Line #16 VideoGame/AlexKidd


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alexkidddx.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[RockPaperScissors Jan-Ken-Pon]]!]]
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4	''Alex Kidd'' was Creator/{{Sega}}'s former mascot, before Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog was created. He starred in six games, all of them created between 1986 and 1990, and has had several [[TheCameo cameo appearances]] since then.
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6	In the first game, ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'', Alex is established as the [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething prince]] of a land called Radaxian. His job is to save the land from an EvilOverlord known as Janken the Great and rescue the royal family. This quest involves him traveling around in typical PlatformGame fashion, but with the additions of finding coins to purchase items and playing RockPaperScissors with bosses in order to be allowed to move on.
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8	Most of the other games deviate from this storyline and [[GameplayRoulette feature different gameplay styles]]. Alex quietly faded away after the release of the original ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 Sonic The Hedgehog]]'', but he has had appearances in a few other games, including ''VideoGame/{{Segagaga}}'', ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sega Superstars Tennis]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing]]''.
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10	After 30 years of nothing but cameos and occasional crossover appearances, it was revealed in 2020 that Alex Kidd would be getting a new game during IGN's Summer of Gaming event, in the form of a remake of the first game known as ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX'', by the same studio that brought us ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 4''.
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12	The games that he starred in are as follows:
13	* ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' - Platform/SegaMasterSystem (1986)
14	* ''Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars'' - [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame Arcade]] (1986) and Master System (1989)
15	* ''Alex Kidd BMX Trial'' - Master System (1987, only in Japan)
16	* ''Alex Kidd: High-Tech World'' - Master System (1989)
17	* ''Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle'' - Platform/SegaGenesis (1989)
18	* ''Alex Kidd in VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} World'' - Master System (1990)
19	* ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX'' - Platform/{{Steam}}, Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS (2021)
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23	!!Tropes in the series include:
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25	* AbandonedMascot: Alex used to replace ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'''s Opa-Opa as a mascot. Later, Alex himself was replaced with Sonic come ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''.
26	* AchievementMockery: The [=PS3=] port of ''Miracle World'' has a trophy for losing rock-paper-scissors [[EpicFail even while using a Telepathy Ball]], and a trophy for running out of lives in Janken's dungeon with less than $400. Both trophies are named "Shameful" and "Tears of Regret" respectively.
27	* AdaptationExpansion: ''Miracle World DX'' adds [=NPCs=], slightly rewrites the story, gives Janken's henchmen distinct personalities (as well as puts their names [[AllThereInTheManual from the manual]] on screen for the first time), changes all boss battles, and even includes several new levels.
28	* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Alex Kidd was Sega's attempt at going toe to toe with Nintendo's [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] and acting as their mascot, but it never saw a speck of the plumber's success. Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog replaced Alex as this in light of the runaway success of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1.''
29	* TheArtifact: Two in ''Miracle World DX'':
30	** Despite the renaming of the character Saint Nurari to Master Nurari, the island where he lives is still called Island of Saint Nurari.
31	** Despite Mt. Kave no longer being the seventh level due to the addition of the Scorching Pathway, it still starts with a group of breakable blocks forming the digit "7".
32	* BearsAreBadNews: In ''Enchanted Castle'', a bear serves as the boss of Hiho Forest.
33	* BittersweetEnding: While the ending for ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' (as well as ''DX'') is mostly a happy one, [[spoiler:Alex knows he didn't completely eradicate the enemy forces, and on top of that, his missing father is still unaccounted for. ''DX'' turns it into a SequelHook by having Alex leave Radaxian to look for his father.]]
34	* BlindIdiotTranslation:
35	** The translation in ''Miracle World'' isn't as bad as many other games from the same period, but it's still not very good. The dialogue is rather awkwardly translated, and certain words and phrases are put in "quotation marks" for no readily apparent reason.
36	** ''High-Tech World'' is far more guilty in this department. Notably, at one point Alex happens across a fast food stand which sells "humbugers."
37	** In the Brazilian Portuguese menu for the ''Miracle World'' remake, "Resume game" was mistranslated as "Currículo do jogo", meaning "Game's ''Resumé''".
38	* BossRush:
39	** In the penultimate level of ''Shinobi World'' you have to re-fight two of the three bosses you faced in the previous levels.
40	** ''Miracle World DX'' has an unlockable Boss Rush mode for finishing the game. You fight Stone Head, Scissors Head, Paper Head, and finally Janken, in that order.
41	* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the Japanese version of ''Enchanted Castle'', the loser of a RockPaperScissors match would be [[ShamefulStrip stripped of their clothes]] (with appropriate SceneryCensor). For the international versions, this was changed to the loser [[AnvilOnHead getting crushed by a giant weight]].
