Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986)

Look: 8/10 Greaaatttt world map look. And overall, the Look was the highlight.

Sound: 7/10 Nothing special. Cute and fit the theme

Play: 6/10 Kinda silly it doesn't show you on screen how much money you've collected while in the throes of a level. And the question mark boxes were confusing in what they did. And a rock paper scissors minigame that can kill you??? (which was not fun anyway). And the punch mechanic wasn't great imo, after coming from something like Castlevania and Vampire Killer... But it had a cute vibe, and I like that I would soon be in a store where I could buy power-ups and vehicles apparently?

Not a fan of the friction mechanics. I felt super clumsy. Here's an idea for a power-up I can buy? A slow-down power-up? Lol. And/or jump boots plz. And ah! No save system?! But apparently a way to restart in a level with 3 lives, at the cost of the in-game currency..

Feel: 7/10 Pretty bad that already on the third stage I just want to get through this, I wish there wasn't the slow rock paper scissor minigame in between levels. It just was missing something. And compared to stuff like Super Mario Bros and Castlevania... The Look is really what it had going for it, looking like an arcade game compared to its competitors for the NES.

Attachment: 6/10 Yeah, it was at this point that I already dropped it. I had no reason to push forward. The music was unremarkable; the look was good but not so special it made me wanna keep pushing; the gameplay was tedious yay let's break more things just to be able to move here, isn't this a blast?! and you can look forward to another round of Rock Paper Scissors soon too!; and the vehicle parts weren't fun at all nor did they seem to really help that much? Maybe this is just a case of me not knowing the ins and outs of the games, but I already had a car, a couple underwater levels, and felt like I got a good taste of what's to come... when I looked at that pile of blocks and the way the collision masks and jumps work made this just a tedious chore to get around, I realized I wasn't having fun. And in the era of favorites like Goonies and Castlevania, no need to waste my time. Moving on!

Completion: To the screenshot above. No UI to show any sort of score or how much currency I had when done Playtime: 15 minutes

Wowzerz what a game this was! I picked up it knowing it was going to be a short foray into the Master System and figured it would be alright after playing a few of the Wonder Boy titles on this system. Alright it was but with some real rough edges.

First, this is a bit of a Master System showcase: You have some really smooth left to right scrolling and animation in general (which many games just did not) Nice chipper music, and bright colors. The best bit is, on the second level you get to ride a freaking BICYCLE across the whole map as if you don't hit any obstacles as if you were sonic the hedgehog himself! (I cannot think of a single thing that could be as cool as that on this system if i was five or six lol) Other than that this game has so many flaws as the other reviews on here highlight. The various world look and usage of vehicles feels as if it were pulled right out of Super Mario Land (which didn't even exist for several years) and in fact, some of the stage design of one of the underground levels looks a bit similar as well! The game also features a few dungeons that let you wander from one screen to the next and even let you backtrack a bit, plus it features numerous secrets (some of which you might or might not find on your first playthrough)

Technical marvel but tough to say its that much fun with a straight face. It would have been a real impossible beast to get through legit but was fine using save states.

Who the hell would think that 6+ rock paper scissors boss battles was a good idea??? lol

The fall from grace can happen just as fast as the rise to fame. No video game character encapsulates this concept better than the martial art monkey-boy from planet Aries - Alex Kidd. Being the poster child of Sega during the Master System years, Alex Kidd faded into obscurity merely 4 years after this 1986 debut title, leaving after him quite a confusing legacy of six video games. With the exception of some guest appearances in the Sega All-Stars games, the former mascot is by and large an antique curiosity relegated to the history books.

Or is he? Following a series of successful reboots of Sega brands such as Wonder Boy and Streets of Rage in recent years, the remake Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX was fittingly enough released on the 35th anniversary of the original title, reigniting a long forgotten series. To commend the occasion, I have decided to spend the coming weeks playing through the entire Alex Kidd-series from start to finish. Doing this, I hope to gain an understanding of what exactly made Alex Kidd disappear from the spotlight while competing platformers such as Castlevania and Mega Man established franchises of everlasting fame.

To start this journey, we have to travel back to the year of 1985. Super Mario Bros has taken the world by storm with an astoundingly creative gameplay formula that not only is explored in a wide array of different levels, but also executed with a high level of proficiency and style. The blueprint for the modern 2D platformer is born, a blueprint every notable game development studio will want to make their own interpretation of.

