Alex Kidd is the latest series from Sega's 8- and 16-bit era to get the modern remastering treatment. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a redesign of the 8-bit Sega Master System platformer. The full game will be released on June 24, but we checked out a demo to see how things go.
The three levels included showed off the variety of gameplay at work in Miracle World. The main focus is on running and jumping off a familiar platform with lots of block breaking. Gold blocks reveal coins used to purchase items in the shop and power up items. A variety of enemies populate the landscape waiting to be hit or simply avoided, and many regular blocks can be destroyed or skipped.
Being a fairly simple and faithful recreation of a game from 1986, the gameplay here is very familiar to anyone who has played a side-scrolling platformer in the 30+ years. Granted, a lot has changed since then and Alex Kidd is more than happy to vividly show how things used to be. Alex, despite being a martial arts master, is also a one-hit killer. As it goes, he gets hit once and it kills him.
Unlike Mario, he also can't bounce off enemies to kill them, which seems bad at this point. What Alex can do is find (or buy) power-ups to give him an edge in this harsh and unforgiving world of miracles. Shields, Power Attacks, and other bonuses all provide a temporary benefit.
Some of these goodies are vehicles. The demo included two levels where Alex buys a ride. One is a motorbike that allows you to drive through enemies and jump obstacles. Another is a sort of helicopter balloon that turned the level into something akin to a shoot 'em up. What's interesting about these levels is that they're still platform-centric and getting the vehicle is optional.
Vehicles can also be destroyed, leaving Alex to run and jump the rest of the way. It's an interesting spark of creativity that still holds after all this time.
Another fun option is being able to switch between the original 8-bit version of the game and the new version at any time. Just press a button to see Alex in his original, pristine pixelated glory.
The new graphics, on the other hand, strike a remarkably good balance between the old days and modern technology. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is still very much in the 2D-pixel art style, but the modern palette of colors and high detail makes it look great. The gameplay itself is true to the original, with demanding and relentless jumping and attacking, multiple boss fights, and instant death throughout.
The DX version expands on the original game (which, incidentally, is in the Sega Ages collection on Switch) in some key ways. For one, this version will have new and expanded levels with more stories, enemies, and polished boss fights. There's also a new "Boss rush" mode for those who really like beating big angry things.
Much like the recent Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is shaping up to be a lovingly remade version of a game from a bygone era. Stay tuned for more.
