Kid Icarus
Kid Icarus is one of Nintendo's lost franchises, and shares a lot in common with Metroid, Gumpei Yokoi's more well-known series (such as multiple endings). There are plenty of vertically-scrolling levels, Pitt fires arrows a short distance, just like Samus' starting beam shot. And as you progress, you earn a longer health bar and obtain flaming arrows that can be fired a greater distance. Yokoi also invented the Gameboy, and so it comes as no surprise at all that both Metroid and Kid Icarus spawned portable sequels.
Yep, those are Metroids.
Kid Icarus is rather unique among platformers in that the screen wraps around (similar to Pac-Man or Wrecking Crew) allowing you to move from one side of the screen to the other. Pitt can duck, fire arrows straight up into the air, and flutter if you tap the A button while in mid-jump. Pressing Select equips him with the hammer, which can be used to destroy certain blocks and free centurions who've been turned to stone.
Warning: screen only scrolls up. If you fall, you die.
Kid Icarus takes a cue from Mario however in its level structure. Pitt traverses two (horizontal or vertical) levels and then enters a labyrinth-like dungeon. The standard levels contain training rooms where, if sucessful, Zeus grants Pitt an item or upgrade. Freed centurions will help out when he encounters the dungeon's overlord, usually a creature lifted from Greek mythology (such as the three-headed dog, Cerberus).
Pitt fights Pandora (or perhaps the evils she unleashed?)
Despite its title, Kid Icarus doesn't strive for mythological accuracy, sprinkling complementary elements throughout. Like Cupid, he collects hearts along his journey, which serve as currency. The world, called "Angel Land" (so-named because the inhabitants have wings) is somewhat of a misnomer since Pitt only wears a hallow once he's dead. Pitt will encounter many a strange creature, the most notorious of which is the cruel Eggplant Wizard, who will turn him into a hapless vegetable - the only cure for which is a visit to the dungeon's resident nurse.
Eggplant Wizards. It doesn't get any better than this.
The final stage is a horizontal shooter where Pitt flies around wearing Pegasus wings. At the end of the stage you fight Medusa, who fires beams from a giant eyeball and snakes from her mane of hair. Once he's rescued the Goddess Palutena, the kid grows into a man (and may range from a farmer, a knight and so on depending on certain factors). The multiple endings were a novelty at the time.
Pitt takes flight with Mirror Shield in tow.
The Gameboy sequel to the cult hit NES game, Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters follows much the same formula as the original and is even more challenging. This time Pitt has been given the task of protecting Angel Land (not Palutena) from the invading hordes of Orcos (instead of Medusa). The main difference is that the Gameboy game features a battery-back up allowing players to save between levels instead of writing down a lengthy 24 character password, and the screen can scroll up AND down.
What it lacks in color it makes up with fun.
Perhaps it was out of respect for Gumpei Yokoi that Nintendo refrained from creating sequels to Metroid during the N64 era, and why Kid Icarus hasn't seen a sequel since the release of Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters on the Gameboy. But there are murmurs that a sequel is well underway for their new console, the Revolution...
Gone but not forgotten, Pitt puts in an appearance in 3d...
Kid Icarus is one of Nintendo's lost franchises, and shares a lot in common with Metroid, Gumpei Yokoi's more well-known series (such as multiple endings). There are plenty of vertically-scrolling levels, Pitt fires arrows a short distance, just like Samus' starting beam shot. And as you progress, you earn a longer health bar and obtain flaming arrows that can be fired a greater distance. Yokoi also invented the Gameboy, and so it comes as no surprise at all that both Metroid and Kid Icarus spawned portable sequels.
Yep, those are Metroids.
Kid Icarus is rather unique among platformers in that the screen wraps around (similar to Pac-Man or Wrecking Crew) allowing you to move from one side of the screen to the other. Pitt can duck, fire arrows straight up into the air, and flutter if you tap the A button while in mid-jump. Pressing Select equips him with the hammer, which can be used to destroy certain blocks and free centurions who've been turned to stone.
Warning: screen only scrolls up. If you fall, you die.
Kid Icarus takes a cue from Mario however in its level structure. Pitt traverses two (horizontal or vertical) levels and then enters a labyrinth-like dungeon. The standard levels contain training rooms where, if sucessful, Zeus grants Pitt an item or upgrade. Freed centurions will help out when he encounters the dungeon's overlord, usually a creature lifted from Greek mythology (such as the three-headed dog, Cerberus).
Pitt fights Pandora (or perhaps the evils she unleashed?)
Despite its title, Kid Icarus doesn't strive for mythological accuracy, sprinkling complementary elements throughout. Like Cupid, he collects hearts along his journey, which serve as currency. The world, called "Angel Land" (so-named because the inhabitants have wings) is somewhat of a misnomer since Pitt only wears a hallow once he's dead. Pitt will encounter many a strange creature, the most notorious of which is the cruel Eggplant Wizard, who will turn him into a hapless vegetable - the only cure for which is a visit to the dungeon's resident nurse.
Eggplant Wizards. It doesn't get any better than this.
The final stage is a horizontal shooter where Pitt flies around wearing Pegasus wings. At the end of the stage you fight Medusa, who fires beams from a giant eyeball and snakes from her mane of hair. Once he's rescued the Goddess Palutena, the kid grows into a man (and may range from a farmer, a knight and so on depending on certain factors). The multiple endings were a novelty at the time.
Pitt takes flight with Mirror Shield in tow.
The Gameboy sequel to the cult hit NES game, Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters follows much the same formula as the original and is even more challenging. This time Pitt has been given the task of protecting Angel Land (not Palutena) from the invading hordes of Orcos (instead of Medusa). The main difference is that the Gameboy game features a battery-back up allowing players to save between levels instead of writing down a lengthy 24 character password, and the screen can scroll up AND down.
What it lacks in color it makes up with fun.
Perhaps it was out of respect for Gumpei Yokoi that Nintendo refrained from creating sequels to Metroid during the N64 era, and why Kid Icarus hasn't seen a sequel since the release of Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters on the Gameboy. But there are murmurs that a sequel is well underway for their new console, the Revolution...
Gone but not forgotten, Pitt puts in an appearance in 3d...
Kid Icarus was third behind Zelda and Metroid for my favorite NES titles... never forget.
