Chapter 417: Alex the Kid II

In any case... Alex Kidd.

Some even mistake it as Alex the Kidd, most likely due to the infamous Billy the Kidd.

Of course, barring the Alex the Kid theme-ing assumptions that he's having, it kind of seemed fitting... being compared to this character.

Yet it's not exactly the first time that Alexander had gone through this.

He wasn't that much of a fan from the get-go... but he unwittingly kept a close eye on wherever Sega went with it.

Admittedly, it may have something to do with the fact they had somewhat of the same name. Erring more on the similarity to his nickname, in fact.

Which is probably why he had so many pent-up facts as soon as he laid eyes on the display in Drew's hands.

That familiar grid pattern background is really very Sega. It's almost as if they decided that every game of theirs had to be laid out on some graphing paper.

An atrocious choice that match the atrocious box art that almost always went with it.

That big-eared kid punching with his big hands was accurate until the blondness and that very-wrong jumpsuit design throws that accuracy off.

Apart from being a distant Bad Box Art relative to Bad Box Art Mega Man... Alex Kidd is still someone of notability.

As for who he is... well... he's Alex Kidd. The titular character of the Alex Kidd franchise.

A short boy of the Arian race with fair skin and vast, thick, crusty, widely protruding, and comically oversized ears.

Covering up over 1/3th of his head and brown sideburns trying to cover them, and ever so slight monkey-like features.

He wears a trademark red and yellow suit, and has oversized hands when punching.

Sometimes he appeared as a teenager due to the limitations in sprites... but it should be safe to assume that he's just a "kid". It's in his name.

Reading back on the manual from Alex Kidd in Miracle World... it states that his story happened centuries ago.

At a glance it's easy to see that the character of Alex Kidd may have been inspired chiefly by Bruce Lee. Supposedly evident in his wardrobe choice reminiscent of how the man looked in his final project, Enter the Dragon.

Or it could be the character Sun Wukong the Monkey King, since it is even rumored that Alex was originally planned to use the Ruyi Jingu Bang, instead of punches.

A lore that would be explored in its very first entry.

Obviously, in his rampage in a so-called miracle world called Planet Aries.

Believing himself to be an orphan, Alex lived alone on Mt. Eternal of this world... where he has trained in the ancient Shellcore technique for seven years.

This technique enables an Arian to shatter boulders with their bare fists. Not exactly Bruce Lee or Sun Wukong but it'll do.

It'll do for what's to come.

Since after the disappearance of King Thunder, the planet Aries is thrown into chaos.

An usurper dubbed Janken the Great kidnaps the next in line to the Radaxian throne, Prince Igul and his fiancée Princess Lora.

Many of the citizens are also turned to stone through Janken's magic.

Alex Kidd learns about these events from a dying man but that's not all he learns.

After he returns to his master, Saint Nurari, Alex learns that he is in fact a lost member of the Radaxian royal family. As the son of King Thunder and brother to Prince Igul as well.

Thus, armed with this information, the prodigal prince sets out to discover the whereabouts of his father, rescue his brother, restore the kingdom, destroy the monstrous minions of Janken, and hopefully return peace to the lands.

Essentially, starting off the whole video game.

Wherein the player must finish levels and overcome obstacles and puzzles in both scrolling and single-screen environments.

Throughout the 17 stages, Alex faces many monsters and the three henchmen of Janken the Great, before facing Janken himself.

Through his punching ability, Alex destroys these enemies and breaks rocks in order to access new paths.

All the while, he collects items such as money which can then be used to purchase other items including vehicles such as motorbikes and helicopters.

Like the Sukopako Motorcycle and the Pedicopter, even the Suisui Boat.

Via a collected currency called Baums, Alex can even gain an extra life as long as he had about 400 to spare.

All in all, it makes for a pretty straightforward but also dynamic gameplay.

Somewhat hard but understandably so.

If only... if only that annoying mechanic didn't sour it any further.

After all, the named Janken the Great had to be there for a reason.

And it's because Sega developers thought it would be ideal to incorporate jan-ken-pon.

