Kid Icarus

The Good
In 1987, Nintendo released what was to become one of it’s best and most forgotten game. Kid Icarus. From the same man whom created Metroid, Kid Icarus is the better game, but only has yet to spawn one sequel, which was on the Gameboy.

In Kid Icarus, the evil Medusa, has abducted the goddess Palthena, it is up to Pit, aka Kid Icarus, to save his land and goddess, from the clutches of Medusa. The game spans six stages, with the best saved for last, in which Pit takes to the skies!

Gameplay wise, this plays very similarly to Metroid. Only instead of moving right to left, normally you move down to up. With the exception of the final stage. Each stage consists of levels. In which Pit dispatches foes, with his bow and arrow. The final level in each stage is a fortress, not unlike Super Mario Bros. And a boss awaits you at the end of each.

Pit collects magical items at the completion of each stage. And during stages is rewarded with money for killing enemies. This cash can be used to buy items from various shops. You can also take on extra challenges from Zeus, which will earn you various gifts.

Graphically speaking, Kid Icarus, is one of the better looking NES games. But still suffers due to the weakness of the ancient hardware. At least you can tell what things are unlike some NES games.

The music is excellent. The tunes sound heroic and fit the game well. They stand as some of the best music ever produced for a NES game. The Sound Effects are not done as well but they get the job done.

Controls are responsive but limited, due to the Nintendo’s primitive controller.

The Bad
On the downside, this game is too easy. It is easier than Paris Hilton. And this game is virtually forgotten nowadays. Which is a shame, considering how fun and imaginative it is. The Nintendo control makes my hands bleed!

The Bottom Line
There is light at the end of the tunnel. As there is a rumor that Nintendo is making a new Kid Icarus for there new console. Play this game! I got a copy online for about five bucks. Or you can emulate it as it is one of the few games Nintendo does not have protected, I guess they don’t care about. Further proof is that the did not re-release this game on the GBA.