Ok, come on… you can do this, Mega… it’s just one more game, and you won’t have to worry about this stupid twat for a long time… deep breath... exhale... ok, HEY THERE! So, we have now come on to the final main installment in the Alex Kidd franchise, not counting the remake of the original or the BMX game that doesn’t exist. Not only that, but this last installment would be released for the Sega Master System this time and not for the Sega Genesis, because I guess Sega didn’t want to make any money at that point in time. And for this last hurrah for this forgotten mascot, we got ourselves… a crossover with Shinobi? Or, in actuality, it is a Shinobi game with Alex Kidd shoehorned into it.
See, this was originally supposed to be a Shinobi game that was made with a cutesy style, similar to that of Kid Dracula for Castlevania, or Wanpaku Graffiti for Splatterhouse. But, somewhere along in development, I guess they decided to put Alex Kidd in the main role instead. Somewhat of a weird choice, but then again, given how haphazardly this franchise was treated back when it was a thing, I am not really surprised. So, after this decision, we were then given Alex Kidd in Shinobi World.
Oh my god… I can’t believe it, guys… we’ve done it. I didn’t think it was possible, but we’ve done it! After five games, we have found an Alex Kidd game… that is ACTUALLY GOOD. EVERYTHING HAS GONE TOPSY-TURVEY! CATS AND DOGS ARE LIVING TOGETHER, WORLD PEACE HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN DECLARED, AND NINTENDO IS ACTUALLY TREATING THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH GENUINE RESPECT! IT IS ALL ABSOLUTE MADNESS!................... ok, but no, in all seriousness, this is actually a pretty good game. It may not be the most complex game of its time, and it once again shakes up the Alex Kidd formula (even though we really didn’t need it to be shaken up AGAIN), but for what we got here, I actually found myself to be enjoying it, and that is a blessing from the gods at this point.
The story is, yet again, your typical “guy saves girl” storyline, so the transformation of Alex Kidd into being just Sega’s Mario has been fully completed, the graphics are basically the same as every other Alex Kidd game on the Master System, so nothing to comment on there, the music is actually pretty good, but probably because it is Shinobi music and not Alex Kidd music, so that makes sense, the control is solid enough, even if climbing up poles and ropes could be awkward sometimes, and the gameplay is very simple, but again, it is a much needed improvement over the other Alex Kidd games, even if it yet again changes the formula.
The game pretty much plays exactly like a Shinobi game, where it is a 2D action platformer, where you go left to right through several stages, taking out plenty of enemies that stand in your way, gathering health items and powerups along the way, and taking on several bosses to reach your ultimate goal. Yes, it is pretty standard, and if this was just another Shinobi game, it probably wouldn’t be all that special, but for being an Alex Kidd game, it is a breath of fresh air compared to everything else, and the game itself was also pretty fun to play as well. It plays just as well as any of the other Shinobi games, and it is short enough to where you won’t be wasting your time on it. That may disappoint others, but I am much more of a fan of short and sweet games rather then long and tedious ones.
With that being said, if you are a fan of Alex Kidd, but not a fan of Shinobi, then there really isn’t that much for you here. It is just Shinobi: Starring Alex Kidd in the most literal sense, which some fans of Alex Kidd could like, but if you much prefer the gameplay of the other titles, then there isn’t that much here for you. In terms of the game itself though, I didn’t really have too many problems with it. I guess I could say it doesn’t really change things up in comparison to other Shinobi games, which is kinda lame, and in terms of the cutesy parody style that this game is going for, it doesn’t really do that much. Sure, it has that cute style to it, but other then the whacky bosses you face (with one of them literally just being a parody of Mario), there isn’t really any semblance of that kind of game here. Not to mention, there is a mini boss rush near the end of the game, but thankfully, it doesn’t last all that long, so it didn’t bother me that much.
Overall, while it really isn’t all that special of a game, not only is this a good Shinobi game, but it is a GREAT Alex Kidd game, and I now finally learned how to love Alex Kidd… just, you know, place him in a completely different game, and then you are all taken care of. I would recommend it for both Alex Kidd and Shinobi fans, as there is something there for both of these groups, and for those who just need a way to kill, like, 30 minutes of time. Now, with all that being done, I am finally done with Alex Kidd for a long time, and I am very happy about that, believe me……………………… I have to do it, don’t I? sigh, alright, fine, I’ll play the BMX game, but that won’t be for a long time. I wanna play some more good games until then.
