Kid Icarus: The Best Nintendo Series You Never Played

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2D side scrolling gameplay of Kid Icarus for the NES

Gameplay of Kid Icarus on the NES // Courtesy of Wikipedia

While Nintendo has created countless franchises that have become defining icons of the videogame space, there also many that have not gained the level of love and attention that they probably deserve. Kid Icarus is one such series.

The Original Kid Icarus was released in December 1986 for the Famicom Disk system in Japan, though the western release was an altered version for cartridges. It had initially been the passion project of a single man, Toru Osawa. Kid Icarus was Osawa’s very first game after joining Nintendo’s RaD1 department. When they had told him he could make any game he wanted, Osawa chose to make an action game based a Greek Mythology, which he was always a big fan of. What he was not told, however, was that he would be the only person working on the game for several months.

By the time other RaD1 employees joined the project after finishing Metroid, Osawa only had a few months left before the deadline, and he was nowhere near finished. With the extra talent on board, development sped up incredibly, but in the insane rush to meet the deadline, other creative voice notably changed the games tone. Osawa’s serious Greek myth became notably sillier and more cartoonish, with credit cards and Eggplant Wizards among other things. However, after months of struggle, the game was finished on time, and a new Nintendo franchise was born.

Pit and Palutena in the Subspace Emissary campaign mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Pit and palutena as depited in super smash bros. brawl, the first appearance of their modern redesigns // courtesy of tenor user juks_fanterisen

The game sold moderately well and received a Gameboy sequel in 1991, but not much after that. For the next two decades the series was dormant outside of the odd cameo or reference in games like Kirby Super Star, WarioWare, or Super Smash Bros. Melee. The next major development for Kid Icarus was the inclusion of series hero Pit as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which was many fans initial introduction to the franchise. This also marked Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai’s first major involvement with Kid Icarus, though it certainly wasn’t the last.

When tasked with creating a new game for the upcoming 3DS, Sakurai came up with the idea for a shooter that would alternate between aerial and land-based battles. When considering Nintendo franchises to go with concept, Kid Icarus and its angelic hero fit the bill. Thus, was born 2012’s Kid Icarus Uprising, one of the great gems of the 3DS lineup.

This game breathed new life into the series. The 2D sidescrolling gameplay was completely reworked into a third person shooter. The story and characters were also vastly fleshed out, feeling like a full season of anime in a way that never interrupts with the pace of the gameplay. The seamless blend of gameplay and story with a loveable cast of humorous characters gave the series something it hadn’t had in decades, a genuine, passionate fanbase.

Despite Uprising’s success, not much has come from the series sense. Sakurai has increased the amount of Kid Icarus representation in later Super Smash Bros. games, adding new fighters, stages, and easter eggs, but that’s it. No sign of any new games. Not even any hints of a modern Uprising rerelease, a common fan request likely hindered by the games over reliance on 3DS specific gimmicks. Sakurai has expressed no interest in making a sequel, and with no news in a decade, it seems like the games newfound popularity still could not save it from the pit of forgotten Nintendo IP’s. However, in a time where we have recently gotten Metroid 5 and Pikmin 4, hope for a new Kid Icarus may not be completely dead. A new game is the last thing most would predict at after so long, but if there’s one consistent thing about Nintendo, it’s how unpredictable they are.

3d Third person shooter gameplay of Kid Icarus Uprising. Pit aims a cannon at an enemy.

Kid icarus uprising’s land gameplay, shifting into a third person shooter // courtesy of game informer

Gareth Myers - A hardcore casual fighting game scrub, childhood Nintendo baby, and practically the text book definition of a basement dwelling nerd. I have spent many an hour studying the history and art of videogames, when I probably should have spent that time learning even the most basic combos to avoid online bodying. I wish to one day use my writing talents to make my own sci-fi fantasy novels to bring my own characters and stories to life, but until then rambling about games for the internet will be fine enough practice.