For many, it was the first video game they tried in their life or, at least, the first they tried on a home console. Alex Kidd in Miracle World sneaked into thousands and thousands of homes thanks to being the game included in the memory of many Master System II. So before Sonic officially took over, Alex Kidd was SEGA's mascot in the eyes of 8-bit gamers. Keep reading for a comprehensive Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX review!
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Review
In essence, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is the same game that stole so many hours from us in the early '90s, but with numerous changes here and there. The most obvious is the visual, thanks to the artistic direction of Héctor Toro, who has given the character a very lively appearance while respecting his origins. Alex does not stop moving even when he is not walking, wrapped in that pixel art look and that design that maintains the inspiration in the legend of Sun Wukong in which it is inspired.
The enemies also look very colorful and friendly, in the cartoon style, while the environment comes alive with waterfalls in the background, atmospheric effects, explosions with onomatopoeia when we punch. None of this was in the original game, something that we can check with the push of a button. And, as was the case with the also renewed Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, we can press a trigger to automatically go to the original graphics and music of Master System. In doing so, it is inevitable to think "oh, how little was enough for us then!".
The main problem with all this is that the difficulty reaches many peaks that more than one will consider unfair and even frustrating. On the one hand, there are jumps that we have to measure to the millimeter or certain death awaits us, while we are careful with the slight inertia of the character.
On the other hand, our punches have a minimal range (although it is possible to get the bracelet that allows us to shoot) so we have to hit with a mixture of aim and luck some enemies that move in a very difficult way to reach (those fish, those bats!). And be careful, with a slight touch of one of these enemies, we lose a life ... It would also be appreciated if the game explained "in-game" what the items that we can buy in the store consist of. What are they for? Veterans will remember its use, but for new players, it can be cryptic.
The result of all this is that almost from minute one, we find ourselves with a game of devilish difficulty, to which we must add blocks of random items from which death can emerge that chases us to hunt us down... It is a game of its own, which lacks some unnecessarily complicated level designs and challenges. This is not the fault of the Jankenteam remake... The original game was already as bloody.
The option to play the original Master System game as is, without extra help, is unlocked, "macho". It is also possible to unlock a Boss Rush mode to beat all bosses at once.
The problem is that maybe, just maybe, the original game was not as good as we had in mind. It had great virtues, yes, but it was not as well balanced as a Super Mario or Sonic himself that would come later. This will lead some to believe because of its cute graphics that it is a game that even a child could overcome (a common mistake with other recent games, such as the tricky Kaze and the Wild Masks) and end up smashing the controller to the ground before their devilish challenge.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Review Final Thoughts
Altogether, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a precious and careful tribute to our childhood consoler, but as a game, it has some shortcomings that not everyone will be able to overlook. But hey, it's a platform where a "very cute" kid can ride a boat and a helicopter. For that alone, it already deserves a chance! For more impressions and guides, stick around, here, at GamesAtlas.
