Kid Icarus
Reviewed by Kris Smith
Back in the days of regular Nintendo, you can find some the funniest
games ever created. The graphics may not have been the best, and
the game may not have had many really great special effects, but
that's not all that important when you have a game that's really fun
to play. Kid Icarus is one of those games. Made back when Nintendo
had just come out, it didn't have the advantage of all the new
technology that came out later, but one thing it did have going for
it, was that it was a great game.
Graphics 8 out of 10
The graphics for this game were really pretty good for it's time.
It's graphics were comparable to Super Mario Bros. quality, which
for the time, was really good. It also took good use of it's different
color palettes, which gave each new world a different look. They
really did a good job making the game look nice.
Music and Sound 9 out of 10
This game had some really great music for when it came out. I found
the music pleasant, and not really annoying like it can be on some
games. It really added to the atmosphere of the game and made it
enjoyable.
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
This one a very challenging game. The different monsters had different
strengths, and made you think before just running in and shooting. For
example, some monsters, such as the Grim Reaper, would get really
angry when you attack them, and then send other monsters (in this
case, mini-Grim Reapers) to fight you. Also, the Eggplant Wizards
could trap you in a giant eggplant which made it so you couldn't
attack, if you weren't careful. The level design also provided a
great challenge, because it required precise jumps to avoid falling
(and dieing). Also, some areas branched off in two directions, and
you didn't know if you took the better one until you already choose
one. For example, one direction might have a bunch of enemies,
while the other has a door which leads to an item shop. Level 4 of
each world also provided challenge, because of the complex mazes
you had to navigate. Fortunately, there are item shops along the way
which sell things such as ! a piece of paper to make a map, a pencil
to record which rooms you've visited, and other items to help you.
The boss of this level was also pretty challenging, but luckily, you
could have help from guys you freed with the hammers you've
collected along the way. All in all, good challenge for it's time and genre.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
The game play was great. The dungeons provided a lot variety, so it
wasn't like walking through the same one with harder enemies. Also,
each of the four worlds provided a lot of variety, included the last,
which was a lot of fun (you get to fly around with your winged boots!).
The challenge also added a lot of fun to the game (no one wants to play
a game that's too easy!). The control was nice and accurate, which was
another plus. An interesting twist were the enemy rooms which let you
gain hearts by killing enemies, and the training rooms, which let you get
a special item if you could survive the falling tiles. Overall, this game
was really fun.
Frustration
One of the most frustrating parts of the game, was falling. The screen
didn't scroll down, only up, so if you fell off, you died. It got really
annoying after doing it about 100 times :) Also, those little guys in
the second world that steal one of your items got annoying :) Last
thing, the Eggplant wizards, because if they changed you into an eggplant,
you couldn't attack.
Replayability 7 out of 10
This game has pretty good replayability. After you beat it, you are
allowed to go back to the beginning and try again. The levels can be
pretty complex sometimes too, so it seemed a little bit new even after
playing them again. Unfortunately, there's not to much new stuff that
happens the second time you play it, but if you're just bored of all those
Nintendo 64 games that you've played over and over, it's nice to come
back to the classics.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Definitely. Since it's fairly old, you can probably get it for a really
cheap price, and it offers plenty of game play fun to get a lot more
than your money's worth.
Story and Originality 10 out of 10
One of the neatest things about this game was all of the original
features in it. For example, the vertical scrolling had been an area
most games stayed away from, but this game did a great job making
it work. Also, there are many other things such as the Hot Springs,
the Egg plants on your head, and other features that really added to
the fun. Another thing I found particularly neat, was all of the ties
to Greek mythology. I'm a big fan of Greek mythology, and I liked some
of the references to characters such as Zeus and Medusa, and even
venturing into Mount Olympus (world 3). The items you collect at
the end of each world were also from various pieces of Greek
mythology (such as the Winged Sandels, and the Mirror shield). The
Venus de Milo statues in the last level was kinda neat too :) They
also did a good job making their own story for the game and baseing
it on Greek mythology, instead of just taking an exact piece of the
mythology and making it a game. In other words, they did a real good
job in this category.
Overall 9 out of 10
Overall, this is one of the best Nintendo games I've ever played. It's a
real shame they didn't make a sequel for Super Nintendo (although there
was one for Game Boy, which I have yet to play). Hopefully we'll see one
for Nintendo 64 (vertical levels would be really fun in 3d!). If you haven't
played this game, I really suggest it. It will keep you busy for awhile,
and it gives you hours of entertainment while you may be waiting for
the next Nintendo 64 game to come out.