Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Review

It is easy to feel sorry Alex Kidd. Nintendo continued to push forward with their dungareed mascot in the 80s and released Super Mario Bros 1985. This game changed the way we saw side scrolling platformers forever. Sega was not to be outdone and introduced Alex Kidd's Miracle World in 1986. Alex Kidd wouldn't be 'Sega Mario' despite having six games released over four years. Sega changed tactics in 1991, releasing Sonic the Hedgehog. The Kidd was never seen again. Until now.

It's unfortunate that Alex Kidd from Miracle World has been forgotten, except by gamers who still remember how to cut their teeth on a Sega Master System. It was built into several Master System consoles, so no physical game was required. This was a truly unique experience, which I still remember.

Alex Kidd was also a difficult game that was well-remembered. I remember it being extremely hard. Now that we have a remake of this Sega classic, how close would they get to Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. It's actually pretty close.

You might think Alex Kidd is a Super Mario Bros copy. They are very different creatures, even though they share the same 2D platforming style and love of breaking blocks. Super Mario Bros. is a well-designed game with a thoughtful difficulty curve. Although Alex Kidd's Miracle World has a steep difficulty curve, it feels more difficult than Nintendo's.

Alex Kidd's Miracle World is hard for several reasons. It was designed with coin-op game mechanics in mind. These games were designed to make it easy for players to spend their spare coins on arcade machines. These games retained their original design and were popular up to the end of the 90s.

Alex Kidd's normal mode gives you three lives to complete a level. You are sent back to the checkpoint each time you die. These are extremely generous. Once you have lost all three of your lives, however, you will be redirected to the beginning of the level. It can be frustrating but it adds an element of strategy to the game.

Alex Kidd nails it gameplay-wise. The game moves quickly, with Alex leaping and sprinting at high speeds across levels. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX should not be played fast and without care. Miracle World seems to want you to rush it, and I can see why people will speedrun this game, but new players should be patient.

Alex is an easy character to grasp. After five minutes of playing, you might feel like you have mastered the platforming style. Although I don't know why, I felt like Alex kept me on my toes and I was always learning new things. His jumps were often shorter than I expected or more than I expected. This made it even more important to avoid going back to the beginning of the level.

Alex Kidd wants you to be more efficient and take greater risks. I know I can do it with practice, but I don't think I can. A game that allows you to die three times and then go back to the beginning is an older style of gameplay many will find irritating. You can turn this feature off, which means you won't be pushed back at the beginning of the level. Each death will result in an additional checkpoint.

Although it may sound like sour grapes this is actually a problem with Miracle World's hit box. On several occasions I felt like I had escaped an enemy by just a few pixels. However, Alex transformed into an angel and ascended into heaven. Another time, I felt that I had passed through an enemy without dying. It didn't happen very often, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the game.

Another minor issue was the background art. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a faithful remake. Backgrounds have been updated, but they are still the same as the 1986 original. There was an instance when the background grass mixed with the foreground grass. It was difficult to tell where a platform ended because the blocks that make up foreground platforms had grass on them.

Alex Kidd from Miracle World was an 8-bit classic. It's great to see that the game is being remade to appeal to modern gamers. It works flawlessly as a remake. The gameplay is nearly unchanged from the Master System title. However, it has a new paint job and a updated soundtrack.

Miracle World DX will appeal to both fans of the original and those who love modern indie platformers. The game isn't as difficult as it used to feel when I was a kid, and even the most dedicated players can get through all 17 stages with no problem. It's still challenging, but it never becomes completely frustrating. Most players will find it to be a fun, enjoyable game.