Director: Satoru Okada
Rating: E
Genre: Platform
System: NES
1987
Times Completed:
Tim: 1
Summary: Pit begins a perilous journey to retrieve the three sacred treasures to combat Medusa and save the Goddess Palutena.
Review:
Tim: I always find it so fascinating how many major Nintendo franchises started on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Now, to be fair, calling Kid Icarus a "major" franchise is a bit much. Pit has certainly not gotten the support from Nintendo that he deserves. It would take 4 years for this game to get a sequel, and then 21 years for the third game. Despite appearances in Super Smash Bros., it's been 13 more years and still no fourth game. That being said, there's something quite appealing about Kid Icarus.
To start with, I love the creativity around this game. We're introduced to Angel Land and the Angel, Pit. The developers pulled heavily from Greek mythology- the big villain is Medusa, a famous monster. He needs to save the Goddess of Light, Palutena. The world Pit inhabits is so far from our own, it's wonderful to step into this mythological world, filled with various monsters. The setting and the premise of the game are great. While the rest of the story is pretty light, the premise itself is worthwhile. That starts the game off on a good footing.
From there, to be honest, the gameplay is a bit rough. This is still an early NES game, and the controls don't always work with precision. I faced a lot of deaths because I was trying to get Pit to do what I needed him to do. The controls often feel like an unnecessary challenge. And then, on top of that, Kid Icarus is a pretty tough game. It's one of the interesting quirks about Nintendo- a game about a batting angel, the cute graphics, the amazing level design- but it doesn't quite prepare you for the unforgiving nature of much of this game. It's not a game that holds your hand- you really need to work hard to move through the various levels. It's quite challenging at times. The game received mixed reviews upon release, which I get. It's a tough slog to move through the game. Sure, the characters, the music all help- but this isn't an easy playing experience.
I still had fun with the game, though. It was interesting playing through the three worlds- The Underworld, Overworld, and Skyworld. Each world has four stages. The nice thing about this is that you got a real sense of accomplishment when you overcame a fortress boss and moved onto the next world- that initial sense of awe you feel as the world itself felt fundamentally different to the one you just played. I thought that was very cool. I did have to use guides on occasion- it's tough navigating through some of the fortresses, especially when you're trying to find specific objects that never seem easy to grab. One of the oddest and most frustrating aspects of the game involve the Eggplant Wizard, whose projectiles turn Pit into a walking Eggplant, unable to attack at all. You have to run to a hospital to cure yourself. I don't even want to think about how much time I spent, frustratingly running as an Eggplant. It's one of many challenges the game throws at you.
The final boss, Medusa is a lot of fun. She's basically a gigantic head with an enormous eyeball. She throws projectiles at you, while green snakes fly at you from the right. You have to dodge the attacks and shoot her in the eye. For a game that is very often challenging, I felt like the final boss was fine- I don't recall having any prolonged issues defeating her and beating the game. I finished the game with a score of 630,900. I had 853 hearts.
Kid Icarus is a tough game and I'm glad they don't make them like this much anymore. Still, it started an undervalued franchise that I've long enjoyed. The characters and mythological worldbuilding are strong, and the game will absolutely test your skills. This might have been a bit overlooked upon its release, but it's rightly considered an influential classic at this point.
Tim's Rating: N/A
If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, The Adventures of Lolo, Ice Climbers