3D Classics: Kid Icarus (3DS - 1st completion)
Sometime in either the spring or summer of 1989 or 1990, I rented the original Kid Icarus for my NES at a rental place called "Classic Video" that was in Delta Shopper's Mall. The video store closed sometime in the 90's while the mall itself closed around twenty years ago. It was a place I would end up renting certain NES games that the video store closest to me didn't have. My first memories playing Kid Icarus that weekend was noting the difficulty early in the game, trying out the passwords that were included in my Nintendo Power magazines, and having to return the game on Sunday morning before going to church. Using the passwords let me beat the game, but I did notice that the game wasn't that long. After buying a used copy of the game sometime in the late-90's, I played it through fully and began to notice the game's different endings. At that time though, I didn't know the criteria to get the best ending. The game was originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System near the end of 1986 and was called Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami (Light Mythology: Palutena's Mirror) and then released in North America in summer 1987 as Kid Icarus. I remember the box art being similar in style to that of Metroid, as both of them were "grey boxes" with the "Adventure Series" label compared to Nintendo's past black box games they did at launch. The more popular Metroid would arrive in North America one month after Kid Icarus. There are some minor differences between the Famicom Disk System and NES versions, mainly that the NES version lacks the extra sound channel that came from the FDS, but it's not a deal breaker. I believe Kid Icarus had some moderate success at the time though not as much as Metroid. There have been two sequels since that I plan to play too: 1991's Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for Game Boy and after a long abandon by Nintendo, 2012's Kid Icarus: Uprising for 3DS. Just prior to that, the main protagonist Pit was playable in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl which re-introduced the character to a new generation. Pit was also part of the main cast of the 1989-1991 cartoon show Captain N: The Game Master. He was named Kid Icarus and voiced by Canadian actor/singer Alessandro Juliani. Besides being able to fly and shoot special arrows, his thing was ending most words he spoke in the suffix of "icus". One of the main antagonists included in the show was Eggplant Wizard, probably the most iconic villain in the Kid Icarus games. While portrayed as incompetent on Captain N, in the games he is the one enemy players do their best to avoid or carefully approach (more on that below). I always had a soft spot for Kid Icarus as I just like its world based on Greek myth and the music is one of my favourites on the NES. My younger sister also liked the game and was happy to find that we owned a copy of the original cartridge and then asked to borrow it around fifteen years ago. For the spring 2012 3DS release on the Nintendo eShop, this was one of six NES games to get 3D Classics treatment from developer Akira. They are the same games, but with some graphical enhancements and the use of the 3DS' stereoscophic 3D functionality. Most 3D Classics offered are of retro Sega games developed by M2 and I will play one of those games next year. For Kid Icarus, the only major graphical leap are the backgrounds, which gives the game a lot more personality. The sound effects are more in line with the Famicom Disk System version. And while you can't use passwords, there is an autosave feature at the end of each stage (the FDS version used only save files too.) For these reasons, I am considering this a separate Kid Icarus and a first completion. If this was the vanilla NES version I always played, it would be "X" completion. In under a couple of hours in one playthrough, I beat the game with the best ending possible - something I haven't done in the past.
The game is set in Angel Land, which is a fantasy world with a Greek mythology theme. Before the events of the game, Earth was ruled by Palutena (Goddess of Light) and Medusa (Goddess of Darkness). Palutena bestowed the people with light to make them happy. Medusa hated the humans, dried up their crop, and turned them to stone. Enraged by this, Palutena transformed Medusa into a monster and banished her to the Underworld. Out of revenge, Medusa conspired with the monsters of the Underworld to take over Palutena's residence the Palace in the Sky. She launched a surprise attack, and stole the three sacred treasures - the Mirror Shield, the Light Arrows and the Wings of Pegasus - which deprived Palutena's army of its power. After her soldiers had been turned to stone by Medusa, Palutena was defeated in battle and imprisoned deep inside the Palace in the Sky. With her last power, she sent a bow and arrow to the young angel Pit. He escapes from his prison in the Underworld and sets out to save Palutena and Angel Land.
To see the whole game, go here or below:
Click to view
Graphics/Art-8
+ While nothing ground breaking at it's time of release, Kid Icarus is not a bad looking game. Some decent sprite work and use of colour variation.
+ The Underworld and Skyworld stages are played vertically while the Overworld and Sky Temple stages are horizontal. This is a little noteworthy given early NES games at the time usually scrolled in one direction, but by 1986 it was slowly becoming standard to do both vertical and horizontal. The fortress stages are screen-by-screen.
+ A major improvement in graphics in this 3D Classics version are the backgrounds. While bland in the original NES game, they are enhanced and colourful now. It gives the game more personality.
- While the stage layouts are okay, the game suffers from the "one direction" scrolling similar to Super Mario Bros. You can only go in one direction and the screen does not scroll back. In the vertical stages, this will get Pit killed if any platforms are no longer below Pit on-screen to save him. This is one of the most common ways to die in the game.
