Review Summary
All in all, this is not a great game, but it would be a mistake to discount it completely. The most disappointing thing about Alex Kidd in Shinobi World is that there's little in the way of ambition; everything it sets out to do, it does well, more or less, and the general impression is that if the designers had just pushed themselves a little harder, and reached a little higher, this could have been one of the more memorable titles of the 8-bit generation. As it is, the game is not an embarrassing farewell for Alex Kidd, but neither is it the blaze of glory Sega's long lost mascot deserved.​

Review Summary
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World is a hidden gem in the Master System library and it's a shame that few people have heard about it. The short length is a genuine complaint but the gameplay is so addictive that you'll want to replay the whole adventure over and over again!​

Review Summary
Overall, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World is a solid game and one of the better games in the Sega Master System library, but it’s just not “blow you away” good. It’s just a bit too easy and is over too quickly, but for me it was a fun diversion and a good addition to my library, albeit an expensive one. I’d recommend this game for platform game fans, but you may want to hesitate unless you’re a collector due to the high price tags this now commands. That being said, if you can find it for a good price then grab it, as it should offer you a good few hours of good quality gameplay.​

Review Summary
It's a pretty fun game, and honestly it's my personal favourite Alex Kidd game. So if like Shinobi, try this game. And if you don't like Shinbobi, then play it anyways because there is enough differences to make this an entirely different game. I like it, I really like it.​

Alex Kidd was the fourth (in PAL regions and America) Master System game featuring Alex Kidd, which is generally regarded as a return to form after the Lost Stars and Hi-Tech World episodes.
 
Alex's adventure takes place in Shinobi World.  Alex dons a Ninja costume and is able to use Ninja magic during his quest.  The environments, enemies, bosses and level design re-imagine ideas from Shinobi, but are given a more playful and comical perspective, by mixing in the bright graphics and musical style established in the earlier Alex Kidd games.
 
Although this game was well received at the time, sadly this was to be Alex's final game.  Albeit, Alex hasn't been completely forgotten, he has made some cameo appearances in modern Sega titles such as Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing.
 
This game remained an exclusive title for the Master System.  It could also be downloaded for 500 points (about £4.50) on Wii's Virtual Console service.

Upon loading the game you are presented with a brief cut scene, which shows the game's story.  It's basic, and very unoriginal (think, Sir Arthur and Princess Prin Prin, Mario and Pauline, etc) but explains why Alex is in Shinobi World and the motivation for his quest.

Prior to the start of the action you are shown a map, and then a game summary, which shows the boss you'll be facing at the end of the round, and your current score and number of remaining lives.

Alex's adventure is split into 4 rounds with each round being split into 3 scenes.  The first two scenes of each round require the player to cross a scrolling platform area and avoid or kill any enemies; the areas scroll both horizontally and vertically with some later scenes having multiple paths through them, where there are underground and overground routes available.  The third scene of each round just contains the round's boss.

The second platform scene in round 4 has a slightly different structure, whereby the level is made up of a series of small rooms, which will present a particular challenge (including a Mega Man style disappearing platform puzzle), or require you to defeat an enemy, including the return of the Kabuto and Robster bosses.  Facing off with these bosses for the second time was a new challenge and required a bit of extra thought, due to not having the throwing darts available.

The graphics throughout the game are excellent and really show off the Master System's capabilities.  The environments are bright and colourful and the sprites are well drawn with lots of detail and character.  Each of the game's 8 platform scenes has a distinct look to it and there are a variety of enemies in each area.  Throughout your adventure, you will traverse a cityscape, explore large buildings, cross a Harbour at night, swim through underwater caves and ascend the side of a waterfall; all on the way to Hanzo's mansion.

The controls are well designed and respond fluently.  You use the D-dad to move Alex left/right and climb up/down ropes or ladders.  The joypad buttons are used to make Alex perform a variety of actions such as jumping and using weapons.  The jump button can also be used to make Alex perform a wall jump, this requires that there are two walls very near to each other.  To wall jump, start the jump off as usual then quickly press the jump button again each time Alex touches the wall.  I only found a couple of places in the game where it was possible to wall jump, but it was usually a handy way to reach some bonus items.  

Alex begins each round armed with a sword, which slashes round in an arc, or it can be directed downwards to take out breakable blocks beneath you.  You have to be very close to enemies to take them out with the sword.  The sword can be powered up so you can also take out projectiles, e.g. ninja stars thrown at you, when you slash with your sword.

Throughout the platform scenes there are chests, which you need to break open with your weapon.  Usually these are in plain sight and don't require much effort to reach.  Although there were a few later on in the game, which I couldn't work out how to reach.  The most common item found is a heart, which replenishes one hit (your remaining hit points are shown as a series of triangles at the top left of the screen).

Occasionally you will find an item, such as a dart or a ninja magic item (used immediately), or even an Alex doll, which awards an extra life.  When collected, the dart replaces your sword.  As a ranged weapon it's much easier to defeat enemies with the dart; perhaps too easy at times, the first two bosses won't stand a chance against you if you have the dart.  However, I don't think darts are available in the final round so don't rely on them too much.  In particular the first form of the final boss requires accurate and carefully timed use of your sword, so getting used to close combat will pay off in the end.