42	* BuildLikeAnEgyptian: Pyramid, the fifth level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
43	* CharacterOverlap: Alex Kidd's brother Igul is the hero of ''Pit Pot'', a slightly earlier Sega game for Master System.
44	* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: Alex has trained in the "Shellcore" technique enabling him to alter the size and toughness of his fists through sheer willpower and enables him to shatter rocks with his bare fists. In ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle'', getting a Magic Ring upgrades it by allowing Alex to shoot a laser blast out, which will plow through several blocks at once.
45	* ChestMonster: TheGrimReaper randomly appears out of ? blocks, or if you touch a skull block.
46	* ClassicCheatCode: In ''Miracle World'', there's a Continue code in the game, but it's rather cryptic; If you lose all your lives and have over $800, hold Up on the D-Pad, and press Button 2 8 times, and the game will allow you to continue where you left off.
47	* ContinuingIsPainful: Continuing the game after running out of lives in ''Miracle World DX'' makes Alex lose all consumable items, all money and, worst of all, the Telepathy Ball if he has it.
48	* CoolBike: The Sukopako Motorcycle, which can be purchased in ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle'', and is Alex's vehicle in ''All-Stars Racing''.
49	* CostumeEvolution: In the original ''Miracle World'', Alex had a red and blue jumpsuit with white features. ''The Lost Stars'' added white stripes to the arms of the outfit. ''Enchanted Castle'' redesigned Alex with a yellow jumpsuit and a red vest, keeping the blue gem that the original outfit had. While Alex's early design was initially used in other media, the ''VideoGame/SegaSuperstars'' series would make his second design standard (albeit making the vest more apparent). The ''Miracle World DX'' remake redesigns the original outfit to include a yellow stripe down the middle and a yellow scarf and turns the blue boots into blue and white sneakers.
50	* {{Crossover}}: ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} World''.
51	* DamnYouMuscleMemory: In ''Miracle World'', the leftmost button (Button 1) is for jumping and the rightmost button (Button 2) is for attacking, rather than the other way around like most other platformers. The game's creator, Kotaro Hayashida admits in an [[http://sega.jp/archive/album/04_alex/03.html interview]] that he wanted to distinguish his game from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' by making the controls a bit different. The latter releases of the game (including the one built into the Master System II) swapped the controls around to a more familiar setup.
52	* DeadlyDroplets: ''The Lost Stars'' has blue droplets falling from the pipes that hurt Alex. ''Shinobi World'' has the same happening with lava from the ceiling.
53	* DeathMountain: Rock Mountain 1 and 2, the respective eighth and ninth levels of ''Enchanted Castle''.
54	* DependingOnTheArtist:
55	** Alex's ears have been inconsistently depicted as either regular-shaped and big, or pointy.
56	** Alex's [[SpikyHair hair spike]]: It was small but noticeable in ''Miracle World'' and ''Lost Stars'', removed in ''Enchanted Castle'' and brought back and made much more prominent in ''Miracle World DX''.
57	* DerivativeDifferentiation: While Alex Kidd was obviously patterned after Super Mario Bros., the designers took careful steps to ensure it was not a complete ripoff. Alex punches enemies instead of jumping on them, you use the 1 button to jump instead of 2 (the opposite of Mario's "B to Run, A to Jump" control scheme) and you can shop for items like Motorcycles and a mini-helicopter, and equip items on the pause screen. There aren't even standard bosses, you "fight" the bosses in a Rock, Paper, Scissors match at the end of certain levels.
58	* DistaffCounterpart: The arcade version of ''The Lost Stars'' features Alex's sister Stella, who acts as the second player character.
59	* DolledUpInstallment: Two in particular:
60	** ''High-Tech World'' was originally released in Japan as a game based on the children's manga ''Manga/AnmitsuHime''. All of the character designs were redrawn and the storyline was changed for the localization.
61	** ''Shinobi World'' was originally planned as an unrelated ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' spin-off titled ''[[WorkingTitle Shinobi Kid]]'', which was supposed to star a new protagonist. It also had at least one other difference (see TakeThat, below).
62	* EarlyGameHell: The first level of ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' is a vertical oriented one where you go down instead of left to right, and it is much harder than the rest of the game, especially if you're trying to get all the money bags.
63	* EnforcedPlug: At the end of ''Alex Kidd: High-Tech World'', Alex sits down at a Deluxe Type cabinet of ''VideoGame/OutRun''.
64	-->@@HEY! THESE SEGA GAMES ARE GREAT!@@
65	* ExcusePlot: Downplayed by ''Miracle World'', which does have a fairly generic plot of having to stop a bad guy and save the world, but also has characters dispensing various bits of backstory and world-building at points, giving it much more of a plot than most platformers of this era. ''Miracle World DX'' builds up on this. Played straight by the other games in the series, especially in ''High-Tech World'', where the goal of the game is literally to just go to an arcade and play games.
