Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

aka: Alex Kidd: Cheongong Maseong, Alex Kidd: Tenkū Majō
Moby ID: 6743
Genesis Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/24 1:20 PM )

Description official descriptions

Alex Kidd, resident of planet Aries, is the king's brother. One day he comes across a rumor that his long lost father, King Thor, is alive and somewhere on the planet Paperock. Of course he immediately travels to said planet to find his father.

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle offers standard platforming action in which Alex explores side-scrolling levels and has to avoid touching enemies. He has two standard attacks to his disposal: punching enemies on the ground and kicking them in the air. He also uses items to make his life easier, e.g. a pedicopter with a gun, a pogo-stick for reaching higher ground or an invulnerability cloak. After usage Alex puts those items into his inventory but he loses the active item when dying. Coins are acquired from defeated enemies or treasure chests.

Just like in Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the mini game Janken, also known as rock-paper-scissors, plays an important role: bosses are not defeated by shooting but by beating them in this game of chance. New in comparison to the predecessor is that Janken also needs to be played to purchase items in shops: After paying for the item it is only given to Alex if he wins the mini game. The result of failure is death.

Spellings

  • アレックスキッド 天空魔城 - Japanese spelling
  • 알렉스키드 천공마성 - Korean spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Genesis version)

4 People

Staff (uncredited)
Music (uncredited)
Voice of Alex Kidd (uncredited)

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 57% (based on 20 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 40 ratings with 2 reviews)

Whoever thought of this game was a lunatic

The Good
The main character was sort of interesting, despite his weird sideburns.

The Bad
Aside from the multitude of minor problems, there is one, main issue. WHO THOUGHT OF BASING A GENESIS GAME ON ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS? It is the worst translation ever. Rock, Pa... etc. is a game of either chance or advanced psychological calculations. The computer thoroughly rules out the second possibility, so it's off to infuriation land (or the Enchanted Castle) to develop a "knack" for defeating your enemies.

The Bottom Line
Don't play it, don't associate with it. If I were you, I'd instead invest in something safe, like tetris. You are warned.

Genesis · by emmamomocat (29) · 2003

Don't let the 1st level fool you. This game is a platforming classic.

The Good
A much needed & worthy sequel to Miracle World. Makes me wish there were more Alex Kidd games like these. Upgrades from Miracle World which include the ability to keep & equip/unequip items at will, punching blocks sends them flying offering new platforms or a way to kill enemies. Some stages are large vertically offering multiple paths. I like the above water & below water stage options. You can crawl & punch at the same time. Can't think of another game with such awesomeness. At first I thought it was odd that so much of the game takes place outside given the title but once you get to the enchanted castle it is all one epic stage that is bigger than the rest of the game combined! The hockey-masked butcher murders are also lumberjacks & lava-proof. Enemy variety is great. I love that the apes climb down the trees. The multiple paths in the castle are challenging & rewarding. Rats you see in one room in the castle will actually come into the next room with you after you've been in there a while, nice touch. The ending is a huge surprise & I've never seen an ending like it anywhere else, period.

The Bad
The 1 hit death is the worst part of the game. As is normal in Alex Kidd games Alex is prone to slipping with momentum. The jump kick takes getting used to & when wearing the ring it controls your projectile making it harder to shoot in mid-air than in Miracle World. The first stage, while needed, gives wrong impression about the game. You have to unequip items before the end of the stage or running into a boss in order to keep them. I didn't realize you could unequip them at all at first & lost the hard to come by copter for the rest of the game. The copter is much more awkward & hard to pedal/control than it is in Miracle World. Game tells you to wait for music during rock, paper, scissors (no longer called janken) but you can throw early using the button. I wasted a lot of time waiting for the music to end before realizing this. Some treasure chests contain 3 flying bombs. This kind of fake out is ok but 3 of the hardest to get to chests contain these bombs & that sucks to work so hard to get to a trap. There is a place in the castle where it seems you have to bounce off a wall to get into a room but gravity makes it seem impossible. If you wasted your items before this you'll be stuck. Once you know the ending you'll be mad that Alex risked his life so much.

The Bottom Line
The beginning of the game gives you the wrong impression about it. It starts in a town where you challenge creatures in rock, paper, scissors to get items that are useful in the game. This is great because you can stock up at the beginning but it makes you think the game is all about gambling on rock, paper, scissors. This kept me from playing it for years. The game is a great platformer with tons of great items to help you through or just make things more fun.

Genesis · by Emperor MAR (2598) · 2013

Trivia

Console release

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle is the first, and, so far, only, home-version game in the series which was not released for the SEGA Master System.

Version differences

The original Japanese version has a more adult atmosphere. In the American version, characters losing the Janken battles get crushed by a weight. In the original version, those characters simply lose all their clothes. Also, the first town is called Bikinitown, but in the US version they changed it to Rookietown.

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
Released 1986 on Arcade, SEGA Master System, Wii
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Released 1986 on SEGA Master System, 2008 on Wii, PlayStation 3
Capt'n Kidd
Released 1986 on Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Alex the Allegator 4
Released 2003 on Windows, Macintosh, 2004 on Linux...
Alex Builds His Farm
Released 1999 on Windows
Simple Story: Alex
Released 2018 on Windows
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Released 1990 on SEGA Master System, 2009 on Wii
Alex Kidd: BMX Trial
Released 1987 on SEGA Master System
Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind (Platinum Edition)
Released 2013 on Windows, Macintosh, 2014 on iPhone...

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 6743
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Syed GJ.

Wii added by Sciere. Windows, Linux, Macintosh added by Foxhack.

Additional contributors: Sciere, LepricahnsGold, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, Patrick Bregger, Vito Giovannelli.

Game added June 17, 2002. Last modified March 26, 2024.