Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Master System It later got a remake on the latest platforms titled Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. This was Alex Kidd's first installment. Alex Kidd was Sega's mascot before Sonic.

Plot
Janken the Great has turned the residents of Miracle World otherwise known as Planet Aries into stone. Alex Kidd was separated from his family at birth and grew up learning the martial art of Shellcore that makes his fist enlarge and destroy rocks. Alex Kidd eventually encounters a dying old man who gives Alex Kidd a map to the Radaxian Kingdom and tells Alex Kidd the truth of his origins.

Why It's A Miracle!

 * 1) The gameplay is nailed, Alex Kidd controls pretty nicely.
 * 2) Great level design, once you memorize it, you feel like a pro.
 * 3) If you buy stuff from the store, you don't need to play rock paper scissors. Unlike the Sega Genesis sequel of course.
 * 4) Speaking of which, the boss battles where you play Janken (Rock Paper Scissors) with are Janken the Great's henchmen.
 * 5) Nice aesthetic and colorful graphics.
 * 6) Interesting plot that gives reason for Alex to do what he does.
 * 7) The dialogue is a neat addition, It is a way to tell Alex Kidd's story.
 * 8) Nice items. The Motorcycle/Boat can maul through enemies, the Copter can let Alex hover through the air, the Power Bracelet shoots beams that easily defeats enemies, etc.
 * 9) The game does give a nice little challenge, players can see if they can make it through a level with the Copter without touching the water.
 * 10) Unlike his mascot successor, Alex Kidd has the ability to swim in water and he can’t drown.
 * 11) While Alex Kidd wasn’t that popular in Japan and North America, it was a huge success in Europe, where Sega reigned supreme over Nintendo, and was a hugely influential title there and you can see the mark that Alex Kidd left in plenty of 16-bit European platformers
 * 12) The Japanese box art is very colorful and parallels Super Mario Bros.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Some parts are infuriating, as the underwater spikes in Janken's lair.
 * 2) Some bosses feel too easy.
 * 3) Just like Super Mario Bros, the underwater levels are annoying.
 * 4) While most of the items are good, the Wand that makes you levitate feels rather pointless.
 * 5) The terrible USA/Europe box art that is on par with Mega Man.

Trivia

 * Alex Kidd in Miracle World began as a Dragon Ball adaptation, but Sega lost the license to Dragon Ball, so they had to make its own original thing and people began seeing it as Sega's answer to Super Mario Bros., to the point where many North Americans began to see Alex as a simple knock-off of Nintendo's mascot. In 1990, after realizing that Alex Kidd was too similar to Mario, Sega decided to give Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima the task of creating a new mascot for the company that would not only compete with Mario, but also boost the sales of their new console, the Sega Genesis and make Sega a much more recognizable company. In 1991, Sega introduced Sonic the Hedgehog, and Alex Kidd was put on hiatus for 31 years until the release of Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, a remake of the original game for modern platforms.
 * In the Nintendo Switch SEGA AGES release, there is a cheat sheet for the Janken matches in the game's wallpaper.

Videos
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