In quite a drastic change from previous versions available on the NES, Adventure Island 4 becomes an action-adventure type game not unlike Zelda 2, which I very much welcomed as one of my favorite SNES games is Super Adventure Island 2.

The game is quite good in terms of graphics and sound, as well as the controls, that feel responsive even when you use the skateboard. As the game progresses you gain various upgrades for your character, although I was a bit disappointed that some of these upgrades are used only at very specific points in the game and then become unnecessary.

The game's map is a bit extensive, but it features a kind-of fast travel system. Also, according to what I read in a guide, the game allows you to use the dinosaurs that you rescue as you beat the bosses (as in previous AI games), however I never managed to find the island where they are supposed to be on and the truth is that I didn't feel the need to look for them either since I didn't have any big problems beating the stages. Only in the pyramid stage did I use savestates, but it really wasn't all that complicated. Actually, the final boss is a complete joke and I beat him on my first try.

The game has only few negative points and I debated between giving it 3 or 4 stars. Although it works well in almost all its aspects, it is at the same time a forgettable title and I only recommend it if you want to know more about the Adventure Island series, since as a game itself it does not stand out much. I guess you should go play Super Adventure Island 2 instead.

Completed on emulator in about 3-4 hours, using an english translation (game is japan-only).