Play Hudson's Adventure Island 3 [T-Span0.95] Online

Hudson's Adventure Island 3 [T-Span0.95] is one of those NES platformers that starts simple—just running and jumping—but quickly throws weirdness at you. The first time I rode a dinosaur instead of dying from touching it, I knew this wasn't your typical side-scroller.

It's got that classic NES jank—some jumps feel just slightly off, and the hit detection can be frustrating when you're trying to land on tiny platforms. But the variety keeps it interesting. One minute you're dodging crabs, the next you're bouncing on clouds or riding a pterodactyl.

The dinosaur mechanic is the real hook. Each one controls differently, and figuring out which one works best for a level adds some strategy. That said, losing your dino to a cheap hit feels brutal when you're halfway through a tough stage.

Hudson's Adventure Island 3 [T-Span0.95] isn't the smoothest NES game, but it's got enough charm and weird ideas to make it worth playing.