Game Revolution writes: "There's nothing here that will really pull new players into playing Adventure Island: The Beginning, other than nostalgia for an audience who is familiar with the name. That's not to say the game is bad, but it shows that the developers poured in little effort into trying to attract a new audience. This is basically a prettier version of a game from the 1980's, though the presentation is bland and there are other offerings that are vastly more interesting and prettier to look at on Wiiware, or even the older entries in the Adventure Island series available on the Virtual Console service. The Beginning will only satisfy your hunger for so far, pun intended".
"The Adventure Island and Wonder Boy series have a long shared history so let's explore both franchises and see which one's best." - A.J. Maciejewski from Video Chums
A.J. says: "When it comes to fast-paced retro platformers, very few games stand out in my memory as being as enjoyable as Adventure Island. Pull up your grass skirt, grab a stone axe, and let's eat as much fruit as our stomachs can handle!"
GamePro Arcade writes: "ADVENTURE ISLAND The Beginning also hit WiiWare this week. Just like Bubble Bobble, this is a remake of a classic franchise with spruced up visuals and some new content. In Adventure Island you play as Mater Higgins who must traverse through four worlds, each with four levels, to defeat the evil King Quiller, who has kidnapped the love of your life, Tina. It's a basic sidescroller with tons of weapons at your disposal to dispatch enemies all the way to the goal. But it's not as simple as just speeding through the levels and moving on. Higgins is, well, fat, so he must eat in order to keep his stamina up. Food is scattered through the level and you must pick it up in order to keep Higgins going."