Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle is a platformer developed by Sega for the Mega Drive back in 1989. Unlike Super Mario or Dynamite Headdy, this game doesn’t do enough to set itself upon the exceptional platformers.

To makes details simple and clean, Alex Kidd has no definite story or point. The player must guide the young lad through 11 stages punching enemies and entering upon rock-paper-scissor contests which seem meaningless. They can also command vehicles and collect miscellaneous items.

Alex Kidd is a bit challenging. Because of the one-hit KO, you’ll most likely die due to trial-and-error runs and jumps. Combat is questionable because no one knew how difficult it is to punch a ferret in the face. If you are like me, you’ll dodge any obstacle that’ll kill you in one touch. The lack of serious boss fights also hurts. Instead, the game is littered with a bunch of rock-paper-scissor (as pointed above) matches which are nothing more than guessing games. If you manage to set a tie, it’s easily predictable to know the boss’ next move.

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle is anything but an enchanted adventure. With a questionable combat system and lame boss challenges, this doesn’t do itself enough justice to become a well-deserved purchase. But if you taken all your strength on Super Mario, you can give this game a try.

Overall Score: 4/10