Overview and Gameplay
Pit escapes the Underworld to recover the Three Sacred Treasures, defeat Medusa, and rescue the goddess Palutena. Kid Icarus mixes vertical platforming, side-scrolling combat, character growth, and maze-like fortress stages.
Defeated enemies drop hearts used as currency in shops. Score contributes to Pit’s development, while training rooms, weapon upgrades, health increases, and rescued centurions improve his chances. The opening areas are especially demanding because the screen scrolls upward and falling below it can be fatal.
Controls And Mechanics
- Move, climb, crouch, and aim with the directional pad.
- Jump with A and fire arrows with B.
- Select changes the equipped special weapon, while Start pauses and displays status information.
- Fortresses contain branching rooms, locked doors, bosses, shops, hospitals, and petrified centurions that can be freed with mallets.
- The final stage changes into an airborne shooting sequence using the Three Sacred Treasures.
Version Notes
This North American cartridge replaces the Japanese Famicom Disk System version’s save feature with a password system. It also includes revised audio, ending presentation, credits, and final-stage controls.
Release And Credits
- North American release: 1987
- Developer: Nintendo R&D1 with TOSE assistance
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Original platform: Famicom Disk System
- Japanese title: Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami
