Alex Kidd was a flagship mascot for Sega during the glory days of the Master System, the world was his oyster. Then, along came Sonic who grabbed the media attention Alex Kidd was left by the wayside .
Very few games had me pulling my hair out as much as his particularly colourful romps – the very worst culprit, of my hair pulling, being the Miracle World instalment. Equipped with fists of steel and ears of Spock, Alex must toddle along (or swim in some segments) sixteen levels of platform style tomfoolery – deciphering puzzles, smashing through walls and destroying weird-looking folk along the way. Ah, yes, it’s a traditional fare platformer alright, but Sega know the genre like the back of its hand and a super little game hides underneath it all.
Boss battles are won not by judgement, skill and finely-tuned reflexes, but by sheer luck via the form of a rock/paper/scissors game. Win two out of the three contests and it’s a victorious move onto the next stage, lose and you’re shoved back to the start of the level. Now call me a nit-picker, but isn’t that a little unfair? But, despite this, you keep on coming back for more due to the irresistible charm of it all. Alex may be wearing those dungarees and annoy you with his dinner eating after each successful level (eating rice with chopsticks) but he’s running around a little Miracle World that’s so adorable you can’t help but have another go. And another. And another!
If you have not played this game on the original system, now is a great time to do so.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World Description: Your name is Alex Kidd. You have courage. A karate chop that shatters rocks. And a big job to do. You learn that the mysterious city Radactian is in great danger. All your skills and talents are desperately needed to help. But there's a catch: how do you get there? Your only clues are a puzzling map and a medallion made of Sunstone. Will that be enough to solve the riddle of the pathway? You face the obstacles. Solve the mysteries. Learn the secrets as you go along. but there's high adventure around every corner. it takes a Kidd like you handle a challenge like this.