Introduction Hudson Soft released Adventure Island II for the NES in 1991, the follow-up to the original Hudson’s Adventure Island. Master Higgins once again sets out to rescue Tina, travelling across eight islands filled with forests, deserts, caves, volcanoes and icy lands. The core gameplay remains fast side-scrolling action: Higgins runs, jumps and throws stone…
Introduction Ghosts ‘n Goblins was released by Capcom in arcades in 1985, and its NES version arrived in 1986. The knight Sir Arthur must rescue a princess who has been carried off by the demon Astaroth, fighting through a graveyard, forests, caves and a demon castle. Arthur starts each life in armour, and one hit…
Introduction Rare released Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest for the Super Nintendo in 1995. This time Donkey Kong himself has been kidnapped by Kaptain K. Rool, and Diddy Kong teams up with Dixie Kong to rescue him from Crocodile Isle. Dixie can spin her ponytail like a helicopter to glide across gaps, while…
Introduction Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES in North America in 1988, and it plays very differently from the other Mario games of the era. It was built from Doki Doki Panic, a 1987 Famicom Disk System game, which Nintendo reworked with Mario characters for western audiences. Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess…
Introduction Capcom released Mega Twins in arcades in 1990, known in Japan as Chiki Chiki Boys. It tells the story of the twin princes of the kingdom of Alurea, who set out to defeat a monster that has devastated their home. The game is a side-scrolling action platformer with cute, colourful graphics and a surprising…
Introduction Mappy was created by Namco for arcades in 1983 and brought to the Famicom the following year. The player controls Mappy, a police mouse, who must recover stolen goods from a mansion owned by a gang of cats called the Meowkies and their leader, Goro. The mansion is built across several floors, and Mappy…
Introduction Kid Niki: Radical Ninja started life as an Irem arcade game in 1986, and Data East brought it to the NES in North America in 1987. Niki is a young ninja with spiky hair and a spinning sword who sets out to rescue Princess Margo from the Stone Wizard. The game plays as a…
Introduction Sega released Sonic & Knuckles for the Mega Drive and Genesis in 1994, completing the story that began in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. After discovering that Dr. Robotnik is after the Master Emerald, the source of Angel Island’s power, Sonic continues his chase while Knuckles finally becomes playable in his own campaign. Knuckles can…
Introduction Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Mega Drive and Genesis in 1994. After the Death Egg crashes onto the floating Angel Island, Dr. Robotnik tricks the island’s guardian, Knuckles the Echidna, into believing that Sonic and Tails are the real threat. This is Knuckles’ first appearance, and he repeatedly ambushes the heroes…
Introduction Capcom released Super Ghouls’n Ghosts for the Super Nintendo in 1991, the third game in the series that began with Ghosts’n Goblins. Sir Arthur must once again rescue the princess, this time from the demon emperor Sardius, travelling through haunted graveyards, a ghost ship, rotting forests and a castle made of ice. The biggest…
Introduction Sega released Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Master System in 1986, and the character served as Sega’s mascot until Sonic arrived. Alex, a young martial artist from the planet Aries, sets out to free the kingdom of Radaxian from the tyrant Janken the Great. He punches his way through rocks and enemies…
Introduction Konami released Castlevania: Dracula X for the Super Nintendo in 1995, a cartridge reimagining of Rondo of Blood, the Japanese PC Engine CD game. Richter Belmont sets out to rescue his beloved Annette and her younger sister Maria after Dracula is resurrected, and the game keeps many of the same story beats, though its…