Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Image
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Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews What's this?

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6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

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  • Summary: Since his first appearance in 1986 with Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the iconic Alex Kidd makes his return to smash rocks, collect coins and tackle bosses once again in Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX!

    Return The Kingdom of Radaxian to its former glory and destroy the evil Janken the Great!
    Since his first appearance in 1986 with Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the iconic Alex Kidd makes his return to smash rocks, collect coins and tackle bosses once again in Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX!

    Return The Kingdom of Radaxian to its former glory and destroy the evil Janken the Great!

    Comprising of all levels from the original title as well as brand new levels which expand the lore of Alex Kidd, experience Miracle World like you've never seen it before with new animations, graphical detail and gameplay improvements.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 31
  2. Negative: 2 out of 31
  1. Jun 22, 2021
    90
    Remakes of true classics are usually cause for some concern, particularly a game that’s almost 35 years old, but this is so much more than just an old game with a new skin. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX balances perfectly the updates an old game needs whilst still staying true to what made the original such a landmark title. The quirks of the gameplay are all still there, controlling just like the original, although with little tweaks that make the experience even better. The new levels fit so well, it’s pretty, and it sounds good to boot. If the developers could take on Alex Kidd in Shinobi World next that would be great, please and thank you.
  2. Jun 22, 2021
    77
    This is a great remaster of the original Master System game, which updates the graphics but not the gameplay. This will be great for fans of the original, but not so much for those who expected a game that looks and feels new.
  3. Jul 14, 2021
    75
    Affectionate remake of a classic jump & run. It has a few problems though and despite a “classic” mode the original is nowhere to be seen.
  4. 65
    Alex Kidd makes a return with mixed results. The aesthetic of Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is very eye-catching and can make it fun to watch being played by speedrunners or those familiar with the series. For those looking to have a more classic experience, the swappable color palette available in the main mode and the unlockable port are worth a look. The release is rounded out with a boss rush mode to serve up a challenging 2D platformer that’s worth a try before the game shows itself as a product of its time.
  5. Jul 10, 2021
    60
    In an audio and visual sense, this DX remaster is absolutely amazing. But when it comes to gameplay and core design, it is exactly the same as the original. In other words, Alex Kidd has aged poorly and when it comes to reintroducing it to the modern age, it requires much more than a facelift. Fans of the original may enjoy it being true to the first game, but in truth, it simply should have been improved much more when it comes to its ancient mechanics and gameplay design.
  6. Jun 27, 2021
    60
    Both true to its original foundation and distant in its changes, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is arguably not the remake fans of the character could hope for. Some will think the progression is out of date, and they won't be wrong, but the biggest problem is imprecise controls and collisions with enemies. With its very colorful production and quality musical themes, the experience remains correct, but less striking than expected.
  7. Jul 5, 2021
    30
    Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX made for some of the most irritating platforming I’ve experienced in some time. With its slippery controls, large enemy hitboxes, and weak player attack, it’s miserable to play through the game’s stages (unless you turn on infinite lives, which kind of makes the game feel pointless). Since its look doesn’t improve the game, and the core game itself isn’t much fun, I can’t see anyone enjoying it besides the folks who grew up with it. And I can’t even see them sticking around for long when there are so many better offerings in the genre these days.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Negative: 6 out of 17
  1. Jun 24, 2021
    10
    This was my favorite game when I was a kid and being able to play with improved graphics and songs is priceless. Thanks to the devs... You didThis was my favorite game when I was a kid and being able to play with improved graphics and songs is priceless. Thanks to the devs... You did a great job here. Expand
  2. Aug 29, 2021
    10
    An awesome remake! Pretty faithful to the original and graphically gorgeous. It includes new levels to expand it and still keeps theAn awesome remake! Pretty faithful to the original and graphically gorgeous. It includes new levels to expand it and still keeps the experience pretty challenging and hard. It's a new visual presentation to an old school experience. Expand
  3. Jul 5, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a return to ass kickingly hard retro gaming of the 1980s.

