Published on: 02/07/2021

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Has A New Look

Alex Is Back

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a side-scrolling platformer remake of the ‘80s game by the same name. You control Alex, who is a young martial artist and son to King Thunder. He sets out to rescue the eloped Prince Egle and Princess Lora, who have just been kidnapped by Janken the Great. Throughout his travels, he’ll find various items that will lead you to the big baddy and restore order and peace to the city of Radaxian.

Miracle World Is Rough

As with the original game from the ‘80s, Alex Kidd is very difficult. Alex’s movement is hard to control and enemies are punishing. So much so that one touch will kill you. The majority of time you’re fighting the goofy henchmen and creatures, forcing you to either swing your fist or move to avoid any contact. The former can prove tricky as your swing is close to the chest, making your movement even more important. If you somehow get comfortable with those tenuous controls, then the boss fights may frustrate you more.

The method of battle to end-level bosses are left nearly entirely to chance with RoShamBo mechanics. So whereas grueling skill and effort is needed to progress through most of the game, the checkpoint sections (boss fights) are out of your control. Some minor game aspects have been added to make gameplay somewhat more forgiving. Running out of lives will simply restart you at the beginning of the level instead of at the beginning of the game, and some mini-boss sections have more modern ways of fighting that rely more on attack patterns than strictly reaction time.

The Old and New

The highlight of the game is the ability to switch between classic and modern midgame. Like other remake titles (Halo’s MCC), being able to switch from the old to new and vice versa at the touch of the button is a lot of fun. Seeing the solid blue sky backgrounds updated to mountains and clouds with sun rays makes you truly appreciate how far gaming has come. The bad guys have also become weirder with a fleshed-out art style to define their looks. In addition to visual updates, the sound effects and music have also been reworked for the better.

Electronic boops have been replaced with satisfying swooshes when using a melee attack. 8-bit tracks have been updated to musical arrangements. Other add-ins like some additional levels and dialogue changes are nice to see, though typos can be a bit distracting. Overall, if you’re a fan of Alex Kidd in Miracle World, you’ll likely appreciate this release. Otherwise,you’ll not likely enjoy the punishing gameplay or short playtime (if you enable unlimited lives).

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Written by Trevor Forrest.