Kid Icarus Uprising
SCORE: 64
Fans of Kid Icarus have been clamoring for a
sequel for some time now. Nintendo has heard their cries and published
Kid Icarus Uprising on the Nintendo 3DS. We actually expected this game
a long time ago. Nintendo showed us a video before the Nintendo 3DS was
launched. No complaints that we had to wait a year for Pit to finally
return as the star of his own video game.
Kid Icarus Uprising is broken down into two main parts. Part one is the
flying levels. We move Pit around with the circle joystick, use the
touch screen for targeting, and use the 'L' button to fire. If you hold
down the 'L' button there is continuous fire. If we lay off for a few
seconds we get a charged shot. The second set of levels are on the ground with
about the same controls. The one main difference is trying to turn
around in the 3D environment. Swipe the screen from one side to the other
to turn that way. Do it enough times to turn around.
Kid Icarus Uprising has the player taking on the role of an angel. This
angel Pit serves a goddess. Sadly Nintendo has gone all goddess crazy in
their recent games (Zelda Skyward Sword being another one). Pit is
fighting the underworld to stop Medusa - a dark goddess. Not really
clear why this was missed in the regionalization with over 90% of
Americans believing in God, and not goddesses. Maybe Nintendo is
targeting that less than 10% with Kid Icarus Uprising.
The 3D effects in Kid Icarus Uprising are astounding. I can not believe
how good this game looks. You know how we have complained about having
to line up our eyes with the screen to make it work? Nintendo has found
a solution and it came packed with the Kid Icarus Uprising box. The
solution is a 3DS stand. This stabilizes the Nintendo 3DS, and minimizes
getting the 3DS screen off center with our eyes. It does make the
Nintendo 3DS feel like less of a hand held though.
Kid Icarus Uprising has two visual problems. The first is how some
female characters dress. They could put more clothes on. The second is
the violence. Kid Icarus Uprising is part shooter and part action
adventure title - which is actually more shooting. We can do some
hacking and slashing on the ground levels. The more things we shoot and
kill the more hearts we get. Hearts are the currency in Kid Icarus
Uprising.
One novel aspect of Kid Icarus Uprising is the difficulty setting.
Before each level we can wager hearts. If we can beat the level without
dying then we get additional hearts. If we want to make the game easier
we can spend hearts to do so. This helps Kid Icarus Uprising be
approachable by all skill sets. There are also weapons that can be
purchased, and merged together to make new ones.
Kid Icarus Uprising is long. There are twenty-five main levels in the
single player mode. Each of those contain a flying and a ground level.
So we might as well say fifty levels in Kid Icarus Uprising. It can take
some time to beat some of the levels which makes Kid Icarus Uprising
feel more like a home console than a hand held.
The music in Kid Icarus Uprising is awesome. I also appreciate all of
the voice acting throughout the levels. They offer advice on how to beat
certain enemies, especially the bosses. The sound needs to be on in Kid
Icarus Uprising, otherwise you will miss a lot. There are references to
the original Kid Icarus game, and plenty of bad jokes. Yes the jokes are
pretty bad in Kid Icarus Uprising.
The control scheme works perfectly in the flying levels. It is easy to
move around the screen, avoid being shot, and to murder all the monsters
in your path. The ground levels are painful to play. I got headaches
after some levels. Running down a hallway and having to take a ninety
degree turn to the right (or left) was annoying. Plus an enemy might be
waiting and cheaply hit me while I am trying to face that direction. I had trouble
jumping in some rooms since there are jump pads, and auto jumping.
Running was easy to turn on, but it sure turned itself off quickly.
The bosses in Kid Icarus Uprising will keep players on their toes. There
are specific things that must be done to each boss to beat it. Finding
what that is, can be part of the fun. The game generally gives the
player some verbal direction on this. In intense battles their commands
were sometimes missed. It would have been nice if there had been
multiple paths to beating each boss.
The spiritual aspects of Kid Icarus Uprising are what bother me the
most. I expected the violence. I did not expect all the goddess
religious teachings. Nor did I expect all the idol content. I already
mentioned the lack of regionalization in this area. There are so many
creative ways this could have been handled for the American audience.
She could have been an arch-angel fighting off demons. It is my hope and
prayer that Nintendo regionalizes the religious content in future games.
- Paul
Graphics: 59%
Sound: 69%
Replay/Extras: 84%
Gameplay: 60%
Family Friendly Factor: 50%
System: Nintendo 3DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: ‘E10+’ - Everyone 10+
{Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes}
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Links that back up the facts in this Review:
Belief in God
Greek Mythology Practiced Today