Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones

Developer: Hudson Soft     Publisher: NEC     Released: 1989     Genre: Platformer

New system launches are always an exciting time for video game fans. The promise of new technology and what it may bring to the games you love is always exciting. The Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx-16 launches in 1989 were notable for another reason; they were the first transitions most of us would experience. While Sega had built up a name in the arcade and with the Master System NEC was a wildcard. What was the Turbo Grafx and how would it compete against Sega and Nintendo? Unfortunately the system did not have a great start with its average pack-in title, Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones. While a decent platformer it Keith Courage lagged behind the late NES titles released around the same time.

Keith Courage is actually a licensed title. In Japan it is based on the anime series Mashin Eiyūden Wataru. Obviously the anime was not released in the US but it didn’t matter. A quick title change and no one knew. Instead of a quirky anime story we got something even goofier. Keith Courage is a member of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens of Earth). His mission is to defeat B.A.D (Beastly Alien Dudes) and bring about world peace. At least its quick and to the point. Usually pack-in titles show off the hardware but Keith Courage fails to do even that. Without lavish production values you have a middling platformer that is mercifully over quick. They should have packed in Legendary Axe instead.

Each level in Keith Courage has two halves. In the Overworld you control Keith on foot as he kills monsters in town for gold. This gold can be used to pay for healing, buy bolt bombs, and purchase new swords. The Overworld presents little danger. Although Keith is stiff in his movements what little platforming there is is very straightforward. The towns aren’t densely packed with enemies either, serving as little more than areas to grind out gold to buy items and move on.

The Underworld is a different story. Here the game shifts tonally and is all out action as Keith dons his Nova Force suit. The action is near relentless as the game tosses around big sprites and a wide color palette. Artistically it may not be impressive but Keith Courage does slightly show off the system’s power. There is a steady ramp up as enemies attack in greater numbers, instant kill spikes become frequent, and bosses become more aggressive. You might even find yourself having fun.

That fun does not last however. The one thing that kills Keith Courage is its repetitive nature. Every zone in both the over and underworld plays out exactly the same with few alterations. Taking it even a step further they all share the same assets as well. This is less of an issue in the overworld as the different themes add a little variety. But the reuse of assets is still there. The time of day may change but you will recognize the same repetitive graphical tiles. Once you’ve played through three zones you more or less have seen all the game has to offer. That is to say, not much.  Whether Keith Courage was rushed to market or is the same kind of licensed tripe we dealt with the US, its mediocrity probably hurt the system.

As if the repetitive gameplay weren’t enough, Keith Courage is also incredibly easy. You start out with a small life bar but that doesn’t matter. You can take as many as eight or nine hits before losing a single heart. This lasts up until the ending stages of the game. By then you’ll have as many as eight hearts and are practically invincible. The game tries to raise the difficulty by making enemies more resilient, thus requiring new swords in every stage. But even a little bit of grinding will help you stay ahead of the curve. It is funny, when I received a Turbo Grafx in 1990 I did not expect to blow through Keith Courage in a little over an hour. That only added to my disappointment.

In Closing

Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones was an average game back in the day and remains so now. If this weren’t packed in with the system I doubt anyone would have bought it. I’ll say this; I would still rather play Keith Courage than Altered Beast. But that is faint praise. Let this stay forgotten by history like it deserves.