Nerdicus Genesis Review #10 : Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Title : Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Publisher : Sega

Genre : Platform

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$8

Don't get me wrong. I love playing rock, paper, scissors, especially when you add TNT into the mix. I mean it's a game we all grew up playing. But, how the heck do you come up with an entire video game based upon the concept of rock, paper, scissors. Well, that's what Sega did. Whatever they were smoking, I'll have some of it.

You take on the role of Alex Kidd in the kingdom of Paperock in search of his father King Thor. Throughout your journey, you'll find a slew of helpful items to help you on your quest including a motorbike and a pogo stick. You seriously can't leave home without your pogo stick. But the real kicker in this game is how you get these items.

Why, by beating your enemies in rock, paper, scissors of course. So here we go folks, a typical platformer, with the added bonus of a rock, paper, scissors as a little side game. I can't wait.......

So here we go, on our way to find King Thor. The idea remains the same as every other platformer we've played through so far. Obnoxious jumps that sometimes impossible to make, and avoiding enemies at all cost. It's a one hit death deal in this game, and you know how much I love those. Defeating enemies (either by punching them in the face, what a violent kid, or using your collected weapons) will grant you gold pieces to help you buy more items to help you out.

The weirdest part of the game is the whole rock, paper, scissors aspect. I know it's supposed to be some sort of mini-game, but really, why? I don't get it. I guess it's just the gimmick of the game, who knows.

I don't want to talk to much about this game, as there is really nothing much to talk about. It was one of the earlier Genesis games, and it definitely shows. The graphics are nothing to brag about, although the color schemes are actually pretty good. The music and sound effects on the other hand are just "meh".

I think the one thing this game has going for it are its interesting character and monster designs. There's nothing quite like riding a motorbike through the woods, only to have someone that looks like Jason come and attack you.

Seriously though, this game is somewhat of a drug trip and reminds me a little bit of Little Nemo. Trust me though. Nemo is a hundred times better, but I can't really complain too much about this game. There's not much wrong with it, but there's nothing really good about it either. It just felt like Sega was getting their feet wet with this game in the 16-bit world.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!