Hudson's Adventure Island II Play Online 🪙 NES Games

Summary

Adventure Island II adds a surprisingly deep inventory system to the classic side‑scroll formula. Before each short stage you can equip one of Higgins’ rescued dinosaur buddies—a blue camptosaurus that walks on ice, a fire‑breathing red camptosaurus, a stone‑dropping pteranodon, or an underwater‑ready elasmosaurus—plus a stone hammer that now sits in reserve rather than turning you into a fireball shooter. Hidden eggs emit a distinct tone, and cracking them yields keys that open bonus rooms, shortcut islands, or extra item caches. The game drops the old checkpoint mechanic, forcing a full restart if you fall, but the stages themselves are bite‑size and include vertical‑scrolling and underwater sections that feel fresh. You can backtrack a little, but only to a set limit, and skateboards you earn disappear after the level. Bosses aren’t static; defeat them and they relocate, meaning you must clear an extra stage before the showdown. Critics gave Adventure Island II mixed but respectable scores—GamePro 16/25, EGM 7/10 across the board, and AllGame 3.5/5—while reviewers praised its sharper graphics, map screen, and the four dinosaur companions with unique abilities. The title even popped up in the early‑90s manga Cyber Boy, and its box art was illustrated by Shelley L. Hunter.

Storyline

In Hudson's Adventure Island II (often just called Adventure Island II), Master Higgins learns that his girlfriend Tina has been kidnapped by the Evil Witch Doctor’s relentless followers. The villain has seized control of eight treacherous islands, each ruled by a different monster minion. Four friendly dinosaurs roam the archipelago, offering to aid any brave adventurer who dares to challenge the oppressors. Determined to rescue Tina, Higgins sets out on a perilous quest across the islands, battling the Witch Doctor’s minions and earning the dinosaurs’ support along the way.

Edited by Maya Carter