Alex can also use ninja magic to turn himself into a fireball.  You must be hanging from a rope or lamp post to start this manoeuvre.  Holding the action button will make Alex start to spin around, after a few rotations Alex will burst into flames, once you release the button Alex will fly across the screen killing any enemies he comes into contact with.

The music throughout the game is excellent.  It is based on the Shinobi music but is remixed to give it a lighter feel, which is in keeping with the Alex Kidd series.  Sound effects are quite basic but don't outstay their welcome (no annoying scream when you die this time).

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the game and would recommend it to platform game fans.  The game starts out fairly easy but the challenge does build up from the third round onwards.

Graphically the Master System version does not follow the look or design of the arcade game, however the graphics are good for the system with fast and smooth scrolling.  There are quite a few different enemy types and the ground and air based sections each have their own distinct look and design.  However, later on in the game the backgrounds reuse the same elements over and over, and the enemies repeat, so once you've got through the first two missions you will have seen most of what the game has to offer.
 
I wasn't very impressed with the music, there are two main tunes in the game, one for each of the ground sections and another for each of the air sections, and then there is another short tune for each mission's final shootout.  Sound effects are limited to basic shooting noises and explosions.
 
The controls are simple and work well, with one caveat.  The D-pad moves your vehicle.  Each vehicle mode has a slightly different feel; the motorbike is the most maneuverable, but vulnerable to collisions with other vehicles.  Once transformed into the car the steering is slightly slower, but you are a bit stronger and can withstand collisions with the other vehicles.  Pressing both action buttons together whilst on the road allows you to transform from the car back to the motorbike, but I didn't find much use for it.  The jet-car is initially the least maneuverable of the three vehicle modes, but can be powered up to move more quickly.
 
The action buttons shoot, and also bomb (air section only).  You can hold the action buttons for continuous fire, however the rate of fire is way too slow.  I'd strongly recommend using a rapid fire unit or a rapid fire enabled joypad for this game.
 
I found the game quite challenging at first, although after some practice I was usually getting through the ground sections without too much trouble.  However, I still struggled during the air sections  Generally the challenge is fair, although in the flying stages there are sections with clouds in the foreground so some enemies and their shots can be hidden from your sight, which can lead to some annoying deaths.

Review Summary ​
It's a game that has aged well thanks to minimalist design, a good challenge level, and a satisfying sense of speed and bike control. The whole game only lasts about five minutes from start to finish, but as with most of Suzuki's games, it is a "perfectionist" game that requires you to drive a nearly-flawless course to have any hope of crossing the finish line. You start with only seven other bikers around you, who get that mysterious nitro boost that racers in early racing games always seem to get off the line, but you'll pass at least 100 of them along the game's course, which is divided into five "levels" with varying scenery. It can be frustrating since the other bikers are completely invincible and apparently have some force field that sends you flying off the course if you so much as clip one of them, and have no qualms about plowing into you, but the game never gets as obnoxious as the later Outrun can be, thanks to the short overall length preventing you from wasting too much time if you wipe out and render yourself unable to make the next checkpoint in time.

​​Hang-On was a pack-in/built-in game for several models of the Master System when the console launched in Europe in late 1987.  I bought the base model Master System, which only had the 'hidden' Snail Maze game built in, soon after the console launched in the UK.  Hang-On (Sega Card) was also bundled with my console.  I didn't learn about the hidden game until i read about it in a gaming magazine months later, so Hang-On was the first game i played on the console, and then it seemed like a good choice for my first Master System review.
​As a launch title, Hang-On was a good technical demonstration of the Master System.  The Master System was marketed on the strength of it's arcade conversions and Hang-On clearly demonstrated the potential of the console.  The graphics in the Master System version capture the look of the arcade game well; the sprites are large and well drawn, the backgrounds are colorful and the scrolling is smooth and fast.  Roadside objects and other riders pass by quickly and are well scaled, creating a good sense of speed.

​The game play establishes the classic Sega arcade racing template, which was later used in Out Run and Super Hang-On, and several others.  You're racing against the clock rather than directly against the other racers, the other riders just act as obstacles; simply stay on the course and reach the checkpoint before the timer reaches zero to continue racing.

Control of the bike is simple and responsive, the joypad's buttons operate the throttle and brake.  Up/down on the D-pad operates the manual gears (low/middle/high) and the D-pad also controls your steering.  Music is sparse, the title screen plays a short segment of the main arcade theme, there is a jingle on game over, or completing the course, and that's it.  Sounds effects are basic, an engine noise plus white noise to give a wind/motion effect, and an explosion when you crash, all fairly simple but they get the job done.

So Hang-On impresses as a conversion of the arcade game, however, the arcade game has very simple game play, with very little depth.  The Master System version simply copies the arcade game without adding anything significant to the basic design.  Many later Sega ports did add new elements to the game play for the home version, or in some cases completely redesign the game play, sometimes with mixed results.  Ports of Action Fighter, Line of Fire and Super Monaco GP are examples of Master System games that aren't just straightforward copies of the arcade game.

This review including the images used in it was submitted to Legacy by David Bush we sincerely thank him for his contribution

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