This Week in Defunct Games - February 2, 2010

What Is It? I've always had mixed feelings about Alex Kidd. While I have enjoyed a few of his adventures, none of them are as memorable as most other classic platformers. Let's face reality here, there's a reason everybody remembers Sonic the Hedgehog and not Alex Kidd. He's a fairly bland character who exists in a world with terrible art direction and no sense of style. But for one game Alex Kidd becomes the hero I have always wanted. Well, actually, he becomes the hero of another, better Sega franchise. This is Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, a mash up that combines the platforming action of Alex Kidd with the martial arts of Shinobi.

The good news is that these strange bedfellows make an incredible action game, easily the best of the Alex Kidd sequels. You play Alex the Ninja, a sword-carrying master of his domain. He fights through four different levels (each with two sub-levels and a Shinobi-influenced boss battle) using his sword and a powerful throwing device (which he can pick up throughout each level). It's like most platformers, only with more of a violent tint to it. With the possible exception of the swimming levels, most of the stages feel like they are straight out of a Shinobi game. Only instead of gritty graphics, everything has been redrawn to resemble a carefree platformer. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.

Does It Still Hold Up? There are definitely moments in the game where I was acutely aware that this is an 8-bit Master System game. Beyond the graphics, some of the gameplay doesn't hold up well. The sword is too short and wall jumping can be a real nightmare sometimes. Still, the general platforming feels strong and once you get the hang of the controls you won't have too much trouble playing all the way through it. Even with an outdated control scheme, I would say that Alex Kidd in Shinobi World holds up surprisingly well.

Is It Worth The Money? As a huge Shinobi fan, I was happy to see that Alex Kidd didn't make a mess of the place. The game is short and a bit on the easy side, but that shouldn't keep you from having a good time playing through this enjoyable platformer. Five dollars is not too much to ask for what turns out to be Alex Kidd's greatest adventure.