AKI Man
Legend
The definitive Master System platform game (or of any genre really) until Sonic came along. The aim is very simple; you must travel the land of Radiaxan to save it from the evil rule of Janken the Great and his henchmen. Along the way Alex meets an array of people, each with information about his forgotten past or with a new mission to undertake. Instead of the left-to-right way of structuring levels that so many Master System platform games were accustomed to using at this point, Alex Kidd in Miracle World used less linear level design. The opening level has you make your way down through a mountain chasm to reach water, another has you flying a helicopter but if you hit an obstacle you plummet into the sea below and have to carry on from there. The castles later in the game are large with rooms full of traps, with shortcuts, secret areas, dead ends, all giving the feeling that you're not on rails, so to speak. This all helps to keep the game from getting repetitive and adds to the charm.
There are over 12 levels in the game, all varied in look, length and challenge. Some have boss battles at the end of them, usually it's a henchman of Janken the Great, and to defeat them you must win a Janken battle (rock, paper, scissors). In later levels they reappear with an attack pattern to cause you more grief even after winning the Janken battle. To help with the other boss battles and the trickier sections of levels are a nice variety of items to find or buy. The most common is a bracelet that allows Alex to fire a projectile from his hands that are far more effective than his punches, while others include invincibility, flight, unleashing a small army of mini-Alex's against enemies, a protective shield and extra lives. To buy them you have to enter Item shops at the beginning of certain levels, though some items can be found scattered around levels for free. To purchase them from a shop you need money which is also found throughout each level in the form of either small or large money bags. But 'power up' items aren't all that you can equip Alex with. A fun feature is the ability to use several different modes of transport on selected levels. The first you encounter is a motorcycle which allows you to finish the level in half the time and kill any enemies along the way by driving into them or landing on them. The second is a helicopter with short range firepower, handy for collecting money bags in the air and avoiding the ground hazards such as lava and fire. Lastly there's a speedboat which serves the same purpose as the motorcycle except obviously on water, and if you crash then the rest of the level is set under the sea that you were speeding over. Sometimes you have to pay for their use at Item shops, other times you start the level with them for free. They're great fun to use and do a great deal to give the game a faster pace than other Master System platform games.
That isn't to say Alex himself is slow, far from it. The controls and responsiveness are very smooth and spritely, never with slow down or moments where you feel he moves sluggishly. There can be problems stemming from this though when you're running and leaping around and get overconfident, resulting in a dip in the lava or a run in with an enemy. Still, lives are a plenty so the occasional careless death won't matter.
The graphics are simple but incredibly effective. Everything is bright and colourful, whether it's the levels, the backgrounds, the sprites or the presentation. The cartoon look and animation definitely gives the game a vibrant and lively feel to it. Most sprites are small, Alex included, but are nicely defined regardless. I can't fault this aspect of the game, it gets everything right and accomplishes just what it needs to.
Almost everything said for graphics can be carried forward to the sound too, they suit each other perfectly: cheerful, vibrant, catchy and memorable tunes fill each level. The sound effects are bold just like the music and graphics. The Master System's sound chip was put to good use here.
To make sure my fond memories of the game didn't cloud my judgment for this review, I went and played it again just an hour ago. I stand by my opinions of the graphics and sound but what I didn't expect is how easy the game now is. I remember being 11 years old and struggling through some parts of it yet loving how I'd get that little bit further each time, giving me incentive to play for hours on end. Over a decade later and I finished it in under an hour on my first attempt. I'm not sure if it's because I remembered every detail of the game or whether the difficulty curve is only suited for young kids, but people playing it for the first time the learning curve is still set nicely, and it's far from easy to complete whatever age you are. The castles towards the end of the game require excellent reflexes and seemingly pre-cognitive awareness. This brings my final rating down due to the longevity being in question. It is very re-playable despite being a short game, the various routes through some levels and the simplicity of the scoring system are just some of the reasons to play through it more than once.
A charming and colourful game with a respectable learning curve and which never gets dull. Run, jump and punch your way through over 12 levels to save the kingdom and its people. The game is always a pleasure thanks to good controls, excellent level design and fun items to pick up and use along the way. It can get frustrating nearer to the end due to some leaps of faith and some very tight spots but that's no reason no to enjoy the game. And where else can you find rock, paper, scissors in a video game?
