Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Master System review)

Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1986

Alex Kidd in Miracle World is an action-platformer and the very first game in the fabled series.

There's 11 locations and your mission is to stop Janken the Great from taking over the city of Radactian. Initially you're only armed with a punch but along the way you'll find money around the levels or in breakable boxes; this can then be used in the Shop to buy power-ups like Bracelets that shoot projectiles and Capsules that form a barrier around you. These make the game a lot more enjoyable and it's satisfying when you get through a challenging area with greater ease. The controls take a bit of getting used to mainly because the jump and punch buttons are reversed. Alex is also quite slippery as his momentum carries him forward after a jump. There's tons of variety and you'll journey through underwater areas, caves, as well as castles. The latter are some of the most entertaining levels as you need to avoid traps and spikes, work out puzzles and rescue your friends. There's also sections where you use vehicles such as a Bike to plough through blocks, a Helicopter to fly or a Speedboat to collect money while shooting enemies. It's all really well done and doesn't feel tacked on. The great thing about the last two is that if you hit an enemy you don't die; instead you fall underwater and take on a completely different stage which is great for replayability. There are a few fun bosses (such as the floating head and a charging bull) where you need to learn their patterns and attack at the right moment. However, some require you to beat them at Rock, Paper, Scissors to advance; these are ridiculous as you need luck rather than skill! The music is catchy though and will stick in your head for days!

Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a charming action-platformer with deceptively deep gameplay. While it perhaps isn't as refined as Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES) it does have more variety in its locales and weapons which will keep you interested for repeated play-throughs.

Random trivia: Alex Kidd appeared in four other Master System games; BMX Trial (1987), High-Tech World (1987), The Lost Stars (1988) and Shinobi World (1990).

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars (Master System review)

Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1988

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars is a platform game that was first released in the Arcades in 1986.

It consists of seven levels and you must recover 12 Miracle Balls from the evil Ziggarat. The game shares many similarities with the Adventure Island series as a metre constantly depletes while you try to reach the level exit; if the metre runs out you lose a life. Making contact with an enemy or projectiles decreases it further but it can be topped up by collecting the SC items. Other items include the Jump Star which temporarily makes you jump higher and the Cloud Shot which allows you to fire at enemies. Each level is unique and they're a lot of fun to play. I especially love the Water World with its swimming mechanics and the Machine World for mixing in some variety with its travelators and moving platforms. There's a wide range of enemies throughout although some don't fit into the Alex Kidd universe, especially the rolling baby heads! At the end of each level is a boss; you have to reach the exit without touching it otherwise it will throw you back to the start of the screen and you'll lose precious seconds. I was disappointed in these as they don't have much imagination and come across as bland. To see the true ending you have to beat the game twice and the second time through is more difficult with new enemies. There's unlimited continues though and you start back on the same level. The graphics are good with lots of colour and decent size sprites but there is some flicker and the occasional slowdown. The music is awesome, as are the voice samples, but every time Alex takes a hit he performs the most annoying scream I've ever heard!

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars isn't as bad as some people claim but I'll admit it is a very jarring follow-up to Alex Kidd in Miracle World. While it's very different to its predecessor if you take it at face value it's still a really fun game and one that deserves more attention from platform fans.

Random trivia: The Arcade version has a co-op mode where the second player controls a female character called Stella.

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (Master System review)

Developer: Sega (AM7)
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is a platform game that was also released on the Sega Game Gear in 1991.

It consists of seven levels and you must rescue your nephews and reclaim the lucky dimes that were stolen by Magica De Spell. The stages are generic (such as Jungle, Fire and Ice) but the level design is really good with lots of variety. Stage 3 has a section where the ground becomes a steadily decreasing incline and you need to jump over obstacles while running at full speed. Stage 4 even features a dreaded disappearing block section similar to Mega Man 2! (1988, NES). As you'd expect you can jump to attack but you can also pick up a hammer and throwing discs; you can fire the latter upwards which makes defeating some bosses (particularly Stage 5's boss) much easier. A minor annoyance is that when an enemy drops an item it can only be collected once it hits the ground. Considering there are many times where you'll be bouncing on enemies between platforms there's many items that can't be collected and they just fall into the abyss. Initially I dismissed this game due to its harsh difficulty. This was mainly due to the controls as they're very stiff and there's a slight delay between pressing the button and Donald performing that action which results in many lost lives. However, the more I played the more the game won me over. The graphics are stunning with beautiful, fluid animation and tons of vibrant colours. The music is also excellent and really suits the mood of the game. The last stage is brutal though and if you've played Rick Dangerous (1989, home computers) you'll know to expect lots of trial and error and bottomless pits!

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is a tough game with awkward controls but there's still a lot of fun to be had. It's a quality platformer and as long as you're patient and work through the initial difficulty curve you'll find this to be a bit of a hidden gem in the Master System library.

Random trivia: The sequel to this game is called Deep Duck Trouble and it was released on the Master System and Game Gear in 1993.