Everybody knows Sonic was Sega’s answer to Mario. But before Sonic, Sega tried it with Alex Kidd. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was even built right into the Master System. Yes, I’m talking about the days even before the Sega Genesis/Megadrive when things were 8-bit only. Alex Kidd didn’t work and that was because the gameplay was a bit flawed. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX tries to set things right with a total remake.
Welcome to Radaxian
Alex Kidd lives in Miracle World when all of a sudden the king is kidnapped by Janken the great. The kingdom is in peril and one kid is left to save the world of Radaxian. Alex Kidd has been training martial arts his whole life and has developed the power to make his fist hard like diamonds. This gives him the ability to smash rocks and smash potential enemies if needed. When the world of Alex Kidd is in great danger Alex steps up to find out what is going on. He discovers the people are turned to stone and the world is filled with pesky enemies. As he gets deeper into the adventure he’ll set out to save the king finding out about his own royal heritage.
Classic platforming
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX features classic platforming. When needed Alex can attack with his fist but for the most part the game centers around platforming. Like any platformer from those days, Alex can collect coins and find power-ups. Instead of jumping under blocks to reveal what was inside, Alex needs to punch through the boxes. Some boxes offer bags of coins while others have a random item. Sometimes that random item turns into an enemy often resulting in a cheap death. Those familiar with the original game will know how hard Alex Kidd was. Getting through all the levels was nearly impossible with almost everything on the screen resulting in a one-hit kill. The remake stayed true to the difficulty. With limited lives the game is was very hard to get through to the end and still is.
Back in the days, this originated from the arcade and the purpose of arcade games wasn’t to let you play for hours with one quarter. Making things hard was common practice. Kids back those days needed persistence if they wanted to reach the end credit. To be fair, although more a Nintendo kid myself, I never reached the end credits in the original. I did this time around but used the infinite lives option added in this DX edition. I was glad to have finally reached the end credits for the first time in my life after all those years. I know I should retry it without the infinite lives “cheat” but for the purpose of this review, I think it was justified.
Handles identically but looks totally different
People jumping into Alex Kidd for the first time will have a great time without the abundance of nostalgia. Those who have played the original will be happy to know the game handles pretty much like the original. The good things but also the bad things are included in this game. Alex Kidd had the tendency to slide a bit after landing which made some jumps on small platforms more difficult than needed. The remake could’ve solved that flaw but decided to stay true to the original. The luck-based boss battles in which you need to perform a version of rock paper scissors called Jan-Ken-Pon still feel quite stupid, to be honest. Remaking this game gave the opportunity to fix some but the team at Jankenteam chose not to do so and keep it pure. I’m a bit on the fence when it comes down to that choice. I understand that purity is an issue when doing remakes and fixing flaws could potentially break the nostalgia. Maybe an option in the menu to toggle some of these on or off would’ve been favorable.
The main thing Jankenteam did with this remake is the changes made to the look. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX looks breathtakingly awesome. Every level is meticulously been revamped with top-notch artwork. Every sprite looks awesome. The vibrant colors used make the screen come alive like never before. With the press of a button, you can switch between the new and the old graphics. It’s funny to see the comparison. If I play the new take on the world of Alex Kidd, everything feels pretty much like I remembered it from back in the days… or so I think. When I look at the original I notice how rudimentary it all looked back then. My imagination must’ve filled in many blanks now visible by the remake in order for me to feel right at home in the re-imagination Jankenteam did.
Extra features
Completing the game unlocks a few extras. You get to play classic mode which is essentially the original game with the “old skool” graphics. The fact you could switch the graphics in the normal playthrough makes this a bit obsolete in my opinion. The “normal” game even has a few extra levels added which fitted seamlessly into the remade levels. Another extra is the boss rush mode which is pretty self-explanatory.
Conclusion
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX plays OK but still kept its original flaws. Beyond an awesome graphical update, this new version doesn’t offer all that much extra. I was expecting some more, to be honest. This title honors Alex Kidd visually but will probably fail to re-instate Alex Kidd as an iconic figure in gaming.