    Visually it's stunning, Alex, his friends and enemies are expressive and have a wonderful Saturday morning cartoon feel to them. The new music fits the overall upbeat and joyous nature of the adventure. If you don't enjoy the new graphics, with a simple push of the button you're returned to 1986 with the original graphical style and 8-bit versions of the new tracks.

    The devs clearly love the original dearly as it's absolutely stuffed full of references to the series history.
    For example, the Janken battles in the unlockable Boss Rush mode has an audience of animals which just so happens to be a callback to "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle"'s Janken houses who would have this audience watch you duke it out for items. Alex's brother Prince Egle has his magic hammer as a collectible item which is a direct reference to the 1985 game Pit Pot, in which Egle was a knight who must rescue his beloved. They've clearly done their research and are huge fans.
    It's honestly wonderful to see such legitimate love poured into a remake as this, and I get the feeling they'd leap at the chance to make more Alex Kidd titles given the chance.

    Unfortunately Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX isn't perfect, and part of that is due to JankenTeam's deep respect for the original title. Whilst Alex looks and sounds incredible, the physics and hitboxes are a little too true to the original as hit detection is an issue here.
    Strangely this isn't such an issue with the retro graphics, but the gorgeous modern visuals don't line up nearly as well between sprite and hitbox and with Alex dying in a single touch of his opponent this can lead to some frustration, especially to new players who perhaps are less used to such oldschool game mechanics.

    Aside from the hit detection being skewed however there's very little to actually dislike.

    Alex has a plethora of items which are rare but fun to use, and despite complaints to the contrary there are actually many quality of life additions such as invisible check points to prevent players having to start back from the beginning of the level if they should die. Even getting a game over no longer throws the player entirely out of the game and instead simply forces them back to the beginning of the level.

    The Janken battles have always been devisive but fortunately it's easy enough to get through these. The pattern is always the exact same and after fighting Gooseka, the very first opponent who performs this, Alex will come across an item in the next level that lets him read his opponents mind removing the chance element of the rock-paper-scissors battles entirely. I see a lot of reviews claiming the rock paper scissors matches are RNG, but it's really not. Gooseka will always throw scissors first followed by paper. Use rock followed by scissors and you'll win that fight 100% of the time without fail.

    As previously stated Alex Kidd is a one hit game, which means the player will die, a lot. Fortunately this is easily negated with the Infinite Lives option which makes the game far less of a headache, and allows pretty much everyone to overcome the difficulty with a little patience.

    Aside from the hitbox detection issues which I'd like to see get a patch for eventually, the other major issue for Miracle World DX is there isn't much to do after beating the main game.
    You have a boss rush mode which offers a real challenge, but the hit detection again ruins it from being perfect and a classic mode which is a recreated version of the original Alex Kidd in Miracle World title without DX's bells and whistles.

    Ultimately whether or not you'll find enjoyment in Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX comes down to you as a player. For the nostalgic fans who grew up with him, particularly in Europe and Australia where Alex was far more popular than he was in America, this is an absolute no brainer purchase... but for the easily frustrated or impatient gamers amongst you it's a tougher sell and it's entirely down to the hitbox detection issues.

    Overall I'd still recommend at least trying the game out due to the combination of obvious love poured in to the title and as a great way to test your platforming skills and finally give yourself a challenge.