Sound/Music-10
+ One of my favourite soundtracks from the early NES era, Kid Icarus was composed by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka. He was one of the better Nintendo composers during the NES and SNES years.
+ Good sound effects.
+ While the 3D Classics version mainly uses the Famicom Disk System's sound effects and music, the ending theme is thankfully the NES version's. This track was extended by 13 seconds (1:02-1:15 in video link) and was not in the original FDS version. I always liked that little extension, making the song sound a little more epic.
Music Samples:
Complete NES soundtrack in stereo mix here.
Control-8
+ Controls are simple. Pit can fire arrows left, right and up. He can do the same while jumping. Besides walk, he can duck and if you hold left or right at the same time, he will continue to duck as you move. Nice. He can climb ladders in the fortress stages too.
- On some platforms in the vertical stages, you can pass through them if you press down on the control pad (like the pink clouds in the pic above.) This is okay if you have a platform below to save you, but if there is nothing below you in sight, you get killed. The game throws situations -like multiple enemies- to try and force you to accidentally press down to duck, so you can fall to your death. It is unfair, but something to keep in mind.
Gameplay-8
+ Kid Icarus is a side-scrolling platformer with role-playing elements. You control the protagonist Pit through two-dimensional levels, which contain monsters, obstacles and items. Pit's primary weapon is a bow with an unlimited supply of arrows that can be upgraded with three collectable power items: the guard crystal shields Pit from enemies, the flaming arrows hit multiple targets, and the holly bow increases the range of the arrows. These upgrades will work only if Pit's health is high enough. The game keeps track of your score, and increases Pit's health bar at the end of a level if enough points were collected.
+ Throughout the stages, you may enter doors to access seven different types of chambers. Stores and black markets offer items in exchange for hearts, which are left behind by defeated monsters. Treasure chambers contain items, enemy nests give you an opportunity to earn extra hearts, and hot springs restore Pit's health. In the god's chamber, the strength of Pit's bow and arrow may be increased depending on several factors, such as the number of enemies defeated and the amount of damage taken in battle. In the training chamber, Pit will be awarded with one of the three power items if he passes a test of endurance.
+ The game world is divided into three stages: the Underworld, the Overworld (Earth) and the Skyworld. Each stage encompasses three unidirectional area levels and a fortress. The areas of the Underworld and Skyworld stages have Pit climb to the top, while those of the surface world are side-scrolling levels. The fortresses at the end of the stages are labyrinths with non-scrolling rooms, in which you must find and defeat a gatekeeper boss. Within a fortress, Pit may buy a check sheet, pencil, and torch to guide him through the labyrinth. A single-use item, the hammer, can destroy stone statues, which frees a flying soldier called a Centurion that will aid the player in boss battles. For each of the bosses destroyed, Pit receives one of three sacred treasures that are needed to access the fourth and final stage, the sky temple. This last portion abandons the platforming elements of the previous levels, and resembles a scrolling shooter.
- One of the most iconic monsters in the game and can only be found in fortresses are the Eggplant Wizards. They always come in twos and they shoot an eggplant to fall on Pit. If it hits him, it can place an "eggplant curse", rendering no use of weapons until you have it removed for free by visiting a hospital in the fortress. It leaves you vulnerable and cannot kill the fortress boss since you can't use your bow. This can prolong the length of fortress stages, making them frustrating situations. A guide map is recommended or making up your own so you don't get lost.
- The 3D Classics version does not have the password system of the NES original. It would have been nice if this were unlockable after beating the game just so players can try out different password effects.
Fun/Story/Misc-8
+ The first playthrough can be difficult given how weak Pit is, making the first world a turn-off for first time players. But if you can endure it, the rest of the game isn't too hard.
+ Replaying the game brings over Pit's items, current hearts, and power levels. If you didn't get the best ending on your first try, it is more likely to happen on a second playthrough. Spending time defeating as many enemies as they appear, obtaining all items and keeping them, have 999 hearts by the end of the game, being at full strength, and not using a continue will give you the best ending. Thankfully with the autosave function of the 3D Classics version, you can simply reload your save game and not use a "continue" at the game over screen.
+ I do like that the game has some secrets. One of them is being able to haggle the shop keeper -but not black market dealer- by holding the "A" button and pressing "Select" and "Start" in this version. If you have defeated enough enemies in that stage, the shop keep will lower his prices. If not, he will raise them.
- Sadly, since the closing the of 3DS/Wii U Nintendo eShop last year, this version of Kid Icarus is no longer officially available. You can still play the original FDS and NES versions with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Total: 42/50 (Grade Level: B)
The Kid Icarus Wikipedia article is here.
Next Game: Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)
Currently playing: Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (PS3)
