Master Higgins is once again off on a madcap quest to save his girlfriend, Tina, and to bring peace to his island home. The "Evil God" has been revived de novo and is likely responsible for the preponderance of angry, bubble-spewing crustaceans menacing the coastline. Super Adventure Island isn't a direct port of the eponymous SNES game, but you'll still have to do a lot of jumping and hammer throwing if you hope to reach your malevolent deity and discover the secret behind your improbably Anglican surname. Well designed and eminently playable, Super Adventure Island is one of the best platformers on mobile.
As the great reconciler, you'll have to brave more than your fair share of deadly chasms. Hudson has done an excellent job of keeping the platforming puzzles fresh. One minute, you might be jumping on clouds, and the next minute, you might be riding a series of ascending blocks. Actually, those specific gameplay segments are separated by about an hour of crustacean-smashing, but our point remains. The game is very linear but progresses in ways (and literal directions) you wouldn't expect. For example, Master Higgins spends a lot of time avoiding water, but he may sometimes have to submerge himself to progress.
Combat is pretty cut-and-dried and is all about jumping and throwing your hammer. Sometimes, you'll do both at once. You can upgrade your armor, boots, and special weaponry (such as lightning bolts or fire balls) at shops, but your standby hammer can be improved only by prevailing in boss fights. You'll start with a truncheon that's basically a rock on a stick, but you'll end with a sharp and deadly blade of iron. Improving the quality of your boots will actually increase your character's movement speed.
In addition to these permanent upgrades, there are a half-dozen timed buffs you can win by slaying enemies. The benefits of these range from temporary invincibility, to the ability to stay in the air longer after a jump. Winning invincibility right before a boss fight is a blessing.
You'll face quite a few end-level monsters in the game, most of which return as sub-bosses. Unfortunately, you can defeat all of these--including the final boss--by frantically jamming on the fire button. You'll briefly incapacitate your opponent with each hit, preventing him from attacking you. This feels like cheating, but it's the only way to prevail.
The mobile Super Adventure Island looks about as good as its SNES counterpart. The sprites are big and crisp, and the animation is smooth. On the LG VX8000, SAI is more visually appealing and ultimately playable than the great majority of expensive V-Cast games available for the device. The boss characters, which look to be the demons of some tribal religion, are especially impressive. The game's background music is terrific as well and takes a more frantic tone during boss fights. You won't hear any jumping or weapon impact sound effects, however.
More frequently on mobile, publishers are selling stripped-down versions of their classic games, a few levels at a time. Hudson is instead offering a unique and full-length experience that will keep average players occupied for upwards of four hours--a very respectable length, by current standards. Super Adventure Island is simple, but it's nonetheless one of the best examples of its genre on mobile.
