Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

"Fire Arrows At Demons Who Have Invaded For Some Reason!"

Plot-
Score: 4
Why: The story is all but given away at the very start of the game, and it's as follows:

A Goddess by the name of Palutena had a dream that Angel Land was going to be invaded by demons. She sends a valiant warrior, named Pit, into training to prepare for this attack. He now has to find 3 Treasures to aid him in this battle.

Now, we have no idea as to WHY these demons are attacking, nor do we know why this Goddess doesn't use her Goddess Powers to stop them, so we have to rely on a fellow named Pit.

It's a decent plot, but it just leaves a few gaping holes tat are never explained.

Music-
Score: 8
Reason: For a game that came out in 1991 for the Gameboy, this game has some good music. The opening theme, for example, is great. It just gives you a feeling that this is from a myth. Each world has it's own theme, each fitting the area, and the dungeons have creepy music that fits them as well. The boss battle music is also great, it gives you a feeling of urgency as you fight.

Graphics-
Score: 5
Reason: The graphics in this game are decent, but they're not the best. Each area has many unique monsters, but, after a while, they just get reused. The dungeon areas look very much alike, with only a few new graphics thrown in to maker them look different and to add challenge. Pit never seems to change, until the very end of the game when you use the 3 Treasures. However, if you get the shield/attack gems and the flame arrows, and you have the life blocks needed, they will appear, adding a little difference to his otherwise dull sprite.

Items-
Score: 5
Reason: There are a few items in this game. Some help you by saving your life while the others open up areas that you've already been to. Items like Credit Cards are rare, but if you can get them, they'll be used for 1 purchase in shops, but after that, they're gone. Barrels are great for storing bottles of life potion, but they, too are rare, and if you can buy them, they're expensive. Keys can be a great help, as they open doors you've already been in, but if you've been in all the doors, you can find a secret key item at the end of a level that opens them all up again, making the key you can buy worthless. There are a few others, but none of these items are needed to beat the game. They're only designed to make things a little easier.

Control-
Score: 10
Reason: The controls in this game are pretty tight in general, with very few lags between button pressing and actions. There's really nothing more to say about them.

Difficulty-
Score: 5
Reason: The 5 is because this game can go either way. If you don't get arrow upgrades, new life blocks or items from training, this game can be insanely hard. However, if you spend a lot of time killing enemies, which gets you arrow upgrades and life blocks, plus get all the training completed items, this game can be very, very easy.

Fun-
Score: 7
Reason: This game offers hours of arrow shooting, demon killing, heart {money} finding fun. However, this game can and will get old if you spend too much time in a level trying to get new life blocks or trying to build up your arrow upgrades.

Overall-
Score: 6

Bottom Line: If you enjoyed the NES game, or just want hours of arrow firing fun, then find this game. If you didn't, then just stay away.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/24/03