Keith Courage in Alpha Zones for TurboGrafx-16

Image: MobyGames

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

A Tale of Two Platformers

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

This is a mashup of two distinct games. In both games, you walk along your standard platforms and attack enemies with a sword. The first game is you playing as a red-haired kid with a sword that stands directly forward. Nearly all enemies are on the ground so you have to stop to duck and attack. Your movement is incredibly slow so you must methodically walk to the right. In the second game you play as a mech with a sword slash that sword downward from above your head. There's no need to duck although you can and your movement is significantly faster than the other character. In both games, a major problem is that the enemy AI is horribly stupid. Enemies zoom towards you often walking right into endless pits or chasms that would kill you or they fly over your head. Enemies despawn when they go off screen or spawn endlessly if you have their spawn point just off screen. It's extremely difficult to avoid taking damage from enemies and you only have one life and it's game over.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Levels are weird. In the first game with the red-haired kid, you just go to the right. There's some difficult jumps here and there, but mostly it's extremely simple. As a mech however, you mostly go to the right and then descend downward going left and then right and then left and right. For the most part, it's just repeating the same obstacles and enemies a dozen times or more and becomes monotonous almost immediately. One of the problems with this is that the screen doesn't scroll downward even though you're descending down So as you go down it's nothing but blind jumps.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

You're a spiky red-haired kid and a mech. What's not to like? Unfortunately, the game just feels incomplete and half-hearted. The characters have no personality nor do the enemies. It's just...there.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Decidedly 8 bit graphics. One color backgrounds with no effects or scrolling. Uninteresting sprites.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

The music is ok at times. Sounds effects are wildly forwent volumes. Jumping is a springy sound but is quiet while your sword slash plays twice the volume of anything else.

Overall Score: 23

Review ID: 1470