Kid Icarus
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| Kid Icarus | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U), Nintendo 3DS |
| Release Date | Nintendo Entertainment System JP December 18, 1986 (FDS) EU February 15, 1987 US July 1987 Game Boy Advance JP August 10, 2004 Wii Virtual Console JP January 23, 2007 US February 12, 2007 EU February 23, 2007 KO October 28, 2008 3DS (3D Classic) JP January 18, 2012 EU February 2, 2012 US April 19, 2012 Wii U Virtual Console EU July 11, 2013 US July 25, 2013 JP August 10, 2013 |
| Gallery | GH Gallery |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
Kid Icarus (known in Japan as Hikari shinwa: Parutena no Kagami, which translates to Myth of Light: Palutena's Mirror) is a classic NES platformer that is known as a sister game for the original Metroid. It initially gained only one sequel and became one of Nintendo's more well-known cult classics until the series was revived in the late 2000s.
Development[edit]
Toru Osawa intended the game as an action game with role-playing elements, and he specifically based it on Greek mythology. This game was made with the same game engine as Metroid, and some of the Metroid developers (including Yoshi Sakamoto) worked on Kid Icarus following the previous game's completion. In tribute to this, Metroids are in this game as an enemy, under the name "Komayto" (Mayto is short for Metroid in Japanese and "Ko" indicates Child). Although Osawa originally considered the game to be serious, Sakamoto convinced the developers to incorporate more elements of humor into the game such as the Eggplant Wizard. The game was finished only days before its release dates, and some levels apparently had to be cut in the process.
Story[edit]
In a time where gods and men lived together, Angel Land was ruled by two goddesses: Palutena, the Goddess of Light, and Medusa, the Goddess of Darkness. While Palutena helped men when she could, Medusa hated men. Medusa ruined their crops and turned them to stone. Palutena was enraged; she turned Medusa into a monster and banished her to the underworld.
Medusa spent her time in the underworld gathering an army of monsters and when the time was right, she conquered the Palace in the Sky, Palutena's home. After imprisoning Palutena, Medusa took the three Sacred Treasures and gave them to her minions. They are the Mirror Shield, the Arrows of Light, and the Wings of Pegasus.
With the last of her strength, Palutena sent a magical bow to a Pit. So, Pit must escape the underworld and rescue Palutena.
Gameplay[edit]
The game is a type of platformer in which Pit can navigate levels and fight off various monsters. His primary weapon is a bow that can fire arrows without limit. The player can also find special upgrades and other items to help progress through the levels. Despite his wings, Pit can only temporarily fly with the use of an item.
The world of Kid Icarus is divided into the underworld, the overworld, the sky world, and the Palace in the Sky. Each world has three worlds and a fortress. Each fortress has a gatekeeper that guards one of the sacred treasures. Pit's strength may increase depending on how well the player scored on the level. The game is saved through passwords, although the Japanese Famicom Disk System version can save data.
Legacy[edit]
Kid Icarus has been used as the basis of several of 9-Volt's minigames within the WarioWare series, and Pit also was included as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl after a trophy appearance in Melee. Brawl helped to popularize Pit and make there way for the revival of the Kid Icarus series in 2011. Kid Icarus was also one of the classic games featured in NES Remix 2 and Ultimate NES Remix, which use samples of classic games with a number of unique challenges (some of which combine elements of the different games).
Sequels[edit]
Kid Icarus initially had one sequel: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for the Game Boy, which was not released in Japan. Kid Icarus Uprising was later released for the 3DS, over twenty-five years after the original game's release.
Ports and Remakes[edit]
- In 2004, Kid Icarus was ported to the Game Boy Advance in Japan as part of the Famicom Mini series.
- Kid Icarus has been made available for download on the Wii and Wii U in 2007 and 2013, respectively, as part of each system's Virtual Console program. A demo version was also included in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a Masterpiece.
- In 2012, it was released for download on the Nintendo 3DS as a 3D Classic. As a 3D Classic, this version was modified to be viewed with the 3DS's stereoscopic 3DS view. This came with new backgrounds for all of the levels.
- In 2016, it was among the games included in the NES Classic Version, although it was left out of the Japanese version.
- In March 2019, it was among the NES games made available to play as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service. This version included cooperative and competitive online multiplayer options. An SP version was also made available the following month, in which the player starts on the final stage with the Three Sacred Treasures equipped.