Kid Icarus: Uprising

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Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kid Icarus-Uprising logo.jpg
North American box art for Kid Icarus: Uprising featuring Pit, the protagonist.
Developer(s) Project Sora
Sora Ltd.
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Masahiro Sakurai
Producer(s) Yoshihiro Matsushima
Artist(s) Toshio Noguchi
Akifumi Yamamoto
Masaki Hirooka
Writer(s) Masahiro Sakurai[1]
Composer(s) Motoi Sakuraba
Yuzo Koshiro
Masafumi Takada
Noriyuki Iwadare
Takahiro Nishi[2]
Yasunori Mitsuda[3]
Series Kid Icarus
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)
  • JP March 22, 2012
  • NA March 23, 2012[4]
  • EU March 23, 2012[5]
  • AUS March 29, 2012
Genre(s) Third-person shooter, rail shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Kid Icarus: Uprising, known in Japan as Shin Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami (新・光神話 パルテナの鏡?, lit. "New Light Mythology: Palutena's Mirror"),[6][7][8] is a title for the Nintendo 3DS video game system, developed by Project Sora (Sora Ltd.) and published by Nintendo.[9] It is the third game in the Kid Icarus series and the first since 1991's Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, a twenty-year wait referenced in the game's announcement trailer shown at E3 2010.[9] It was released on March 23, 2012 in North America[10] and Europe. The game is also compatible with Circle Pad Pro and is bundled with the Nintendo 3DS Stand accessory for every copy of the game. It also uses the Nintendo Network, and is the first official game outside of Japan to do so.

Contents

Gameplay [edit]

Players take control of Pit, who must protect the land from the evil Medusa.[11][12] The game is controlled with the Circle Pad and stylus and has highly customisable options. The Circle Pad Pro peripheral is also supported for left-handed players.[13] The game ships with a stand allowing the player to hold the 3DS in place.[14] Each of the game's various chapters are split up into air and ground sections. Air sections are on-rail shooting segments, in which players must shoot flying enemies while dodging enemy attacks. Once on the ground, players have more control over Pit as he traverses through the level. Pit can either shoot enemies from a distance or attack them up close with melee attacks, while also performing various moves to dodge enemy attacks.[13] As the game progresses, Pit earns several weapons of nine types- bows, claws, blades (a combination of a sword and a gun), clubs, orbitars (two objects that hover at Pit's shoulders), staffs, arms (a weapon that fits around Pit's wrist), palms (magical tattoos covering Pit's arm), and cannons, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.[15] By collecting hearts from defeated enemies, players can bet these hearts to increase the 'intensity' of a chapter, increasing its difficulty. If the player successfully clears a chapter, they can earn rewards, such as new weapons, depending on the intensity settings, with higher intensity earning more powerful equipment.[13][16]

Along with the game's single-player story mode, the game also features multiplayer for up to six players locally or via Wi-Fi. Players can compete in Team Deathmatches or Free-For-Alls using standard fighter characters. In the Team Deathmatch mode, named Light vs Dark, each team has a health meter that depletes when a player is defeated. The value of the player's weapon determines how far the meter depletes after death, and the player whose death depletes the meter completely will become their team's angel, a more powerful character who represents the team. The match ends when the other team's angel is defeated.[13][17] The game also comes with Augmented Reality cards that can be used to play a battle minigame with the 3DS' augmented reality features.[13]

Plot [edit]

The plot of Kid Icarus: Uprising follows the angelic protagonist Pit, as he battles against a reborn Medusa, Goddess of Darkness who seeks to destroy mankind. With the help of Palutena, Goddess of Light, Pit gains the "Power of Flight" to travel the skies and fight the Underworld Army, defeating Twinbellows.[11] After Pit takes out Medusa's commander Dark Lord Gaol, he battles Hewdraw before going after Pandora in the Labyrinth of Deceit to destroy her artifact called the Mirror of Truth to create copies of Underworld monsters. In the process, a doppelgänger of Pit named Dark Pit is created, but he operates according to his own free will, which is destroying both the Underworld Army and Pit. He absorbs Pandora's remains and becomes a wild card in the conflict. After giving an unsuccessful chase for him, Pit and Palutena resume their attack on Medusa and kill her last commander, Thanatos, with the help of Poseidon. After retrieving the Three Sacred Treasures, Pit enters the Underworld and defeats Medusa. However, it turned out that Medusa was a fake leader revived by the true Lord of the Underworld: Hades.

Revealing that Medusa's actions were his doing, Hades intends to take the war to a grander stage by causing an all-out war among the nations of men over his Wish Seed red herring. This also results in a war among the gods as Pit finds himself fighting the forces of Viridi, the childlike Goddess of Nature who intends to wipe out the "greedy" humans and restore natural order with her genocidal "Reset Bombs".