66	* FirstTown: Rookietown, the first level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
67	* GameplayRoulette: Out of the games in the series, only ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle'' are anything like each other. ''High Tech World'' switches from rudimentary adventure/puzzle to platforming/action gameplay partway through.
68	* GoshDangItToHeck: "Darn it, I lose." Said by any of the bosses when they lose a [[RockPaperScissors Janken match]] in the original version of ''Miracle World''.
69	* GreenHillZone: Prairie, the second level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
70	* GuideDangIt: ''Alex Kidd: High-Tech World'' is filled with puzzles with obscure or counterintuitive solutions, but the most infamous offender is a section where Alex needs to bypass a guard in village to continue his quest. All the apparent solutions turn out to be {{Red Herring}}s, the actual solutions involve [[TrialAndErrorGameplay talking to the right people at the right in-game time]], or praying ''100'' times in front of a shrine. Doing anything else will result in either running out of in-game time or getting arrested. Given that the game was originally based on an anime, it's somewhat plausible that a Japanese player could figure it out, but it is extremely unlikely that a Western player could intuit either solution thanks to the change in setting that strips all context that could hint toward this.
71	* HotBloodedSideburns: Alex has EightiesHair sideburns and is a spirited KidHero.
72	* HumanAliens: Alex looks like a human with unusally large ears.
73	* ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin: The story of Miracle World starts with Alex making his way back to his homeland after years of martial arts training, when he encounters a dying man, who informs him that his country is being invaded by Janken the Great and his minions, then hands him a map and a sunstone medallion before his last breath. The sunstone is eventually revealed to be one of two keys (the other being the moonstone that's in possession of Janken himself) needed to obtain the magical Golden Crown with the power to save the land.
74	* InconsistentDub: In addition to the issues with Alex's brother (Igul/Egle) and father (King Thunder/Sander/Thor), the name of the planet that Janken The Great comes from according to [[AllThereInTheManual the manual]] is given as "Janbarik", which becomes the setting for ''Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle''. However, the english version of ''Enchanted Castle'' gives the planet's name as ''Paperock'', [[LostInTranslation obscuring the reference]].
75	* InexplicableTreasureChests: Treasure chests are everywhere in ''Shinobi World'', waiting for Alex to open them.
76	* LethalLavaLand: Scorching Pathway, the seventh level in ''Miracle World DX''.
77	* LevelsTakeFlight: To the Sky..., the tenth level in ''Enchanted Castle'' involves Alex riding a helicopter through the sky and avoiding airborne enemies.
78	* TheLostWoods: Hiho Forest, the sixth level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
79	* LuckBasedMission: There are items in ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle'' that allow you to see your opponent's moves in a RockPaperScissors match, which help because you're pretty much lost without them. [[spoiler: (unless you know the patterns beforehand...)]]
80	* TheManBehindTheMan: The [[AllThereInTheManual manual]] for ''Enchanted Castle'' strongly implies that the game's villain, Ashra, was this to Janken the Great from the first game. [[spoiler:Which is evidently a case of LyingCreator, as the ending to the game reveals that he's actually just King Thor's servant and a BigBadWannabe with delusions of grandeur]].
81	* MoodWhiplash: The new backgrounds in ''Miracle World DX'' can starkly contrast in tone with the simple ones from the original version and the player can swap between them with the tap of a button.
82	* MythologyGag: The collectibles in the ''Miracle World DX'' remake range from callbacks/callforwards to other Alex Kidd games to [[ShoutOut shout-outs]] to other Sega properties.
83	* NoOntologicalInertia: Averted in ''Miracle World''. Killing Janken the Great doesn't really do anything to stop his forces or reverse his evil magic spells in of itself. Alex has to obtain the Golden Crown in order to fully restore Radaxian to how it once was [[spoiler:and the end crawl in the original and the cutscene in the remake mention the enemy forces not being completely defeated]].
84	* OddOrganUpTop: [[MiniBoss Stone-Head, Paper-Head, and Scissors-Head]] have hands making their respective RockPaperScissors gestures for heads.
85	* OminousFloatingCastle: Sky Castle, the eleventh and final level in ''Enchanted Castle'', where Ashra serves as the FinalBoss.
86	* OneHitPointWonder: In every game except ''Lost Stars'' and ''Shinobi World''.
87	* PlayableEpilogue: ''Miracle World'' has one with Cragg Lake, where Alex must retrieve the Radaxian Crown after having defeated Janken. It is still possible to lose in this level if the sequence from the stone tablet isn't followed correctly. [[spoiler:And then ''DX'' adds another new level after this.]]
