3D Classics: Kid Icarus Review

The years 1985 and 1986 were golden for oldschool Nintendo. Super Mario Brothers, quite possibly the greatest game of all time, released in September of 85. That game was pretty much the big one for the company. Then we had the first Legend of Zelda and Metroid the following year. Together they made up Nintendo's trinity. But, there was another supposed-to-be big game in 86. It goes by the name of Kid Icarus. This game was released right around when Metroid came out, which greatly overshadowed it.  It's a shame really. Mario, Link, and Samus all went on to have franchises of their own while our little angel Pit was left in the dust with a sequel that's been forgotten by pretty much everyone. I managed to download the 3DS port of the original classic thanks to Club Nintendo. Most gamers have most definitely played Super Mario Bros. and know a lot about Zelda and Metroid...but Kid Icarus? It's all thanks to Super Smash Bros. Brawl that Pit is enjoying a revival. (I'll be checking out Uprising soon enough.) But let's take a look at one of the most underrated of Nintendo classics.

Like with all of Nintendo's oldies, the story is nonexistent except in the booklet and ending. Pit is on a quest to rescue the goddess Palutena from the sinister Medusa. Along the way he has to battle terrifying monsters and get through some pretty intense fortresses. The story is as standard as it gets, pretty much like Super Mario Brothers, just switch up the setting and characters. I find it interesting that we have control of an angel in a Heaven-like world, which is called Angel Land. Like with retro games, Pit isn't given any significant character and sadly thanks to not being a success it wouldn't be until over two decades later when Super Smash Bros. Brawl gave him a personality. The gameplay is identical to Metroid, in that it uses the same engine. The difference is the style. Metroid is more about exploration and the dread of being stuck in a dark underground cave while Icarus is about going from level to level to rescue the goddess. Unlike Zelda or Metroid, you know where you're going for the most part, since it's level based as opposed to exploration based. The difficulty level is very, very high, This is definitely one of Nintendo's harder games. It's about a 6 hour playthrouh, but you will die a lot during that time.

The soundtrack deserves some praise. There are four worlds, each with its own unique theme. The opening levels has the very familiar Underworld theme, very catchy. I was worried it would use the same theme the whole time, but thankfully each world is unique. The boss theme isn't bad, I was expecting something better for the final showdown however. Speaking of that, it's one of the few faults. Medusa is too easy, I didn't even know that was her until I had won. World 4 is just one stage when it really should have been four levels like everything else. After that the game kinda ends a little too suddenly. The boss fights are very challenging and will require strategy. (Especially Hewdraw.) I think they should have been a little bigger, mainly Twinbellows, since I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be monsters when compared to little Pit. Our angel is equipped with arrows. It's also cool how you can buy other items in the store. And then there's this guy called Zeus whom will see if Pit can face hardships. (If you leave he'll call you a weakling...now that was funny.)

Kid Icarus is a vastly underrated game from Nintendo's retro library. It's a fun and extremely challenging game. The 3DS port greatly enhances the experience, such as replacing the blackness with actual backgrounds. If you've never played it, give it a download. The only fault I can give it is the anti-climatic final boss. Everything else, from gameplay to the unique enemies, (you will never forget the Eggplant Wizard) is superb.

4.5/5