Alex Kidd in Miracle World

"The built-in game from Sega's second Master System variation proves to be very good"

Alex Kidd. One of the original Sega mascots. If you do not remember these games, and you call yourself a Sega fan, you should be ashamed of yourself. These games are amongst the best on the earlier Sega consoles. Buy them if you can find them, trade for them, and even kill for them. With the exception of one title, I believe the Alex Kidd games rank in my favourite Sega first party games. The games are set around the story of the Prince of Raxadian, Alex Kidd. This particular adventure involves him clashing against Janken the Great, to save his homeland of Raxadian.

The way Sega made Alex Kidd famous was fairly sneaky. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was the built-in game in the Sega Master System's (Mark III) second variation, the Master System 2. Here in Australia, the Master System was a very popular machine, despite being completely over-run by the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Master System 2 came to strength in this country, because of it's ridiculously low price tag of $99 (at the time, this was $80 US (the days of the good exchange rate *weeps* we hit a recession two years later) and £50). By having a built in game, parents did not need to go and buy another game (they were cheap at the time too, SMS games ranged from $20 up to $70). In comparison, a Nintendo Entertainment System base console was $300 ($240US at the time, and £150), the more common set was nearly $400 (It came with 2 controllers, the Zapper and Super Mario/Duck Hunt), and games were $80 to $100. In a parent's eyes, they will usually buy what's cheapest. Video games were still in their infancy in Australia, after people pulled out after the '83 crash. Sega obviously saw this, and launched their attack on our market. One notable feature of Sega's campaign over here was that they learnt from their failure in America, and managed the console themselves.

T'was Christmas 1990, and I was on holidays at the Gold Coast. Summer Solstice. We had been playing arcade games the entire time we had been on holidays, and due to a depleted amount of money in his wallet, and the fact we were selling our holiday unit, my dad decided to buy a home console. Being a typical bandwagoner, my older brother wanted the Nintendo, because it had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game (the major fad at the time, look for a review of it soon (we eventually ended up with access to a NES). I didn't care, I still wanted to go back to the arcades and play Beast Busters (SNK (RIP), 1987). My dad had been around. His videogame hey-day was the beginning. He had decided on the Sega Master System, and after playing it and seeing its superiority over the NES, my brother wanted it too. Being 7, I didn’t care. We get back to the unit. Although being for Christmas, my dad lets my brother play the machine once, to see if it works. Dad had bought 3 games, mostly for himself (Rambo 3, Operation Wolf, and RC Grand Prix), but my brother ignored this, and played Alex Kidd. I saw this, and instantly become wrapped, despite not being able to play until Christmas morning. Come Christmas Day, my video game life truly came to existence (being playing arcade games since '86 as well as Atari, but I did not own either). 11 years later, I finally finished the game (I did fairly well suck, but finished much harder games than Alex Kidd), so I guess it's time I put it to the reviewing test.

Graphics: 8.0

Think the time of release. Compare it to an NES game. Wow, the graphics look better, and I paid a 1/3 of the price. The graphics of this game now look very simple, but they hold their own against games which would later see release on the 8-bit format. Nothing really to write home about, but everything looks a lot more polished in comparison to a NES game. For instance, compare it to Megaman, Alex Kidd looks a little more complex in his design, as his makeup is that of 6 colours, as opposed to Megaman's 4. It may not look like much on paper, but things are different in game.

Sound: 7.9

These sound effects are pretty funny. Being brought up on arcade games, I was used to being blown away by sound effects, not laughing at how silly they were. The music was very catchy, sometimes getting stuck in one's head, resulting it being hummed at school. The music, to this day, is still instantly recognisable to me (could be my super powered memory, but maybe not).

Story: 6.0

Pretty basic stuff. From what I can remember (thank Sega for a lack of instruction booklet), Janken and his three henchmen Rockhead (lol), Scissorhead (lol, he looks like a bunny rabbit), and Paperhead (lol, again), have taken the land of Radaxian hostage. The have kidnapped Alex's brother, Igor, and the King has mysteriously gone missing. Only Alex can save the day.

Gameplay: 8.5

Well, it's really standard platform fare here, but there are a few things that make the game unique. There are vehicles, a pedal helicopter, a speedboat and a motorcycle. Good Powerups, such as the ring that lets you shoot a fire bolt, and the Cane of Flight. Unique levels, such those which require swimming if you mess up your method of transport. Finally, the funniest feature I could see in the game is the method in which the bosses are fought. A simple game of Paper, Scissors, Rock. The best 2 out of 3 wins.

Lastability: 7.5

Depends on your ability in gaming. I am a self-proclaimed master, having finished nearly every game I own and nearly every game I have rented. But what really irked me was how easy I used to give up when I was younger. My dad promised me a new game if I'd finish it, and I still didn't. It wasn't until last week where I dusted the machine off, hooked it into the TV, and sat there until I finished it. 11 years it took me (:P). I'm sure it wouldn't take any of you people long, but I am a freaky gamer. The game is fairly easy, but some levels can prove very challenging.

Do I need to have this game in my collection?

Yes, it is a classic piece of Sega history. I am pretty sure it did see Card/Cartridge release for those of you who own the original model Master System, but for the rest of you, you should probably own it (I believe there was a further SMS2 release that had Sonic built in, but I think it may have had this built in too, contact me if you can clear this up).

Overall: 8.1

My friends say I am too strict, and that I should be handing out 9's left, right and centre, but I believe a game's rating truly needs to reflect it's quality. While this game is good, it's not great, and it's certainly not an absolute classic (A Sonic/Mario/Zelda). If you see it, buy it, as it's one of the better games on the system. Your chances of finding a copy, however, are very, very slim. You'd have more chance finding an SMS2, and that could prove cheaper.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/01, Updated 05/29/01