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".
