Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a visually gorgeous upgrade to a very rose-tinted release. While the flaws of the original game remain laid bare, Jankenteam accentuates the positives, reimagining one of console gaming’s earliest universes with stunning artwork, great animation, and a sophisticated score. New players will struggle with dated and baffling design choices, but those who hold tight the carefree afternoons of the Sega Master System will find a delightful trip down memory lane awaits.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a great looking remake of a terrible game. Level design is dated, bosses are completely luck based and all the hitboxes just feel off. There is a reason that Sonic took over as SEGA’s mascot because no remake can change the fact that Alex Kidd’s first adventure is incredibly frustrating and poorly designed.

We can't pretend this isn't a disappointment. After promises of updates and improvements to this classic title, what we've got is something that we'd honestly not recommend to either prospective new fans or enthusiasts of the original Alex Kidd. We're inclined to think this may have been something of a rushed release, but that's pure speculation based on some of the more lax features (there's a lot of new dialogue but almost all of it is awkwardly written, with typos and errors). Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is not horrible by any means, and you might have fun with it until you run up against its irritating issues - unless you use infinite lives, in which case you'll finish the game in two hours, tops. If this was supposed to be Alex Kidd's big comeback, we're sad to say that we don't think we'll be seeing that Alex Kidd: High-Tech World remake any time soon.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX from Merge Games and Jankenteam is a very niche product with very niche marketability. I imagine the game will be received well in territories where the Sega Master System held on to a longer life-span, such as Brazil and Europe. For the rest of the world though, there just isn’t enough here to bring Alex Kidd into the modern age.

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.

This could have been like a Sonic Mania, but for Alex Kidd; instead of a celebration of what made Alex so great, this feels like a eulogy of why he died. The original game is borderline a blank canvas for potential, almost anything could have been done. But other than the beautiful pixel art, it is the same.

A faithful remake of the original game updated with some new replayability features

A visually stunning remake botched by questionable design choices and awful controls.

The age in many 8-bit games is not hidden, so the Jankenteam team at least showed the way how a company can transfer an old and favorite title to today with an adorable audiovisual effect and traditional mechanisms, perhaps a little more traditional than

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a remastered take on the original Sega Master System game Alex Kidd in Miracle World which first released all the way back in 1986. The game tells the story of the small but strong titular hero, Alex Kidd on his quest to defend his world, Radaxian, and his people, from the evil forces of Janken the Great. Are you gonna help our hero restore order to the once peaceful land of Radaxian?