Kid Icarus was for some merely the long dormant cousin of the Metroid series, the game's cult status having been blown out of all proportion by nostalgic Nintendo fans. That's not to say that the original NES game or it's Gameboy sequel were not fun games, it's just that...well...they were odd games. Kid Icarus: Uprising carries on this tradition of oddness, both for good and for bad.
I'm about to lose control, but I don't think I like it.
Possibly with the exception of the most recent generation, Nintendo has historically been renown for developing games with tight and responsive controls. As the company who gave us the Directional Pad, four face buttons, and the analogue stick, Nintendo have shown that they appreciate what feels comfortable. Unfortunately, Kid Icarus does not honour this tradition. Before I go any further, I should perhaps say that controls are for me an even bigger deal than they might be for most gamers. I absolutely cannot stand sub-par control schemes, especially when there are preferable alternatives available but which are not included in the game as an option for those who might wish to use them. Games which I absolutely adored have very nearly been sunk in my estimation by poor choices when it came to controls and input. Donkey Kong Country Returns and it's 'shake to roll', Sakamoto's decision to use a single Wii remote, these are just some recent examples of the sorts of things that can aggravate me.
It should come as no surprise then that I found Kid Icarus: Uprising's control scheme to be a constant source of frustration. It's been well documented by many reviewers and commentators that Uprising's control scheme is not ideal, but I believe that the problem has been undersold. Bearing the full weight of the 3DS with the left hand, while using your left thumb to maneuver the Circle Pad while also using your left index finger to press the left trigger is far from comfy. Nintendo have, in an attempt to alleviate any discomfort, provided with each copy of the game a plastic stand which is supposed to be used to prop the 3DS up. The problem with the stand, however, is that it only really works if you happen to be playing the game on a flat surface which is at chest level. I have no doubt that many will find ways to accommodate this control scheme, either by resting the system against a knee (if abed) or bearing the system's weight with the bottom of their right palm, but these are far from ideal.
The fact that a stand is even included would seem to indicate that Nintendo and Sora themselves at some point prior to release acknowledged these issues with the control scheme. However, the fact that these issues exist might also indicate that Nintendo and Sora had decided what game they wanted to make before they considered whether or not it would actually make sense for it to be released on the 3DS. There is also the issue of Uprising not supporting a dual circle pad option (this accessory, however, was supported in Uprising to the extent that it allowed lefties to use the additional circle pad to control movement). The debate as to whether or not this hypothetical dual Circle Pad control option might have been preferable will no doubt rage on, but regardless of whether not such an option would have worked as well as the default scheme it should have been included as an option. There is afterall already secondary control scheme in Uprising. Found in the control options, this scheme allows player to move Pit with the Circle Pad and to aim the reticule with the four face buttons. The question which then arises of course is that if this was deemed to be a suitable way to play the game (as evidenced by the fact of it's inclusion as an option) then why too wasn't a dual Circle Pad scheme?
'Feat the wrath of my pyroblasters, space weirdos!' While I appreciate that the tone and characters in Kid Icarus: Uprising may not be to everyone's tastes, I can honestly say that I found them to be hilarious, and not necessarily in a 'Oh man, this is so bad' kind of way. The voice acting does have a healthy dose of cheese, but it's done with such bravado and backed up by such solid writing that it's hard not to be enamoured with the characters. From the endearingly loyal cherubic protagonist Pit to the sometimes sarcastic but always funny Goddess Palutena, the voice acting does a great job of bringing the world to life.
Much like the best animated films, Kid Icarus: Uprising also works on multiple levels. For children playing the game I imagine they would simply enjoy the cast of colourful characters and exaggerated voices. For those who grew up playing Nintendo, however, there are loads of cool nods to other games such as Metroid, Nintendogs and of course the original Kid Icarus. It actually becomes a running joke throughout the game, as Pit keeps breaking the fourth wall and pointing out the fact that he's in a video game. At one point Pit actually gets chastised for pointing out that Komaytos look awfully similar to Metroids. It's been a very long time since the last Kid Icarus game, and these sorts of gags are a nice touch that allows the developers to poke a little fun at this fact.
As good as the main protagonists and villains are, however, the side characters are arguably better. I won't spoil anything for those who have yet to finish the game, but the Greek pantheon of Gods and Goddesses that comprise the Kid Icarus universe are among the funniest characters Nintendo has given us in years. Zapp Brannigan fans are in for a treat.
