Kid Icarus is one of those games that makes you think 'they sure don't make them like they used to'. Graphically it's very basic - this is from 1986 after all - but the charm simply shines through regardless.
This is a game from an era where developers had to really make an effort and use what simple technology they had available to them - and when considering this it's somewhat shocking that Kid Icarus has more character than most modern platform games.
The game is about a Cherubim royal guard named Pit, who, among other cherubims must protect their queen, but she and all others are captured by Medusa; Pit is the only one who manages to escape from Medusa’s goblins and he takes it upon himself to fix everything. The game features four worlds and three types of levels for each world. Each world is divided into sections and each features a side-scrolling level, vertical-scrolling level, and a dungeon where you wander form one room to another to get to the Boss.
In the game you are armed with only a bow and arrow but you can purchase upgrades to your armour and weapons. In each level you must reach the end while gathering hearts, which are used to purchase upgrades, and hammers that are used to free cherubims in dungeons. Each dungeon has several rooms that you have to wander through to reach the boss to get one of the three Legendary Weapons which you need to battle Medusa in the final world.
Conclusion
This is classic Nintendo design at work here - the gameplay, challenge and control are pretty much perfect. For 500 Wii points this is well worth looking into.
Comments 8
I never got into this because of its difficulty. Maybe I would have done so in the eighties but I don't have the same patience I had these days to keep trying. I wouldn't want to rate this game properly myself as I'm unable to give it the time it needs.
Playing this game made me realize that I am nowhere near the gamer I thought I was. I still cannot get past the first vertical scrollling level and I've put a good amount of hours in trying.
This game was nails. I reallu struggled with it back in the day. Didn't make a lot of headway with it.
This was my second game after Super Mario Bros., and I loved it. Follow the tips below: Kill as many enemies as possible, including those mouse-noses in the rooms, in order to level up; don't duck on bread-like platforms; make maps in the dungeons, and make good use of the energy pools; lightly tap backwards after landing from each jump to steady yourself, particularly on frozen platforms; get the crystals when you have a choice of weapons; and avoid the Eggplant Wizard at all costs. The greatest challenges here are landing those precisions jumps, defeating the serpent boss of world 2, defeating the bubble boss of world 3, and avoiding eggplants! You may find yourself stuck on levels in worlds 1 and 3 in which leaps are particularly unforgiving. Its appropriate that the protagonist's name is Pit.
Although quite challenging and occasionally frustrating, this title is one of my all-time favorites and offers excellent replay value. It presents one of the best musical scores on the NES, and tunes from the game are covered by the band The Advantage. Try to earn the best ending, and you may very well see what I mean. I would give it a 10, and I wish Nintendo would release a 2-D sequel on WiiWare. I know there is interest.
Holy crap this game's hard.
the music deserves a 10/10 =)
@Happy_Mask I was just thinking the same thing
This needs a re-review.
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