Letís say you were born to fly.
At least, thatís what the wings would seem to suggest.
But all the sudden, youíre tied to the ground, kept out of the skies...what do you do?
I mean, after six years, you probably get cranky.
After seven, resentful.
After eight, stiff wings.
But after twenty one?
How do you come back from that?
Thatís the question a certain angel had to ponder for more than two decades, and itís
a question this aims to answer.
Itís a happy ending to a sad story.
Itís the resurrection of a neglected hero that was never forgotten and more importantly...itís
a tremendous video game.
Itís the aptly named Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Welcome back, Pit.
Released in March for the Nintendo 3DS, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a game many of us thought
would never happen.
And yet, here we are.
The arrows are soaring, the floating eyes are...floating and Pit is flyingówait, Pit
is flying?
Yes, Pit is flying.
So uh, what do you do on the bench for 21 years?
Evidently, you play a lot of Sin and Punishment.
And whatever the hell this is.
Uprising is a gargantuan game, in terms of modes and content.
But in terms of its gameplay, itís split into two parts.
Most levels have an on-rails flying sectionóbasically Sin and Punishment: Kid Icarus Editionóand
a ground section, where you fight on-foot in a kind of third-person action game.
Both approaches are good, and they provide the game some diversity, but Uprising is at
its best when youíre in the air.
Perhaps no surprise for an angel.
In fact, the aerial parts are downright thrilling.
Since Pit canít actually fly, the goddess Palutena is essentially giving him the gift
of temporary flight.
She moves him through the heavens at a breakneck speed and happens to be quite a cinematographer.
But when youíre on the ground, things slow down.
Now, the game is still good, but this is definitely the weaker half of Uprising, and that has
a lot to do with the controls.
When youíre in the sky, you move Pit with the circle pad and aim with the stylus, and
it works brilliantly.
But on the ground...itís a bit awkward.
You still move Pit with the circle pad, but now, the stylus controls your aim and the
camera.
And itís very awkward.
If youíre wondering where the platforming is, well, there is none.
Kid Icarus has been changed from its original form, but one of the most impressive things
about Uprising is how meticulously it recreates the Kid Icarus vibe.
The same enemies, the same music, no detail was spared.
So this doesnít just feel like some action game with ìKid Icarusî slapped on the box.
Through dialogue, through references and...through eggplants, Uprising feels very much like a
Kid Icarus sequel.
And part of me still canít believe Iím saying thatóa Kid Icarus sequel.
Youíd think a game like this would falter beneath the weight of its own expectations,
but this isnít a retro rehash.
Itís actually a reinvention, a game that impresses less because of its nostalgia than
its sheer quality.
And thatís what so special about this game.
Kid Icarus: Uprising isnít just a love letter to our childhoods.
Two decades later, the forgotten angel is more relevant than ever...and maybe...just
maybe...even better.