However, after Pit defeats both of her commanders, the massive-scale war of the gods causes a mysterious alien race called the Aurum to take notice and invade earth for its resources. All three factions, along with the Sun God Pyrrhon, join forces against them. However, being well informed of their enemy and tired of their belittlement, Pyrrhon used the other gods to fuse himself with the Aurum Brain, the Aurum's Hive Mind, to surpass them all. Pit defeats the controlled Pyrrhon. In the end, with the Aurum Brain critically damaged, Pyrrhon uses the last of his strength to send the entire Aurum armada and himself to the other end of the Galaxy.

However, the Chaos Kin, a monster that was sealed until accidentally released by Pit during his fight with Viridi's general Arlon, takes control of Palutena and used her to attack humanity while Pit's soul is placed in a ring for three years before being reunited with his body with the help of Magnus. Pit ends up joining forces with Viridi as she sends him to the Hall of the Lightning Chariot, where Pit faces the Chariot Master and acquires the Chariot needed to reach Palutena. Though Pit succeeds in breaking the hold the Chaos Kin has over her, it takes Paletuna's soul and escapes into the Chaos Vortex. Pit and Dark Pit give chase and track down the Chaos Kin, finishing it off and restoring Palutena. With its final bit of strength, the Chaos Kin clutches Dark Pit and dives into the nothingness. Pit dives after him, and asks Viridi to reactivate the power of flight. She does so, enabling Pit to save Dark Pit but leaving himself without wings and near death. Dark Pit then travels to the Underworld and seeks out the Rewind Spring, a spring of divine water that allows the user to turn back the effects of time. While heading there they learn of Hades's true intentions: Using the souls of those lost in the conflict to create more monsters and enhance his power. Once at the Rewind Spring, Pandora leaves Dark Pit's body to resume her original body. Dark Pit defeats Pandora, loses his ability of flight, and restores Pit to life.

After an attempt to take out Hades with the Three Sacred Treasures ends up getting the items destroyed, Pit seeks out Dyntos, the God of the forge and endures his three trials to be granted the Great Sacred Treasure. With Pit engaging Hades in a final battle, Pit unleashes the full power of the Sacred Treasure, vaporizing Hades. The world is saved, but Hades's disembodied voice expresses that he might be able to revive himself with 25 years' time.

Development [edit]

Kid Icarus: Uprising is developed by Nintendo's Project Sora development studio[18] and built specifically for the Nintendo 3DS.[11] The game retains Pit and Palutena's new looks as introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[19]

The game has two soundtracks. The first one, entitled Shin Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami Music Selection (jap. 新・光神話 パルテナの鏡 ミュージックセレクション, which translates to: Kid Icarus: Uprising Music Selection) features twenty-five tracks that have been selected from the game.[20] The original soundtrack however, holds all seventy-one tracks.[21] Motoi Sakuraba is one of the six composers in the game.[22]

Animation [edit]

To promote the game, Nintendo commissioned three Japanese animation studios to produce short stereoscopic animations based on the game, which were made viewable on the Nintendo 3DS' Nintendo Video service:

  • Thanatos Rising (空飛ぶ木馬 Soratobu Mokuba?, lit. Flying Trojan Horse) by Production I.G: Three-part short as Pit works to save a village from being attacked by Medusa's first in command: Thanatos, the God of Death.
  • Medusa's Revenge (メデューサの逆襲 Medyūsa no Gyakushū?) by Studio 4°C: A prologue to the game showing Medusa's rise to power and Palutena's pledge to stop her.
  • Palutena's Revolting Dinner (おいかけて/おいかけられて Oikakete / Oikakerarete?, lit Chasing After / Being Chased) by Shaft: Two-part short in which Palutena accidentally unleashes a group of living carrots all over Skyworld.

Reception [edit]

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 84.65%[23]
Metacritic 83/100[24]
Review scores
Publication Score
Edge 8/10[25]
Eurogamer 9/10[26]
Famitsu 40/40[27]
G4 3.5/5[28]
Game Informer 7/10[29]
IGN 8.5/10[30]
Nintendo Power 9.5/10[31]
Official Nintendo Magazine 91%[32]

Prior to release, Kid Icarus: Uprising was nominated for Best E3 Trailer by GameSpot at E3 2010.[33]

Upon release, Kid Icarus: Uprising has received very positive reviews. Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 91%[32] while Famitsu gave it a perfect 40/40 score.[27] Edge gave the game an 8 out of 10,[25] and IGN gave it an 8.5, calling it a game full of superb action, stunning graphics and solid gameplay, though criticizing its control scheme.[30] Eurogamer gave the game a 9 out of 10 and said that "Kid Icarus: Uprising is a strong, pretty game turned into an essential one by way of its surrounding infrastructure."[26] Nintendo Power scored the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising its surprising story and controls, and saying that it "was well worth the wait".[31]