Which is why at the end of these many stages, Alex had to play many dubious rounds of rock-paper-scissors... against Janken's henchmen up until Janken himself.

In a way, if Alex Kidd doesn't die from getting hit by obstacles, losing a game of rock-paper-scissors is actually just as penalizing.

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Those are some of things that Alexander had to remember and go through.

His 12th birthday celebration had run its course and he himself can't help but want to play.

For remembrance's sake and since the girls insisted.

Maybe this was what they were aiming for...

To see a known Alex... playing another Alex.

Only hours ago was he an Alex fiddling with a world. Small was how he'd put it... but 'miracle' works too.

Kind of like the title of the game he's playing now.

Strange how that happened but the girls really did pick quite the game to gift.

So much so, that Alexander had to comment that out, albeit paraphrased. "It's quite the gift, you two."

"With the presentation and all that." He added. "It's just that you've connected it so well that it seems as though someone else might have connected it for you."

"We don't know what you're talking about." Milla blinked innocently.

At this point, Old Sullivan would have whistling-ly weaseled away as the prime suspect. The prime suspect from finding connections to everything.

Rather timely that this old grandpa was discussing the Grammys and the Golden Globes with Miss Galina in his study.

On the other hand, Drew acted unperturbed, for she was an actress but she was still concerned. "So... you already know about this whole Alex Kidd then?"

He really should know it. Given that he's breezing through the stages. Stages that she and Jovo-bitch found very difficult.

Alexander didn't deny it. "Of course, I know it."

He knows so much that he had just gone through wiki-level facts about it while mashing the Sega controllers and controlling in-game Alex.

"After all, it's not every day that one gets a video game character whose name is sort of homonymous to one's own."

That got Milla curious. "So... it doesn't bother you that they beat you to it?"

"Beat me to what?" Alexander wondered himself. As far as he knows, Creed Games is way ahead. Way, way ahead against Sega.

"Well... they made a game about you. Probably because you're very famous in video gaming that they just had to." Milla surmised.

To which, Alexander dismissed. "I doubt that that's what they were considering when they drafted the concept. If anything, they probably looked into what Nintendo did with "Mario" and figured that "Alex" would be better branding."

"Why would they make Alex a monkey boy then?" Protective of the properties, the little madam ranted. "That's a shameless copy of Goku, right?"

"Well... you could say so..." Granted, Alexander didn't really have much of a response to that.

Since he knows for a far deeper fact that other than a Bruce, a Lee, a Sun, or even a Wukong... Alex Kidd was truly and originally supposed to be Son Goku himself.

A tie-in to the Dragonball manga... but things panned out. Prompting Sega to ditch the monkey tail for monkey ears.

Even though Milica's guardedness against

Alex and Goku wannabes were understandable... it was far more curious how this game still got made.

In spite of the fact that Dragonball was now a largely American and a very Creed property... perhaps it is fated that Alex Kidd will come into existence nonetheless.

One way or another... Sega needed something. Opa-opa of Fantasy Zone wouldn't be enough.

To go up against the likes of Nintendo's Mario and Creed's Sonic and etcetera...

They need their own platformer and a mascot.

Alex Kidd probably became their choice.

Poor "kid". Because after a few outings in Lost Stars, High-Tech World, BMX Trial, Enchanted Castle, and even in Shinobi World... he should be out of commission.

Retired, mostly forgotten, and a product of its own time. Only appearing as cameos in other Sega games. Delegated as a depressed cashier peddling video games himself.

His time will pass and such a bright and energetic Kidd will most likely turn old.

Then again, Sonic is no longer in Sega's grasp and perhaps that's the only thing Alexander can do... for a fellow Alex.

Out of nowhere, Drew voiced out. "Isn't it a shame, prince charming? That you can never make a game about yourself?"

"It's fine." Alexander appeased. Even if he had the chance to plunder it, he's not that vain to go through with it. "Even if I could, I probably wouldn't."

Still... Drew wondered. "How amazing it would be though? If I also had a game about me?"

To that, Alexander kept quiet... as he turned to where Miss Consigliere and Miss Jaid were discussing something.

Something quite close to what Drew had just wondered about.