This is what I remember about playing it a long time ago... losing your axe is rough on that last stretch and makes it very difficult. Might be time to re-visit this game. It's been a long time sinc I've played through it.

I played Super Adventure Island for the SNES contest a number of years ago and no-deathed it after a day or two. Definitely a much easier game with a lot less going on.

That game is hard as balls. I believe I've never beaten it.

Hard as balls is the only way to describe it. I have definitely never beaten it. I made a big effort to beat all of my childhood favorites a handful of years back. This is the only one that I couldn't even come close. TMNT 1 was the other one that alluded me, but I think that would be doable if I had the time. 
 

Somewhere in the Level 6 range, it starts to get serious Gradius-Syndrome.

I'd love to take the time to beat it someday, but I remember fizzling out around Level 6-2 during a contest championship a few years ago.

I really want AirVillain to go back to AI and then see his reaction when 8-4 is just a harder version of 7-4, lol.

8-3 is plain evil.
But I like this game.

The AI games were suspiciously missing from the contest lineup this year. I'm betting we see one in the tournament.
 

Personally, I think GnG is the harder game.  I'd sooner be able to no death Adventure Island than that game.

I'd much rather play AI than GnG. I've only ever made it to stage 3 or 4 in GnG because it's kind of a chore to play.
 

Agreed.

There is a charm to Adventure Island that the original GnG doesn't quite capture, in my opinion.

Super Ghouls and Ghosts is another story, though.

 

Love both GnG and Adventure Island myself, but I guess I'm weird that way, If games are difficult I tend to like them more easily. I can for example see Felix The Cat and Kirby's Adventures are good games, but that they're so damn easy sort of makes them less memorable.

I'm the opposite. I find GnG to be much less of a chore than AI1. It's shorter to complete even with the 2 loop requirement, you keep your weapon when you die, and the boss battles are more enjoyable.
 

GNG has more frustrating controls, sluggish framerate and cheap deaths from enemy RNG. It's another janky Micronics port. AI is a much tighter game and more fun, IMO.

 

I agree that the biggest drawbacks of GnG are the stiff jumping controls and enemy RNG. However with AI the slippery momentum-based controls combined with the insane amount of cheap enemy placement, combined with the insane amount of trial & error platforming, combined with 1HK, combined with not being able to regain your weapon at some of the most difficult spots late in the game, all make for a much more frustrating experience overall.

Don't get me wrong I think both games are good for what they are (early NES titles, and staples of the NES-hard novelty), I just personally prefer GnG and find it to be less frustrating to beat than AI.

 

While I agree that Adventure Island is the better game, I can't say that I really enjoyed it.  It's not that I think it's a bad game, it's just that whenever I played, I always felt like like I'd be having more fun if I was playing Wonder Boy on Sega Master System instead.  It has more stages, better graphics, and I think it controls a bit better as well.  There are some things that make it easier like that the cobras don't spit fire and that the bad eggs are speckled.  Some things make it harder like the lack of the fireball weapon upgrade.  The extra stages and having to collect all the dolls to access all the stages could add to the challenge, but they are optional.  Overall, I think it's the easier game, so anyone who has trouble with Adventure Island might like it better.
 

Have you guys played the arcade version of ghosts and goblins? I think Micronics actually did a great job at capturing the crushing difficulty of the arcade. They are both hard as balls but the arcade version is tougher due to faster enemies and the unpredictable patterns of the Red Devils. It takes time but is worth it to make your way through the game....twice!

There was a cabinet in the breakroom at my dad's work when I was a kid.  I could reach the second level.

Mike Matei streamed the arcade game and he had an extremely frustrating time beating it. It does look harder.



 

The one thing I don't like about GnG arcade is the double unicorn at the start of stage 6. You are almost assured to lose your armour there.

I've played this one a lot on my Arcade1Up this Summer and have only gotten to Level 4 once and never broken a score of 50,000k yet
But I definitely enjoy it a lot! Probably the best intro to any videogame ever...just naked in a graveyard

Tons of good conversation here. Tough to compare GNG & Advenure Island for me. 

If I feel up for a longer game, I think I kind of like GNG more because of less repetition in the levels. But I do have to play each level repetatively in order to actually get passed it anyways, haha. 

I shal revisit AI at some point, but damn... It's tough.

I would never describve AI's controls as "tight",  mbd39, haha... Quite the opposite I would say.  

Those little cabinets look cool.... GNG would for sure be one of the reasons to pick one up...

For future reference...