Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Encyclopedia
is a platform game
for the 8-bit
Sega Master System
video game console
. It was first released in Japan
on Saturday, November 1, 1986, and then was distributed to Europe, Australia and the United States in 1987. It was arguably the most recognised game in the Alex Kidd
series, partly due to it being built into most Master System II consoles.
It is the first game in the Alex Kidd series created for this character, and the most popular of all Alex Kidd games.
Alex Kidd is the only playable character in the game. His primary skill is punching, which he can use to attack enemies, break certain types of rocks to open blocks, and access new areas and collect money. Breaking or stepping on certain blocks releases an evil spirit that will try to kill Alex; others unlock a great ability to jump. The game requires more than the player's ability to accomplish specific phases. Any money Alex collects can be used to purchase items such as motorbikes and "peticopters" (small pedal-powered helicopters). At the end of certain levels, Alex must face one of Janken's henchmen in a game of jan-ken-pon (rock, paper, scissors
).
The game consists of 17 stages, some of them with a strong atmosphere that differs from the rest. At the end of some stages, Alex Kidd has to face a Big Boss, whom he has to defeat by winning the best of three games of rock-paper-scissors (Jan-ken-pon in Japanese). To finish a stage, Alex Kidd has to grab a food object at the end of each stage. Alex can take only one hit before he dies. Alex Kidd in Miracle World does not have a battery save option or password system, meaning that when all of Alex's lives are gone the game is over. However, the game did have an undocumented "continue" feature, where the player could continue the game with three lives from the beginning of the level where Alex had died, by holding the up button and pressing the 2 button eight times during the GAME OVER screen. This feature would cost the player 400 Baums (the in-game currency).
The game was built directly into the Sega Master System II, enabling play right out of the box without the need to plug in any cartridge.
Many of the citizens are turned to stone through Janken's magic. Alex Kidd learns from a dying man that he is in fact a lost member of the Radaxian Royal Family, son of King Thunder and brother of Prince Egle. Alex sets out to discover the whereabouts of his father, rescue his brother, restore the kingdom, and destroy the monstrous minions of Janken. He must discover numerous magical artifacts and medallions to progress in the story.
After defeating Gooseka, Alex Kidd is on the island of Saint Nurari. He discovers that he is the prince of Radaxian, but when he was younger, was kidnapped by an evil Lord, and that now his hometown is being ruled by the tyrant Janken The Great. Alex then goes to the people of the village of Namui, where a man says that Alex's twin brother, Egle, is imprisoned in the castle of Radaxian. Then Alex goes to the castle Radaxian, beating Chokkina and Parplin on the way. In the castle, Alex rescues his brother who tells him he must find a personal letter from the Kingdom of Niban in a room of the castle, and the Medallion of the Moonlight, which is located in the Kingdom of Niban. Alex picks up the letter from the castle; to leave it, he must defeat Gooseka one last time.
Alex goes to the city where he defeats Chokkina definitively. After that, he moves into the realm of Niban, where he speaks with his Royal Highness Stone. Alex communicates that the Medallion of the Moonlight has been stolen, begging to be transported to Lake Rocks, where the Golden Crown is found, giving the stone to Hirotta. Alex goes to the castle of Janken, definitively defeating Parplin. In the castle is Janken, whom Alex must defeat to get the Medallion of the Moonlight. Janken offers to surrender if Alex can defeat him in a game of jan-ken-pon, but when Alex does so, Janken goes back on his word and attacks Alex. A battle between them ensues, and Alex is victorious as Janken's magic backfires, killing him and transforming him into a statue. After that, Alex finds Princess Lora, who says Alex's mother Patricia is in good hands, and that Alex must obtain the Gold Crown in order to reverse the effects of Janken's magic and banish his forces. Alex leaves for the Lake of the Rocks, where, after deciphering the stone Hirotta introduced, finds the Gold Crown, ending the game.
After Alex takes the Gold Crown, the game explains that Alex restores peace to Radaxian, and that the people who were turned to stone by Janken have returned to normal. In the city, Egle is crowned King of Radaxian, and Alex Kidd, with his martial arts, takes the position of Defender of the City, although his next goal will be to find his father, King Thunder.
) and a year later in the U.S. to great success, much of it due to the release of the video game Super Mario Bros, the first game created specifically for a home console.
Since Sega had failed to take 5% of the Japanese market, it was decided to rename and sell the "Mark III" in the West as the "Master System". More technically advanced than Nintendo's NES, the Master System never reached the same level of popularity in places like the U.S (selling only 125,000 MS consoles in four months compared to two million NES consoles), but in other markets such as Europe and Australia, the Master System's sales fared better. This was the situation when Alex Kidd in Miracle World was released. This game (along with Wonder Boy
) was meant to be Sega's answer to Super Mario Bros.
