Hardware and Pro Tips

New Adventure Island is the Adventure Island game with the least activity, by far. Which is a downer because it's the best game in the series IMO. This is due to it being unusually difficult, even by Adventure Island standards, and the fact that it's on the Turbografx-16, an unpopular console. It's also on Wii VC and Turbografx Mini, but original hardware is your best option.

First off, the hardware. Original hardware is expensive, but worth it. The controls are easily the tightest and smoothest compared to any other option. Japanese is much cheaper, so you might want that one. There's little difference between the two.

Some general tips. There are different weapons in New Adventure Island: Axes, Arrows, Boomerangs, and Fireballs. Try to have axes as much as possible. They go off the screen faster, which means you can fire more of them, especially in cases where you miss. You can also hold the D-Pad differently and use momentum to control them a little. Although each weapon does the same amount of damage to bosses, axes seem to end boss battles faster.

You may need boomerangs or fireballs in a few cases though- such as when there are rocks to make tight jumps in between, which boomerangs and fireballs can destroy, and arrows and axes can't. Make sure you can get axes back as soon as possible though. Also, don't enter a boss with fireballs- axes won't be an option, and fireballs are bad for bosses.

You may want to intentionally skip fruit, run out of life, or even die at points. Getting fruit is time consuming, all of your remaining life is counted after each level, and dying restores it entirely. Whatever slows you down less is better. Memorize how long levels are so you can finish with one rectangle of life left.

Master how to run forward constantly. Get lots of practice with skateboards as well. If you can skate through an entire level, you're doing excellent.

Small Time Saves

There are a few actions that will result in tiny, and admittedly minuscule time saves, but they add up throughout the game:

For each scenario, I identified a frame on the screen to start timing, and then an action on screen to end the timing. The times represent that.

Shattering eggs -- with axe versus with body.
There are two ways to shatter/open an egg: 1) with Higgins just running into it with his body, and 2) with a weapon. Opening eggs with a weapon, specifically the axe, is faster than bumping into it with your body.

- Hit the egg with the axe once the egg is visible: 1.250, 1.316, 1.250, 1.333, 1.333, 1.350, 1.266, 1.30, 1.250 (fastest times when only throwing 2 axes instead of 3-4 axes)
- Hit the egg with your body: 1.983, 1.966, 1.967, 1.983, 1.983, 1.983, 1.967, 1.967, 1.983, 1.983
- Hit the egg up close (i.e. waiting until you're as close to the egg as possible before throwing the axe): 1.233, 1.267, 1.233, 1.250, 1.233, 1.250, 1.250, 1.250, 1.283, 1.283

Elevator at the end of castle levels (e.g. 1-4, 2-4, etc.) - Walking versus jumping
It's faster to actually just walk to the elevator platform at the end of castle levels.
- walk: 4.750, 4.816, 4.800, 4.817, 4.800 
- jump: 4.800, 4.884, 4.817, 4.817, 4.816

Skateboards at end of levels -- jumping versus not jumping
It's pretty close but it appears that it's faster, on average, to just stay on the ground on the skateboard and let the computer knock you off of it when you reach the goal at the end of a level.
- skateboard jump at end of level: (Area 1-1) 1.617, 1.617 / (Area 1-2) 1.617, 1.634, 1.633, 1.616
- skateboard don't jump at end of level:  (Area 1.1) 1.616, 1.617 / (Area 1-2) 1.666, 1.616, 1.616, 1.617

Castle Level Ground Pounds
It's possible to jump over the castle level ground pounds that shoot of horizontal flames when they hit the ground. This is faster than waiting for the ground pound to start to go back up, but requires some finicky timing.
- waiting close to ground pound: 2.292
- waiting further back and timing jump over fireball: 2.316
- jumping over: 1.817

Name	Author
Hardware and Pro Tips	PrincessRescuer 4 years ago
Small Time Saves	hobby_joggers 3 years ago