It is in the wake of this monumental event of gaming history that the seed to Alex Kidd in Miracle World is born. Sega wanted the same level of clear brand association that Mario gave Nintendo, and started to formulate their answer for the Master System. However, while Alex Kidd is clearly derivative of Super Mario Bros, it is by no means a copy.

This 8-bit title is actually bustling with creativity and innovation, something I feel it has not gotten enough recognition for. This is most notable with the game having shops throughout that uses in-game currency. Not only is this an excellent way of making collectibles meaningful, it also opens up for creative ways of tackling levels. Having problems with a tricky platforming challenge? Save up for a flying staff and levitate over the hazards. Need an extra life? You can buy one for 500.

Most notable is probably the vehicles you can rent/use for certain stages - a boat, kart and a helicopter. They each control differently, but offers unique solutions and means of traversal. I especially like the helicopter, it is controlled like a bicycle, and the rate at which it rises and descends depends on how frequent you press the jump button. In conjunction with underwater levels, some occurrences of vertical scrolling, a huge enemy roster and several unique environments, and the gameplay experience continuously stays fresh.

However, what really elevates the game for me are the two castle stages. Rather than running to the right, you are faced with quite complex dungeon layouts not that dissimilar to Zelda from the same year. Room are filled with traps, multiple exits and secrets. They are also quite difficult, and work brilliantly in tandem with the bonus items you can acquire throughout the adventure.

There are however two major flaws that for me holds Alex Kidd in Miracle World back from being a quintessential 2D-platformer. Castles notwithstanding, I feel like the general quality of level design fades in comparison with Super Mario Bros. Obstacle patterns are often repeated, and I feel as if the sheer amount of varied content does not fully compensate for a lack of interesting ways they are utilised.

Moreover, the infamous rock paper scissors-boss battles really are an oddity in an otherwise pretty well thought through experience. Basically, your chances of winning are completely up to chance or you having memorised what the enemy will do. There is also a power-up that lets you see what the enemy is thinking, with each boss thought pattern increasing in complexity, sometimes changing their move at the last second. I think that this way of battling was more interesting, and should have been the standard rather than an ability.

That said, Alex Kidd’s first outing is definitely a promising start with multiple concepts that could be further explored. It’s a perfectly fine and very original platformer, but the discourse today seems to be rather harsh based on what I’ve seen. I cannot stress enough how important it is to understand that at time of release, the genre was in a very experimental phase. Neither Mega Man nor Doki Doki Panic has yet to be released, and many elements that may feel archaic or generic with the benefit of hindsight, were quite inventive in 1986.

It may not be as impactful as Metroid, or the gut punch of style and feel that Castlevania is (even though Alex packs quite a punch himself), but Alex Kidd in Miracle World holds up as a testament to the inventiveness and excitement of Sega in the mid-80’s.

Now let’s see where this train goes.

I've had a tough time getting the appeal of the Alex Kidd games. Miracle World generally seems to be the best-loved, but I just didn't find it that enjoyable. I think it has some good points -- the game felt pretty lengthy for a platformer of that era, and the graphics were certainly nice and colorful (again, for a 1986 title). I also really liked that there was a purpose to collecting money, since you can use it to buy special items as well as vehicles! Namely, a speedy motorcycle, and a... helicopter you pedal? It's great.

The game falls flat in every other respect, however. The most egregious issue is the game's controls. Alex's jump is terrible; I couldn't believe how slippery it was. Walk the speed of a turtle and jump, and you'll go flying way past wherever it was you were hoping to land. I am also not a fan of Alex's main attack: a punch. You gotta get directly next to enemies, and again... you've got bars of soap tied to your feet. You're gonna die a lot. On top of all this, the game famously/infamously includes janken boss battles... meaning you're playing rock-paper-scissors with them. If you lose, you die. May the odds be ever in your favor! A valuable life lesson for kids, I suppose. Even if you get really good at something, you can still have terrible luck and fail at everything anyways.

Sorry Alex Kidd, but I think the true MVP of the Master System is Wonder Boy. Hence why the latter is the one getting remakes (Dragon's Trap) and sequels (Cursed Kingdom), methinks.