Adventure Island on NES is basically what happens if you take Super Mario Bros., crank up the difficulty, and give the hero a weird obsession with collecting fruit. You play as Higgins, this little dude in a grass skirt who’s constantly running out of health—seriously, your energy ticks down like a timer, so grabbing melons and bananas isn’t just helpful, it’s mandatory.

Eggs are your best friend here. Crack one open, and you might get a skateboard (which is fun until you realize you can’t stop), a fireball attack, or even temporary invincibility. But watch out—everything kills you instantly. Enemies? Dead. A random boulder? Dead. Misjudge a jump? You get the idea. Even tripping over a tiny rock makes Higgins flail like he stepped on a Lego.

The fairies are a nice break when they show up, letting you plow through enemies without a care… except for pits and water, because apparently, not even magic can save you from gravity. It’s punishing but weirdly addictive once you get the rhythm down. Just don’t throw your controller when you lose to the same boulder for the tenth time.