platform

Platform: NES

Release Date: 1986

Rating:

It seems as if there are just some games that certain platforms don’t get the rights to, and it seems as if Wonderboy is one of them. Yeah, this is the Nintendo version of Wonderboy, right down to the skateboard and the axe that he happens to through at the nasties. In fact, the only difference that I encountered with this game was the title.

Look, it isn’t a bad game, it is fun, and it isn’t too difficult either, and I suspect that if you plugged away at it you could actually get a rather decent way through. However, I’m not one of those people that is willing to plug away with it all that much, particularly since this isn’t really the type of game that I would spend too much time playing, beyond simply checking it out and writing this review of it.

Then again, when I was a kid I did play Wonderboy often because, well, it wasn’t too difficult, and as I’ve suggested, this is the case with this game as well. Interestingly, another version (which I have already talked about) has appeared on the Super Nintendo, which reminds me of how painful it is when you want to upgrade from one box to another. These days though, well, we have emulators, so I guess it is all good then.

So, you can find more details about it on Wikipedia, of course, but you can also find instructions, and a walkthrough, on Strategywiki. Finally, there is another review of this game on Nintendolife.

Super Adventure Island

Publisher: Produce!

Designer: Yuzo Koshiro

Type: Miscellaneous Arcade

Platform: SNES

Release Date: 1992

Rating:

This game reminded me a lot of the old arcade game Wonderboy. I guess that was the intention of it, especially if Nintendo didn’t have, or didn’t want to pay for, the rights for the original game. Anyway, the game starts off with you sitting on top of a palm tree with your girlfriend when some nasty appears and takes her away. So, you decide to go an rescue her (because, well, why not?).

Yeah, pretty much right from the get-go I could see Wonderboy written all over this game, from the skateboard that you pick up, to the weapons that you collect to deal with the nasties. However, the catch is that this game is pretty hard. No, let me rephrase that, this game is really hard. Sure, getting past the first level was all well and good, but then I came to that part of games that I really, really detest, namely the parts where you have to jump onto moving platforms, and if you happen to miss these platforms, then, well its game over (not quite – you do have three lives, and an option to continue afterwards).

Yeah, I managed to get to that part, and then it was just a huge flurry of deaths that meant that I threw my controller down in disgust and went off to do something else with my time (such as writing this pointless reviews). Sure, some people are probably really good at these types of games, it just happens that I’m not one of them.

Anyway, as I tend to do, you can find out more about this game on the Wikipedia page, and here is another review you may want to consider as well.