Game #262
See, this was originally supposed to be a Shinobi game that was made with a cutesy style, similar to that of Kid Dracula for Castlevania, or Wanpaku Graffiti for Splatterhouse. But, somewhere along in development, I guess they decided to put Alex Kidd in the main role instead. Somewhat of a weird choice, but then again, given how haphazardly this franchise was treated back when it was a thing, I am not really surprised. So, after this decision, we were then given Alex Kidd in Shinobi World.
Oh my god… I can’t believe it, guys… we’ve done it. I didn’t think it was possible, but we’ve done it! After five games, we have found an Alex Kidd game… that is ACTUALLY GOOD. EVERYTHING HAS GONE TOPSY-TURVEY! CATS AND DOGS ARE LIVING TOGETHER, WORLD PEACE HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN DECLARED, AND NINTENDO IS ACTUALLY TREATING THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH GENUINE RESPECT! IT IS ALL ABSOLUTE MADNESS!................... ok, but no, in all seriousness, this is actually a pretty good game. It may not be the most complex game of its time, and it once again shakes up the Alex Kidd formula (even though we really didn’t need it to be shaken up AGAIN), but for what we got here, I actually found myself to be enjoying it, and that is a blessing from the gods at this point.
The story is, yet again, your typical “guy saves girl” storyline, so the transformation of Alex Kidd into being just Sega’s Mario has been fully completed, the graphics are basically the same as every other Alex Kidd game on the Master System, so nothing to comment on there, the music is actually pretty good, but probably because it is Shinobi music and not Alex Kidd music, so that makes sense, the control is solid enough, even if climbing up poles and ropes could be awkward sometimes, and the gameplay is very simple, but again, it is a much needed improvement over the other Alex Kidd games, even if it yet again changes the formula.
The game pretty much plays exactly like a Shinobi game, where it is a 2D action platformer, where you go left to right through several stages, taking out plenty of enemies that stand in your way, gathering health items and powerups along the way, and taking on several bosses to reach your ultimate goal. Yes, it is pretty standard, and if this was just another Shinobi game, it probably wouldn’t be all that special, but for being an Alex Kidd game, it is a breath of fresh air compared to everything else, and the game itself was also pretty fun to play as well. It plays just as well as any of the other Shinobi games, and it is short enough to where you won’t be wasting your time on it. That may disappoint others, but I am much more of a fan of short and sweet games rather then long and tedious ones.
With that being said, if you are a fan of Alex Kidd, but not a fan of Shinobi, then there really isn’t that much for you here. It is just Shinobi: Starring Alex Kidd in the most literal sense, which some fans of Alex Kidd could like, but if you much prefer the gameplay of the other titles, then there isn’t that much here for you. In terms of the game itself though, I didn’t really have too many problems with it. I guess I could say it doesn’t really change things up in comparison to other Shinobi games, which is kinda lame, and in terms of the cutesy parody style that this game is going for, it doesn’t really do that much. Sure, it has that cute style to it, but other then the whacky bosses you face (with one of them literally just being a parody of Mario), there isn’t really any semblance of that kind of game here. Not to mention, there is a mini boss rush near the end of the game, but thankfully, it doesn’t last all that long, so it didn’t bother me that much.
Overall, while it really isn’t all that special of a game, not only is this a good Shinobi game, but it is a GREAT Alex Kidd game, and I now finally learned how to love Alex Kidd… just, you know, place him in a completely different game, and then you are all taken care of. I would recommend it for both Alex Kidd and Shinobi fans, as there is something there for both of these groups, and for those who just need a way to kill, like, 30 minutes of time. Now, with all that being done, I am finally done with Alex Kidd for a long time, and I am very happy about that, believe me……………………… I have to do it, don’t I? sigh, alright, fine, I’ll play the BMX game, but that won’t be for a long time. I wanna play some more good games until then.
Game #262