Alex Kidd in Miracle World
A 2D platform game featuring rock-paper-scissors battles.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a platform game from Sega, made for the Master System. It first came out in Japan on November 1, 1986, then in North America that December, and in Europe the following year. Later, many Master System and Master System II consoles had the game built in. A remake, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, launched on June 22, 2021, developed by Jankenteam and published by Merge Games.
The game is a 2D platformer where players guide Alex through 17 stages. These stages mix scrolling and single-screen areas, full of monsters, puzzles, and obstacles. Alex fights four henchmen of Janken the Great (Gooseka, Chokkina, Parplin, and Janken's final form) before facing Janken himself. His main move is a punch, used to smash enemies and break rocks to find new routes or collect money. That money buys items like motorbikes and helicopters. At the end of many stages, Alex plays jan-ken-pon (rock-paper-scissors) against one of Janken’s henchmen. Alex dies from a single hit or by losing a round of rock-paper-scissors. There’s no save feature, but at the Game Over screen, holding up on the directional pad and pressing button 2 eight times restarts the level with three new lives, costing 400 Baums (the in-game currency).
The story follows a young martial artist, Alex Kidd, who learns that the villain Janken the Great has turned King Thunder of Radaxian to stone (or caused him to go missing), kidnapped his son Prince Egle (or "Igul"), and taken Egle’s fiancée Princess Lora. Alex discovers he is King Thunder’s lost son and sets out to save the kingdom. He defeats Janken’s henchmen, collects items, and eventually turns Janken to stone. Alex retrieves the crown, and Prince Egle is crowned king, restoring Radaxian.
The game first came as a cartridge, but later many Master System and Master System II consoles had it built in, letting players skip the cartridge. From 1990, a slightly different version appeared in US, Australian, and European Master System II consoles, and in some Australian and European original Master Systems. Two changes: on the game map, Alex eats onigiri in the original (and the 2008 Wii Virtual Console port) but a hamburger in the built-in version; also, the original used button 2 to hit and button 1 to jump, but the built-in version swapped those controls.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Alex Kidd in Miracle World
- Developer
- Sega
- Designer
- Kotaro Hayashida
- Artist
- Rieko Kodama
- Programmer
- Papa Kouichi
- Composer
- Tokuhiko Uwabo
- Platforms
- Master System · Nintendo Switch
- Released
- Master System / JP · November 1, 1986 · NA · December 1986 · EU · 1987 Nintendo SwitchJP · February 21, 2019 · WW · March 28, 2019
- Genre
- Platform
- Series
- Alex Kidd
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a 2D platform game in which the player must finish levels and overcome obstacles and puzzles in both scrolling and single-screen environments. Throughout the 17 stages, Alex faces many monsters and the four henchmen of Janken the Great (Gooseka, Chokkina, Parplin, and Janken's final form), before facing Janken himself. Alex's punching ability is used to destroy enemies and to break rocks in order to access new paths and to collect items such as money, which can then be used to purchase other items including vehicles such as motorbikes and helicopters. At the end of many stages, Alex plays jan-ken-pon (rock-paper-scissors) with one of Janken's henchmen. Alex dies with one hit, or by losing a game of rock, paper, scissors. The game has no save system, but by holding the directional pad up and pressing the 2 button eight times at the Game Over screen, the player can restart the level with three new lives at a cost of 400 Baums.
Reader's Guide
Alex Kidd in Miracle World is significant as a flagship title for the Sega Master System, often considered Sega's answer to Nintendo's Mario franchise. Its critical acclaim is documented in contemporary and retrospective reviews: in 1987, French magazine Génération 4 gave the game a highly positive score; in 1991, Sega Pro magazine noted that with 'so much to do and so many different ways of doing it, this is one of those games you will keep coming back to even when you have finished it completely.' Computer and Video Games magazine in 1991 described the game as 'Sega's answer to Mario' and concluded that the 'absorbing gameplay will have you glued to your screen for hours on end.' In a 2008 retro review, IGN gave Alex Kidd a score of 9 out of 10 and an 'Editor's Choice' award, calling it 'an exceptional platformer with loads of action and some great puzzle-solving challenges' that 'still holds up remarkably well.' The game's legacy includes multiple re-releases: on the Wii Virtual Console in 2008, as part of Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd and Co. in 2012, on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback HD compilation, and a 2019 port by M2 under the Sega Ages label for the Nintendo Switch. A remake, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, was released in 2021, featuring new levels, new NPCs, alternate boss fights, and the ability to switch between modern and retro graphics.
Did You Know?
- The game originally began development in 1984 as a licensed tie-in based on the Dragon Ball manga series, but the license expired and the game was restarted from scratch.
- In the original version, Alex eats onigiri on the game map, while in the integrated version he eats a hamburger.
- The remake, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, was released on June 22, 2021, and includes a Classic Mode that is an upscaled Master System port of the original game.
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