Quick Glance: Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX
Platform - Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
Players – 1
Achievements – Yes
Retail Price - $19.99
High Level Premise – Remaster of the original Alex Kidd in Miracle World for Sega Master System.
Graphics/Style – Switch between modern and retro graphics on the fly. Remastered modern graphics boast colorful drawn sprites.
Music/Soundtrack – Retro tracks are your catchy 8-bit standbys, remastered tracks are pleasant to the ear.
Story - Alex Kidd must travel throughout the kingdom of Radaxian to defeat the forces of the evil Janken and save Prince Egle and Princess Lora.
Replay-ability – Moderate
Time Commitment – Very short, most levels will take 5-10 minutes to complete, saves between each level.
Alex Kidd is in interesting footnote in gaming history. Sega was banking hard that this monkey-like being would be the mascot to rival Nintendo’s Super Mario, and lead their company in an upward direction like their competitor. Except that did not happen, Alex Kidd was quickly abandoned after the birth of one Sonic the Hedgehog, which would give Sega that edge their company needed in the early 1990’s. In 1986, Sega would release the first entry in the Alex Kidd series, Alex Kidd in Miracle World for their 8-bit Sega Master System. Received very favorably, the game spawned three more 8-bit sequels, a BMX racing game, and a final entry on the 16-bit Sega Genesis system. After this, Alex Kidd was quickly forgotten and ignored by both Sega in Japan and in America.
Alex Kidd In Miracle World Dx - Nintendo Switch Standard Edition
Merge Games
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Alex Kidd In Miracle World Dx - PlayStation 5 Standard Edition
Merge Games
Buy on Amazon
Now in Summer of 2021, Alex Kidd gets a remaster, similar to the remaster done for another Sega Master System classic, Wonderboy: The Dragon’s Trap. Fully remastered, this modern version boasts all new high-definition visuals, remixed soundtracks while retaining the core gameplay that die hard Alex Kidd fans have known and love. One of the core features is being able to press a button and seamlessly switch between the modern and original graphics and sounds. With that being said, this remastered version is EXTREMELY faithful to the original, sometimes to a fault.
Now let’s start with the elephant in the room. Alex Kidd is a platformer from the mid-eighties and it shows. The controls are a bit slippery, and it’s a one hit kill situation most of the time throughout the game. Luckily, there is an option for infinite lives in the options menu right from the start. One of the prime examples of this difficulty is the very first level. It’s a level that progresses downward vertically, sometimes unknowing when these flying dragons are going to appear. It’s frustrating, and frankly should have been placed later on in the game and replaced with a traditional side scrolling level. This has been something known to players since 1986, and is nothing new. The crazy part is, once you get past that first section, the game is much easier right away. It can be daunting, but trust me when I say getting past this hurdle is worth it later on.
This is another faithful remaster of a Sega classic. I really hope this sells well, so we can get a possible sequel of Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars, Alex Kidd: High-Tech World, or even Alex Kidd in Shinobi World. The physical version is really nice too, as it comes with a keychain and a printed instruction manual. Well worth the extra dollars to have something that nice on your shelf. I highly recommend Alex Kidd in Miracle World to anyone who loves platformers, retrogaming, or just wants to dive head first into the origins of Sega. Definitely worth picking this one up as soon as you can!