    I personally had a great time with it and although it's short, it's amongst my favourite gaming experiences on 2021 and I can't wait to revisit and replay Miracle World again a few months down the line with fresh eyes.
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  4. Dec 17, 2021
    5
    Oh my do these retro reduxes give me mixed feelings. First, there’s no mistaking that the hand drawn animated look of the game is wonderfulOh my do these retro reduxes give me mixed feelings. First, there’s no mistaking that the hand drawn animated look of the game is wonderful and does a fabulous job of making the classic Sega Master System game look like it belongs on a modern system. Of course you’ll have the option to switch between the classic look and the new, depending on your tastes, and this sort of feature is always a bit fascinating as you ponder over what the process looks like to reskin such an old game so thoroughly. Unfortunately, while perhaps fans of the original game may appreciate the diligence in this modern redux completely buying into the original, warts and all, as someone who wasn’t a fan of it back in the day there’s no mistaking that the gameplay is troublesome at best. Alex, for all of his punching and sometimes powered-up fury, unfortunately has a horrible glass jaw and it feels like he dies if he’s even sneezed on. Mix this with some rules that you’ll simply need to accept for how things work in general, and while I’ll credit the series with absolutely having its own take on how to handle a platform action game I’m not a fan. The result is a game I felt more like I was meant to endure than enjoy and I’d warn you to be careful when considering this title unless you’re a massive fan of the original. Even then you may still be disappointed on your return to it.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/06/mini-reviews-june-22nd-edition-nintendo.html
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  5. Jun 29, 2021
    5
    Miracle World DX is Merge Games' attempt to polish a turd.

    Graphically it's a great remake that allows you to seamlessly switch on the fly
    Miracle World DX is Merge Games' attempt to polish a turd.

    Graphically it's a great remake that allows you to seamlessly switch on the fly between remastered and classic visual modes. Some of the remade audio tracks are also brilliant and go far beyond the original's score.

    Where the game falls apart is the gameplay. Miracle World DX is too faithful to the original's gameplay and is ball-bustingly difficult as a result. Alex dies if something so much as sneezes on him, platforming is floaty and imprecise as hell, Alex's punch has pathetically weak range, boss battles with Janken's henchmen are still determined totally by RNG, and the amount of lives Alex has is incredibly limited.

    If you play this game I'd advise turning infinite lives on, not that game overs are really that punishing anyway - they just send you to the beginning of the stage you were on.

    Classic Mode with all the bells, whistles & blemishes of the original should have been an extra mode.

    Instead the emphasis should have been on improving Alex's controls, adding actual boss fights instead of rock, paper scissors matches, allowing Alex to take some punishment before keeling over and dying, and removing all of the BS grim reaper pick-ups.
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  6. Dec 14, 2022
    4
    Alex Kidd may be a good remaster, but it is a terrible game. Although it is considered one of the best games of the Sega Master System, it isAlex Kidd may be a good remaster, but it is a terrible game. Although it is considered one of the best games of the Sega Master System, it is terribly outdated, and does not even compare to early Mario and Sonic. Alex Kidd is weak as hell, and his only attack is a very short punch, which will get you killed if the enemy runs into you first. Even the boss fights are luck based, and collecting items (the main gameplay) is a chore. For fans, it is possibly the best version of the game. For everyone who did not play the original, it is weak. Expand
  7. Jul 21, 2022
    0
    I used to always laugh when people used to say companies review their own games and I thought it was a bit pointless as other reviews willI used to always laugh when people used to say companies review their own games and I thought it was a bit pointless as other reviews will catch up. I have seen reviews here though that I just fail to believe. Improvements to graphics and sound? The sound is horrible. The worst. If the game was aimed at two year olds then great, but 2 year olds don't play games, they listen to Baby Shark, which I am sorry to say, **** all over this.

    Abysmal. You know when you see a young kid listening to nursery rhymes and you think what the hell. Why have they turned an upbeat nurseryrhyme in to the most sissified, unaudible pile of **** ever...? Well this is the video game version of that. It doesn't even look nice but that audio remake is a disaster. I would rather listen to Barbie Girl on repeat than listen to this rubbish. Thank God I played the demo.

    I used to have the original many years ago on Master System and I was 10 years old. That wasn't great but was better than this by a long stretch. Anything over 95% off in the sale and I would recommend steering clear. Even then, I'm sure the original is on PS Now. So you could pay £13 for a month of that and get about 700 games extra. 699 of which will be better.



    Oh and for good measure it didn't respond to the controls a few times too.
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See all 17 User Reviews