Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (MD, 1989)
Graphics-7 Sound-7 Control-7 Challenge-7.5
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-8.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-6
+
Interesting gadgets to play around with (motorcycle, pogo stick, fire ring, invincibility cloak, pedicopter, flight stick; you can turn them on/off at will - makes for some interesting situations)
Secret rooms and paths - for example you can "dig" in some spots using the pogo stick to find caves
Shops (need to play Janken (rock, paper, scissors) to get the item, money only used as an entrance fee for the competition)
Decent variation
Some interesting mechanics (blocks that can be moved horizontally by punching them, bouncing/rubber blocks)
+/-
Far between checkpoints in the final stage
-
The janken/"rock, paper, scissors" game (almost pure luck unless you use a pendant to see what your opponent is thinking - final boss is still cheap since he switches right before the end where you don't have a chance to react)
More of a standard platformer (as opposed to the proto-platform adventure/MV game that was Miracle World)
Short (shorter than Miracle World)
Can’t attack while falling off a ledge
Boring auto scrolling (air) level and there's no boat level
More repetitive than Miracle World
The lowest betting amount when trying to win an item becomes higher if you die in the stage
Platforming puzzles don't become very interesting until the final stage
Technically disappointing soundtrack (it does seem to use channel 3 mode and ssg-eg effects though)
Comment:
I actually really liked this as a kid. Nowadays I'm thankful for emulation letting me skip the janken mini-game every time I want to buy something. It's a decent game but not as good as the first, I feel the level design is a bit too traditional and doesn't really get going at the same level until near the end, where they make good use of the few new mechanics. It's cool however (and weird), how you can put used vehicles back into the inventory! With skill and memorization you can keep those vehicles for a long time.
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-8.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-6
+
Interesting gadgets to play around with (motorcycle, pogo stick, fire ring, invincibility cloak, pedicopter, flight stick; you can turn them on/off at will - makes for some interesting situations)
Secret rooms and paths - for example you can "dig" in some spots using the pogo stick to find caves
Shops (need to play Janken (rock, paper, scissors) to get the item, money only used as an entrance fee for the competition)
Decent variation
Some interesting mechanics (blocks that can be moved horizontally by punching them, bouncing/rubber blocks)
+/-
Far between checkpoints in the final stage
-
The janken/"rock, paper, scissors" game (almost pure luck unless you use a pendant to see what your opponent is thinking - final boss is still cheap since he switches right before the end where you don't have a chance to react)
More of a standard platformer (as opposed to the proto-platform adventure/MV game that was Miracle World)
Short (shorter than Miracle World)
Can’t attack while falling off a ledge
Boring auto scrolling (air) level and there's no boat level
More repetitive than Miracle World
The lowest betting amount when trying to win an item becomes higher if you die in the stage
Platforming puzzles don't become very interesting until the final stage
Technically disappointing soundtrack (it does seem to use channel 3 mode and ssg-eg effects though)
Comment:
I actually really liked this as a kid. Nowadays I'm thankful for emulation letting me skip the janken mini-game every time I want to buy something. It's a decent game but not as good as the first, I feel the level design is a bit too traditional and doesn't really get going at the same level until near the end, where they make good use of the few new mechanics. It's cool however (and weird), how you can put used vehicles back into the inventory! With skill and memorization you can keep those vehicles for a long time.