88	* PointOfNoContinues: Don't rely too much on the continuous play feature in the arcade version of ''The Lost Stars''… because on some machines, it can cease to be available by the time you reach Round 5!
89	* PowerFist: Alex's trademark Shellcore technique allows him to punch with an enlarged fist, which can be used to destroy blocks. You can find or buy a Magic Ring for it that allows you to shoot laser blasts from your fists in ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle''.
90	* ProductPlacement: ''High-Tech World'' is about Alex going to an arcade to play Sega's games, and [[spoiler: the ending sees him sitting in an ''VideoGame/OutRun'' cabinet]].
91	* PutOnABus: After ''Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle'' flopped with critics and retail and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' made Sega realize the technicolor insectivore was their real answer to Mario, Alex Kidd was dropped as their mascot in favor of Sonic and permanently retired from the companies game line-up. Kidd has made the occasional cameo since then, but he is largely forgotten today.
92	* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Janken's three main henchmen: Gooseka, Chokkinna and Parplin. They're quirkier in the remake.
93	* {{Railroading}}: In the original ''Miracle World'' it is possible to finish Radaxian Castle without freeing Egle or picking up the letter to the King of Nibana, in which case upon meeting him, the king won't give Alex the stone tablet which might as well be required to finish the game. In ''DX'', Alex will refuse to advance past a certain point if Egle is not saved or he doesn't have the letter, musing he still has things to do before leaving.
94	* RockPaperScissors: This is how some of the [[BossBattle boss battles]] are fought in ''Miracle World'' and ''Enchanted Castle'', and in the latter game, it is required to win items as well.
95	* SatelliteLoveInterest: Alex's girlfriend in ''Shinobi World'' doesn't even have a name.
96	* ShaggyDogStory: Spoilers for ''Enchanted Castle'': [[spoiler: King Thor wasn't in danger at all, he was just visiting Paperock. Ashra wasn't keeping him imprisoned, he was King Thor's servant. Alex had risked his life to resolve a situation that would have cleared up on its own.]]
97	* ShiftingSandLand: Scorpion Desert, the fourth level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
98	* SirCameosALot: Alex hasn't had a new title for himself since the Mega Drive days. This doesn't stop him from appearing in several titles such as ''Segagaga'', ''Sega Superstars Tennis'', and ''Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing''.
99	* SkippableBoss: In the original version of ''Miracle World'', ''[[BigBad Janken]]'' can be skipped if you have the magic staff. Usually, you must defeat Janken before the ladder to the final room will drop down. Activating the magic staff allows you to float in the air for a short amount of time. If you activate it just before reaching Janken, you can float up to the ladder without ever having to face him. See it in action [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctNO3gg8Z1g&t=800s here]].
100	* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
101	** In ''Miracle World'', Alex's brother is named "Egle" in the manual, and "Igul" in the ending to the game itself. ''Pit Pot'' used "Igul" as well.
102	** Alex's dad gets it even worse off; In the manual his name is "King Thunder", the endgame scrolltext messes this up into "King Sander", and ''Enchanted Castle'' just gives up and names him "King Thor".
103	* TakenForGranite:
104	** In the original version of ''Miracle World'', losing a best of three game of RockPaperScissors results in Alex being turned to stone and losing a life. [[spoiler:Defeating Janken at the end of the game petrifies ''him''.]]
105	** In the ''DX'' remake, Alex encounters several petrified [=NPCs=] that are somehow still able to speak. On the other hand, everyone who can turn to stone in the original never does so in the remake.
106	* TakeThat: In prototype versions of ''Shinobi World'', the first boss was named Mari-oh and resembled [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros you-know-who]] combined with Ken-oh (the first boss of ''Shinobi''). He was later renamed Kabuto and his appearance changed, but he still shoots fireballs and shrinks when weakened.
107	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Alex Kidd is always seen eating a riceball in the in-between segments in ''Miracle World''. It was changed to a hamburger in the built-in versions in certain Master System consoles. The ''DX'' remake lets the player choose Alex's food of choice in the Options menu and adds Spanish omlettes and fish & chips to the list as well.
108	* UnderTheSea: Splashy Sea, the third level in ''Enchanted Castle''.
109	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: In ''Miracle World DX'',[[spoiler: the PlayableEpilogue is extended even more with a shmup level called "Homecoming", where Alex flies home in a small plane and shoots everything that moves. Thankfully, if the player has some experience with shmups, the level is easy to the point of being a glorified cutscene.]]
110	* VisualPun: In ''Miracle World DX'', Parplin mentions he is Janken's right hand. This is exactly what his head is shaped like.
111	* {{Wutai}}: The setting of ''High-Tech World''.

Context VideoGame / AlexKidd