In the 1980s, Mario quickly established himself as Nintendo’s mascot and the competition, tired of sharing the crumbs of a booming market, sought parades to counter the mustache. SEGA first tried through the voice of its President Hayao Nakayama to use Son Goku (Dragon Ball) before resorting to a small character named Alex Kidd. As a multiple title hero, he has gained popularity through his adventure on Master System, Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Thirty-five years later, he returns in a modernized re-reading that smells of nostalgia. Unless…
To understand the pressures on this remake, we need to take a step back. If he was replaced by Sonic pretty quickly, Alex Kidd still had time to shape the minds of Master System owners and arcade fans. In 1984, SEGA asked its creators to develop a Dragon Ball game with Son Goku as the main character. Unfortunately, the license is about to expire (understand that the contract between SEGA and Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, is about to expire) and the publisher is forced to start from scratch. Originally modeled as an action RPG, the title becomes a platform game based on Super Mario Bros. The character of Son Goku is replaced by the aptly named Alex Kidd. If you can recognize Goku by his cracker hair, his monkey tail and his long wand, Alex looks measly, but he is equipped with overwhelming fists. To create the universe of the game, Kotaro Hayashida was inspired by Star Wars and brought many original ideas (the battles between stone, paper, scissors and objects for sale) that can be found in this remake today.
From the first level, all memories come to the surface.
THE TASTE OF THE 1980s
It is not without emotion that your servant rubbed shoulders with this adjustment. Alex Kidd in Miracle World is indeed a game that is hugely popular with SEGA fans. At that time it was integrated with the Master System II and a number of Master System models. The character is inevitably part of the everyday life of the owners of these consoles and is mainly not forgotten for this reason. And that, even if it was then replaced by a much more charismatic Sonic. Jankenteam and the Merge Games-Studio have tackled this revival!
Between 1986 and 2021, the visual gap is evident.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is like its 8-bit counterpart, a classic platform game that emphasizes action, exploration and the use of vehicles (motorcycle, pedal helicopter, boat, etc.) and various objects for cash. Despite a linear course, it stands out for its finding of certain artifacts (which force the player to search the levels, especially the castles) and for its unforgettable clashes with the bosses. Based on the concept of Jan-Ken-Pon (also known as Shi-Fu-Mi), it invites the player to take part in “Rock, Paper, Scissors” challenges in order to gain the right to advance to the next level. The rules are simple: the stone breaks the scissors, the scissors cut the paper and the paper wraps the stone. The games are static at first, but get more eventful after halfway through the adventure. In this second phase of the battle, after passing through “rock, paper, scissors”, the player regains control of the character in order to defeat the boss who tries to hit him with his attacks. One would have thought the game would be easily accessible to those and those who have completed it over and over on Master System. Wrong idea …
AN EXCELLENT SLOTHING
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX allows you to go back to the original game with the push of a button (in high definition and with the 2021 additions in rasterized mode) and all you have to do is compare the two to see the gameplay change. . Even if the remake remains rather manageable, we can only regret the pronounced inertia of the character and the really perfectable collisions. The jumping phases, especially in the forest, are now trickier and we stupidly lose lives simply by bumping into certain enemies. To be convinced, it is enough to reach the water level with the passage of the octopus. You can destroy your tentacles, but this passage was quite difficult on Master System. This time it’s even worse and we have the uncomfortable feeling of not being in control. In certain sequences or encounters with bosses (like the forest bear), this lack of precision is very problematic. There are certainly checkpoints that will avoid restarting the level once you lose a life, but your nerves can be tense at times. On SEGA’s 8-bit console, we can move forward with a certain amount of fluidity. There we have the impression that we are progressing in spurts.
The lack of precision makes certain passages unnecessarily complicated.
A pinch of NEWS?
New levels have been taken from the original game.
For this version of 2021, the developers have considered it appropriate to offer new levels. The intent is laudable, but these stages are nothing out of the ordinary, except perhaps the final sequences of the game (we’ll let you discover for yourself). Alex also meets if the scenario is supposed to be somewhat binding, but the contribution of these dialogues is completely anecdotal. The brawls against the bosses have also been modified. For example, on Master System, during the second part of the adventure, they hovered their heads to attack the player. Now they’re firing projectiles, making some clashes more difficult and less inspired. During these games, too, the decision-making phase is marked by a transition screen “Jan-Ken-Pon”, which hides the scene! Why these changes? These somewhat forced additions don’t add anything to the experience. They even tend to dilute it. And while we could have hoped for real bonuses (interview with the creator of the original, preparatory sketches, making-of videos …), we have to limit ourselves to a boss rush mode (succession of battles against the bosses of the adventure ) and a Classic mode that uses the original with the resolution of time. The options are meanwhile reduced to the minimum with the activation of infinite lives, vibrations for the controller … and that’s it. You can’t even configure your keys! It is little, really too little. Fortunately, the art direction and soundtrack are catching up on the wrong notes.
A CANDY FOR THE EYES
The real quality of this DX episode is definitely its execution. The Master System game is sublimated by lovable characters, wonderful pastel decorations and very successful music. The surroundings are full of small animations (particles, weather, etc.), the movements of the protagonists are fluid and a certain dynamic emerges from the actions of young Alex. With his charming visual shell and art direction, Alex Kidd is captivating in Miracle World DX, but doesn’t let us forget his gameplay wanderings, general lack of inspiration, and light content. Although the original episode is aged and technically much more limited, it doesn’t suffer from the same inaccuracy. A patch to fix these bugs would be desirable.
Points fortresses
- Shimmering graphics
- The successful design
- Catchy music
- A remake after 35 years of waiting
Weak points
- Questionable changes
- Orders too imprecise
- Collisions with enemies
- Too light content
- No point bonus
True to both its original base and distance from its changes, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is arguably not the remake fans of the character can hope for. Some will think the progress came from another time and they won’t be wrong, but the biggest problem is inaccurate controls and collisions with enemies. With its very colorful production and high quality music themes, the experience remains correct, but less noticeable than expected.
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By Ayden_, Journalist igamesnews.com
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