Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX

 (Image Source: TheGamingOutsider.Com)

The series that proceeded Sonic is back, SEGA's first attempt at a mascot who fell to the wayside long ago is back with a remaster of the first game in the series, Alex Kid In Miracle World DX. I got the collector's edition because it looked fun but the game retails for 39.99 and to download it costs 19.99 and can be found on modern systems and PC. Is this a trip down memory lane worth taking? Let's fire up the PS4 because that is the version I played and find out. 

This game tasks you with playing as Alex Kidd, the chosen hero who must save his kingdom from evil invaders and enemies galore. The story is simple but this is retro game so I was not signing up narrative driven adventure, just old school platforming goodness. In terms of presentation this game is fantastic, the game has remastered music, and an amazing art style, the graphics are fantastic. The animations and graphics are incredible, this game looks and sounds great. The game also give you the option to swap between classic and modern graphics with music, at any point in the game. At the press of a button, no matter what whether platforming or even mid boss fight you can swap between the modern and original look. This is such a cool feature and was really fun to see the differences between the old and new graphics on the fly. The new music and graphics are incredible.

As you navigate stages you can jump, punch, and duck as you go start to finish, there are some vehicles and power ups to collect that are really nifty but the former is 85 percent of the game if not more/ The minute you go down, up or forward unless the stage is designed with back tracking in mind you are going forward, the game is like the first Super Mario Brothers game as in you only go forward and never back. You lose a life in one hit and if you lose them all you start the stage over. The game saves your progress from stage to stage and there is a hefty amount of checkpoints in a stage. Though there is an infinite lives mode to be activated but once it is turned on it can not be turned off until a new game, when you lose a life you lose all your money as well which makes getting items from a shop difficult at times when playing with the old school style in a mind. The game controls pretty well but Alex's jump is so large that precision platforming is a nightmare, and the vehicles break in one hit and are a tad floaty in precision based areas as well, but besides that this game works well. Hit detection can also be a tad off and with Alex losing a life in one hit that can be frustrating at times especially against bosses. 

I played in both styles and I enjoyed the infinite lives more. Losing a life in one hit, having a limit access to lives and getting sent all the way to the beginning of a stage from a boss is frustrating. Not to mention I would respawn with no money so I wouldn't even be able to visit the shop and get some items, because when I got money there would be no going back. There is an overabundance of instant death traps with very little reaction time in this game, so I highly recommend playing with the infinite lives on for at least your first playthrough, finish the game and you unlock more modes and the fun continues. With the infinite lives on I had a ton of fun, when the game over and getting sent back with no money element was removed this was a great time and helped offset this games flaws. The bosses were super easy when you learn them but an air of caution is still needed with losing lives in one hit, even with infinite lives from check points. The game is a tad on the short side so 40 dollars for the physical is a tad high for the asking price though it comes with a master system style manual and key chain. For that price I say digital on sale is a good price if you want some retro mode with some quality of life additions and extra modes. 

Overall I had a fun time but there were definitely some set backs in terms of control and length as well as playing without infinite lives. For those who want a retro style challenge then it is there, but for those who want a fun retro style adventure with some breathing room the infinite lives is a must. This game is good but not great, fun and short, but the presentation is fantastic. 

 (Great retro fun most of the time, with some set backs, short adventure but a fun one, some flaws hold it back from being great, amazing presentation)