In contrast, Game Informer was more critical, giving the game a 7 out of 10 and stating that "Kid Icarus: Uprising is charming, and there’s plenty to see and do. It’s a shame that the very real threat of repetitive stress injury may keep some players from playing to the end."[29]

At the 2012 "Platinum Chalice Awards", the game won "best handheld game" chosen by the readers.[34] Also the European site Gamereactor chose it as the best portable of 2012.[35] [36]

The game sold 316,000 copies in Japan in 2012.[37] As of March 31, 2013, the game has worldwide sales of 1.18 million units. [38]

Despite the positive reception of Kid Icarus: Uprising, the game's creator Masahiro Sakurai stated, in an interview with IGN, that he is not intending to develop a sequel.[39]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Sakurai: Some game stories 'honestly irksome'". February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013. 
  2. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising - Game Credits". March 23, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012. 
  3. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising - composer info, samples". March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012. 
  4. ^ Newton, James (December 13, 2011). "Kid Icarus: Uprising Out in North America on 23rd March". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 5, 2012. 
  5. ^ Newton, James (January 25, 2012). "Kid Icarus: Uprising Flies to Europe on 23rd March". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 5, 2012. 
  6. ^ "社長が訊くE3特別篇『新･光神話パルテナの鏡』". 任天堂 E3 2010情報. Nintendo Co., Ltd. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010. 
  7. ^ "Iwata Asks: Kid Icarus: Uprising". Nintendo E3 Network. Nintendo of America, Inc. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  8. ^ Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Sound Tracks Vol. 1 (Album notes). Scitron Digital Contents. 2004. http://vgmdb.net/album/404.
  9. ^ a b "3DS' Launch Title Will be Kid Icarus Uprising". Joystiq.co.uk. 15 June 2010. 
  10. ^ "Nintendo Dates Kid Icarus: Uprising, Rhythm Heaven Wii, Mario Party 9". 1UP.com. 13 December 2011. 
  11. ^ a b c "KID ICARUS: UPRISING". Nintendo E3 Network. 15 June 2010. 
  12. ^ "E3 2010: Kid Icarus Uprising Announced for 3DS". 1UP.com. 15 June 2010. 
  13. ^ a b c d e Kid Icarus: Uprising (In-Game Manual). Nintendo of America. 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-12. 
  14. ^ http://www.nintendo.co.uk/kidicarus
  15. ^ Kid Icarus: Uprising (Single Sheet Insert). Nintendo of America. 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-12. 
  16. ^ http://www.gamesradar.com/how-difficult-can-kid-icarus-uprising-be-new-railer-explains-intensity/
  17. ^ http://kidicarus.nintendo.com/uprising/multiplayer/rules.html#light-vs-dark
  18. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising confirmed for 3DS". Videogamer.com. 15 June 2010. 
  19. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising announced for 3DS". Joystiq.co.uk. 15 June 2010. 
  20. ^ "Shin Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami Music Selection". VGMdb. Retrieved December 5, 2012. 
  21. ^ "Shin Hikari Shinwa Palutena no Kagami Original Soundtrack". VGMdb. Retrieved December 5, 2012. 
  22. ^ "Motoi Sakuraba". VGMdb. Retrieved December 5, 2012. 
  23. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising". GameRankings. Retrieved 2012-07-13. 
  24. ^ "Kid Icarus: Uprising". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-07-13. 
  25. ^ a b "Edge Magazine Awards Kid Icarus Uprising 10/10". Mynintendonews.com. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012. 
  26. ^ a b "Kid Icarus: Uprising Review". Eurogamer.net. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012. 
  27. ^ a b "Famitsu Review Scores(3/13/12)". Gamingeverything.com. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012. 
  28. ^ Hayward, Andrew (2012-03-23). "Kid Icarus: Uprising Review for 3DS". G4. Retrieved 2012-03-23. 
  29. ^ a b "Kid Icarus: Uprising - 3DS". Gameinformer.com. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012. 
  30. ^ a b "Kid Icarus Uprising Review". Ds.Ign.com. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012. 
  31. ^ a b "Kid Icarus: Uprising". Nintendo Power. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012. 
  32. ^ a b "Kid Icarus Uprising review". Computerandvideogames.com. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012. 
  33. ^ "GameSpot's Best of E3 2010". E3.Gamespot.com. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
  34. ^ "Platinum chalice awards 2012". 
  35. ^ "Best handheld game Gamereactor Spain". 
  36. ^ "Best handheld game Gamereactor Denmark". 
  37. ^ Ishaan (25 January 2013). "The Top-30 Best-Selling Games In Japan In 2012 Were…". Siliconera. Retrieved 21 April 2013. 
  38. ^ "Top Selling Software Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2013-04-24. 
  39. ^ "Nintendo: Kid Icarus: Uprising Sequel Unlikely". GamingUnion.net. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-05-10. 

External links [edit]

Kid Icarus series by Nintendo
Main series
Related articles

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