If I had one criticism it would be that the intensity of the action, particularly those flying sequences, is such that it can be difficult to actually pay attention to what is being said, and as this is the primary means of conveying the story I often found myself wondering what I was doing from chapter to chapter. Luckily, the story moves at such a brisk pace you won't have much time to dwell upon it before you're whisked off to another fanastical location.
'Pyrrhon senses danger...and now Pyrrhon sees it!' The original Kid Icarus was an odd game. For instance, (as noted on Radio Free Nintendo) the game has an inverse difficulty spike because of it's odd implementation of RPG elements. The first level in Kid Icarus was the rock upon which many a youngster broke hull. You were able to upgrade Pit's equipment by collecting hearts from defeated enemies and his life energy would also be increased at the end of each level; the problem with this, however, is that Pit's life energy at the start of the game was short enough that going into one of the game's kill rooms to grind hearts was a real risk. As Pit's life energy increased of course this became less of a risk, which allowed the player to grind more hearts, which allowed them to purchase better arrows etc. Oddly, therefore, as the game progressed it became easier.
The thing that was such a pleasant surprise to me upon playing Uprising is that in a weird way Nintendo and Sora have managed to construct a difficulty system which makes this game more approachable, but which also alludes to (without complying with) the difficulty system of the original. Uprising could conceivably be more difficult towards the beginning rather than at the end, although this need not necessarily be the case. The difference between Uprising and it's predecessors is that this new system asks the player to set their own difficulty. Somewhat like gambling, the game will allow you to put hearts (the game's currency) on the line in order to play at higher difficulties, the benefit being that at these higher difficulties you receive better weapons and rarer items which can be used not only in the single player game but also online. What I also like about this system is it's granularity, as it allows the player to adjust their difficulty in increments of 0-9 (which because it's a decimal point system means that there are 90 increments of difficulty). It also appears that the game tracks your success and failure on certain difficulties and provides you with a recommended level.
Thankfully, playing around with the difficulty results in genuine changes in the level levels. Rather than simply taking more damage and dealing less, higher difficulties will result in both more enemy numbers and more enemy variety. Playing at higher levels will also unlock certain gates, behind which stronger enemies and even mid-level bosses lurk, along with stronger weapons and rare items. It's an incredibly dynamic system and one which I hope to see other games crib.
There is, however, one one crucial aspect to this system that I'm not a fan of. When you die (i.e run out of life energy) on a given level the game forces you to drop down to a lower level of difficulty. This is frustrating for two reasons. Firstly, it does not encourage the player to learn from their mistakes or to become better at the game, as it simply lowers the difficulty until it becomes easy enough for them to proceed. While I think this is a great option for those who do find the game to be difficult, I do find myself wishing that this system had been implemented in a similar fashion to the 'Super Guide' seen in games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, in which the player is given the option to make the game easier rather than being forced to. Not only does this system not encourage less skilled players to become better at the game, but it might also be frustrating for those skilled players who wish to gain access to some of the hidden content in the game. For gamers such as myself, who have no problem banging their heard against a brick wall until they defeat a boss on the hardest difficulty, the inclusion of checkpoints would certainly have been preferable to this forced drop in difficulty.
Do I Heart it? Ultimately, Kid Icarus was equal parts frustration and enjoyment. Had this been a dull game, or had it been one which was poorly made, I probably would not have become as frustrated with the controls as I did. It is precisely because I really enjoyed other aspects of the game that I found the controls to be such a let down. I cannot say, however, that this issue was unexpected. I had been following the progress of this game for what seemed like years, and throughout I and others had doubts about the control scheme. Ultimately, I feel that the game neither fell short of nor exceeded my expectations. As a huge Sin and Punishment fan and a moderate fan of the original Kid Icarus, I was almost willing to let my expectations off the leash, but as a stickler for good controls I was always wary of whether or not such a game could really work on the 3DS. In the end, the quality of the game still managed to shine through, but I'm left to wonder what might have been had the game been made for Wii (a system which, in my opinion, has far more suitable control inputs for a game of this type). Sakurai and Sora, like the Icarus of myth, aimed for the sun and got burnt as a result, but I'd rather that than not aiming high at all.
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