A worthy remake? Yes, I Kidd you not…
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!
I never actually played Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the only game I played was the Mega Drive/Genesis entry “Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle” which was still a tough as nails platformer that I never managed to finish. Miracle World is perhaps one of the toughest platformers I have played, but it is doable thanks to the DX addition of infinite lives, but it will disable the completion trophy for players…
The only benefit to this is that you can practise as much as you want, learning enemy patterns and layouts of levels before tackling it on without it. I can’t see myself doing that as even with infinite lives, it still took me a good amount of time to finish thanks to some incredibly evil game design that made me reminisce about that underwater section in the NES TMNT game…
The DX version has a new look to it that is charming and funny when you switch to the classic style at a touch of a button. I enjoyed the new look but found some sections easier to play with the old visuals, I’m not sure why that was, maybe it was just me.
The premise of the game is of course to reach the end of the levels, but the boss fights always end begin with a Rock, Paper, Scissor game that you must win to prevail. Later on, you need to do this and beat them in combat, which can also be brutal until you learn their attack patterns. The bosses are nicely varied in their combat style, so adjusting to each will take some patience. If you manage to overcome the tough game, you can also take on the Boss Rush mode which will push you to your limits.
The Verdict
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a good throwback to the age of tough as nails platformers with a nice new look to it, but also the original for those who prefer the classic look. The additional content is also well done and I hope we get the rest of the series in DX versions now…