, but until Naoto Ōshima created Sonic The Hedgehog (Yuji Naka
and others), Sega was unable to compete with Shigeru Miyamoto
's creation. Eventually Alex Kidd was dropped as the company's mascot, in favor of Sonic The Hedgehog.
gave Alex Kidd a 9/10 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 has an average press score of 9/10 on GameStats, based on 6 professional reviews, making it the highest-scoring game for the Master System. The review website "Honest Gamers" awarded the title a 9/10, complimenting its "inimitable" music, "innovative" use of different items, and balanced level of difficulty. However, the sequels are considered by many critics to be of a much lower quality.
s. From 1990 onwards a slightly different version was integrated into the US, Australian and European versions of the Master System 2 and also some Australian and European versions of the Master System 1. There were two differences, first when changing targets in the game map, Alex is shown eating onigiri
in the original version (and the 2008 Wii Virtual Console port), and a hamburger
in the integrated version. The original version used button 2 to hit and button 1 to jump. These controls were considered unnatural by many players, and were inverted in the integrated version.
is the fifth title in the Alex Kidd
series and arguably a sequel to Miracle World. It was launched in Europe
in 1990 for the 16-bit console Sega Mega Drive (A.K.A "Sega Genesis"). The game continues the story of its predecessor, since it begins with Egle, the brother of Alex Kidd, ruling the planet Aries. Alex hears rumors that his father, King Thor, is being held prisoner by Ashra, the governor of Paperock Planet, so Alex embarks on a quest to rescue him. Although the parties still maintain that rock-paper-scissors is the game played to destroy a leader, there are also betting booths (called Janken Houses) in which to play that game. If Alex wins, he takes the object being placed as collateral for the bet. As compared to the original game, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle has higher definition graphics, more detailed game scenarios, and the main character is larger. However, the game has only eleven stages, six less than in Miracle World.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
for the 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was first released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on Saturday, November 1, 1986, and then was distributed to Europe, Australia and the United States in 1987. It was arguably the most recognised game in the Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd
is a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
series, partly due to it being built into most Master System II consoles.
It is the first game in the Alex Kidd series created for this character, and the most popular of all Alex Kidd games.
Gameplay
Alex Kidd in Miracle World is primarily a platform game, which also incorporates strategy and roleplaying. The player must finish levels and overcome obstacles and scenarios in a 2D atmosphere. Throughout the eleven stages of Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd faces many monsters, plus the three henchmen of Janken the Great, before facing Janken himself.Alex Kidd is the only playable character in the game. His primary skill is punching, which he can use to attack enemies, break certain types of rocks to open blocks, and access new areas and collect money. Breaking or stepping on certain blocks releases an evil spirit that will try to kill Alex; others unlock a great ability to jump. The game requires more than the player's ability to accomplish specific phases. Any money Alex collects can be used to purchase items such as motorbikes and "peticopters" (small pedal-powered helicopters). At the end of certain levels, Alex must face one of Janken's henchmen in a game of jan-ken-pon (rock, paper, scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
).
The game consists of 17 stages, some of them with a strong atmosphere that differs from the rest. At the end of some stages, Alex Kidd has to face a Big Boss, whom he has to defeat by winning the best of three games of rock-paper-scissors (Jan-ken-pon in Japanese). To finish a stage, Alex Kidd has to grab a food object at the end of each stage. Alex can take only one hit before he dies. Alex Kidd in Miracle World does not have a battery save option or password system, meaning that when all of Alex's lives are gone the game is over. However, the game did have an undocumented "continue" feature, where the player could continue the game with three lives from the beginning of the level where Alex had died, by holding the up button and pressing the 2 button eight times during the GAME OVER screen. This feature would cost the player 400 Baums (the in-game currency).
The game was built directly into the Sega Master System II, enabling play right out of the box without the need to plug in any cartridge.
Characters and setting
Alex Kidd in Miracle World takes place in the fantasy world, known as Miracle World. The story focuses on the protagonist Alex Kidd in his search for his long lost brother Prince Egle who was captured by the antagonist of the game, the evil tyrant called Janken the Great, he has taken over the peaceful land of Radaxian.Plot
Many centuries ago, on the planet Aries (known as "Miracle World"), there lived a boy named Alex Kidd, for seven years alone on Mount Eternal, where he studied and trained in the Shellcore technique, an ancient art that makes one strong enough to break rocks into pieces. This technique enables an Arian to alter the size and toughness of his fists through sheer willpower, and enables one to shatter rocks with one's bare fists. One day as he was leaving the mountain for his spiritual homeland, Alex encountered a dying man who told him that the peaceful city of Radactian was in grave danger, and who gave Alex a map and a medallion. After the disappearance of King Thunder of Radactian, Alex finds out that his first defeat was at the hands of Janken The Great, ruler over the planet Janbarik. Janken kidnaps the heir to the throne, Prince Egle (sometimes referred to as "Igul"), and his fiancée Princess Lora.Many of the citizens are turned to stone through Janken's magic. Alex Kidd learns from a dying man that he is in fact a lost member of the Radaxian Royal Family, son of King Thunder and brother of Prince Egle. Alex sets out to discover the whereabouts of his father, rescue his brother, restore the kingdom, and destroy the monstrous minions of Janken. He must discover numerous magical artifacts and medallions to progress in the story.
