Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

"A game of mythic proportions...*whap* Ow..."

Kid Icarus. Probably one of many unsung Nintendo classics. Now as I understand, there's an NES game that's much different, but I haven't played that one. That said...

Let's start in the middle...no wait, that's not right. Let's start at the beginning.

Everything was peaceful in the kingdom of Angel Land. All were happy under the rule of the Goddess Palutena. But one day, something shattered this great peace.
Palutena had a nightmare, of her peaceful Angel Land being invaded by the mysterious Orcos. Frightened, she calls for Pit, the leader of the Icarus Army. Pit is the only one who can stop Orcos, but he needs the Three Sacred Treasures of Angel Land. Sadly, he does not possess the power to use them, so Palutena orders him into a program of intense training...

Not like any of the myths I've ever heard, but it's not a bad one. I'm sure you're all begging me to tell you what happens next, so here goes.

Pit's training forces him to fight his way to the Sky Palace of Goddess Palutena, from the Underworld Tower, to the Over World, to the Sky World Tower. He must also recover the Sacred Treasures from the Guardians of each world along the way.

But this isn't enough. You will meet up with Zeus many times along the way, and he will reward you if you've done well. In his training chambers, he will reward you with a power-up weapon if you survive. He will also reward you with Power Arrows (up to 8) if you have fought hard to find his secret room, and life extensions if you fight hard to the end of a stage.

How well you do in your training will determine your reward when you reach the Sky Palace. Doing very well will allow you to wear all three Sacred Treasures: the Pegasus Wings that let Pit fly, the Silver Armor that protects you from damage, and the rapid-firing Light Arrows. Training not-so-well will result in getting only one treasure, which may determine the final battle...

So train, and train well, Pit!


Enough of that, let's get down to business.

Story: (7/10) Better than most games. At least it wasn't the Goddess getting kidnapped, as that gets old fast. Of course...well, I won't tell you any more.

Graphics: (7/10) As I've said in other reviews, I don't expect much out of Gameboy games, especially early ones. There isn't much to say about the worlds themselves, but the characters were very good, especially the enemies. The Minotaur (World 1 Guardian) was very well done, with much more detail than most of the regular characters, who looked a bit more cartoony. Which isn't bad really, but in comparison...
And of course, the final boss was best of all. You're going to have to see it for yourself to know what I mean.

Sound: (5/10) I didn't expect much here, and I didn't get much either. The music was less than spectacular, getting a bit monotonous in parts. I've heard much better.
Very basic sound effects, such as the little *boing* for jumping, and the tiny roar for shooting fireballs. Nothing special.

Gameplay: (9/10) Some good stuff in this department. I still really don't understand how some of the reward systems work, such as how Zeus determines if you get a Power Arrow or says ''You must train harder, Pit.'' I get the idea that I have to train harder...but I don't know in what way.
But anyway, the reward system was one of the main elements in this game's play, and it was something I really hadn't seen before.
Another thing I liked was turning Pit into an eggplant. Okay, maybe it isn't exactly an integral part of the game, but it's still fun.

Challenge: (9/10) The bosses can be extremely tough sometimes, especially if you're facing them for the first time. Then there's the goal of obtaining the Three Treasures. It is quite a bit of a challenge to actually get all three at the end of your training.

Replay Value: (8/10) If you have a lot of time, you might like to try to get through the game a few times. It's a fun game, and what I mentioned in the above section is a good reason to try again.


All in all, it's a great game. Like many games, I got this one on a whim one day, without knowing exactly what it was, and I'm glad I did.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/25/01, Updated 09/25/01