After defeating Gooseka, Alex Kidd is on the island of Saint Nurari. He discovers that he is the prince of Radaxian, but when he was younger, was kidnapped by an evil Lord, and that now his hometown is being ruled by the tyrant Janken The Great. Alex then goes to the people of the village of Namui, where a man says that Alex's twin brother, Egle, is imprisoned in the castle of Radaxian. Then Alex goes to the castle Radaxian, beating Chokkina and Parplin on the way. In the castle, Alex rescues his brother who tells him he must find a personal letter from the Kingdom of Niban in a room of the castle, and the Medallion of the Moonlight, which is located in the Kingdom of Niban. Alex picks up the letter from the castle; to leave it, he must defeat Gooseka one last time.
Alex goes to the city where he defeats Chokkina definitively. After that, he moves into the realm of Niban, where he speaks with his Royal Highness Stone. Alex communicates that the Medallion of the Moonlight has been stolen, begging to be transported to Lake Rocks, where the Golden Crown is found, giving the stone to Hirotta. Alex goes to the castle of Janken, definitively defeating Parplin. In the castle is Janken, whom Alex must defeat to get the Medallion of the Moonlight. Janken offers to surrender if Alex can defeat him in a game of jan-ken-pon, but when Alex does so, Janken goes back on his word and attacks Alex. A battle between them ensues, and Alex is victorious as Janken's magic backfires, killing him and transforming him into a statue. After that, Alex finds Princess Lora, who says Alex's mother Patricia is in good hands, and that Alex must obtain the Gold Crown in order to reverse the effects of Janken's magic and banish his forces. Alex leaves for the Lake of the Rocks, where, after deciphering the stone Hirotta introduced, finds the Gold Crown, ending the game.
After Alex takes the Gold Crown, the game explains that Alex restores peace to Radaxian, and that the people who were turned to stone by Janken have returned to normal. In the city, Egle is crowned King of Radaxian, and Alex Kidd, with his martial arts, takes the position of Defender of the City, although his next goal will be to find his father, King Thunder.
Development
In 1984, Nintendo Japan launched the Famicom (known in the West as the NESNes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
) and a year later in the U.S. to great success, much of it due to the release of the video game Super Mario Bros, the first game created specifically for a home console.
Since Sega had failed to take 5% of the Japanese market, it was decided to rename and sell the "Mark III" in the West as the "Master System". More technically advanced than Nintendo's NES, the Master System never reached the same level of popularity in places like the U.S (selling only 125,000 MS consoles in four months compared to two million NES consoles), but in other markets such as Europe and Australia, the Master System's sales fared better. This was the situation when Alex Kidd in Miracle World was released. This game (along with Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
) was meant to be Sega's answer to Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, but until Naoto Ōshima created Sonic The Hedgehog (Yuji Naka
Yuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
and others), Sega was unable to compete with Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
's creation. Eventually Alex Kidd was dropped as the company's mascot, in favor of Sonic The Hedgehog.
Reception
In a retro review, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave Alex Kidd a 9/10 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 has an average press score of 9/10 on GameStats, based on 6 professional reviews, making it the highest-scoring game for the Master System. The review website "Honest Gamers" awarded the title a 9/10, complimenting its "inimitable" music, "innovative" use of different items, and balanced level of difficulty. However, the sequels are considered by many critics to be of a much lower quality.
Versions
The game was originally only available in cartridgeROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
s. From 1990 onwards a slightly different version was integrated into the US, Australian and European versions of the Master System 2 and also some Australian and European versions of the Master System 1. There were two differences, first when changing targets in the game map, Alex is shown eating onigiri
Onigiri
, also known as or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative...
in the original version (and the 2008 Wii Virtual Console port), and a hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
in the integrated version. The original version used button 2 to hit and button 1 to jump. These controls were considered unnatural by many players, and were inverted in the integrated version.
Sequel
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted CastleAlex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis video game console. The game was released in Japan in February 1989, North and South America in August 1989 and in Europe on November 1990...
is the fifth title in the Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd
is a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
series and arguably a sequel to Miracle World. It was launched in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1990 for the 16-bit console Sega Mega Drive (A.K.A "Sega Genesis"). The game continues the story of its predecessor, since it begins with Egle, the brother of Alex Kidd, ruling the planet Aries. Alex hears rumors that his father, King Thor, is being held prisoner by Ashra, the governor of Paperock Planet, so Alex embarks on a quest to rescue him. Although the parties still maintain that rock-paper-scissors is the game played to destroy a leader, there are also betting booths (called Janken Houses) in which to play that game. If Alex wins, he takes the object being placed as collateral for the bet. As compared to the original game, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle has higher definition graphics, more detailed game scenarios, and the main character is larger. However, the game has only eleven stages, six less than in Miracle World.
External links
- SEGA of Japan Archive - Alex Kidd in Miracle World (in Japanese).