Review

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Revitalizing a classic video game series can be risky business. It’s hard to modernize a game so that it can compete with current titles, while still keeping true to what made the series great in the first place. Moving too far in either direction could spell disaster, especially if the game is a big budget, triple A title. While not being the biggest title released this year in terms cost, this new Kid Icarus title is a big deal. If Project Sora did a bad job it could have meant another twenty something years before we got another sequel. Good thing that’s not the case!

Kid Icarus: Uprising, the third game in the series, follows the story of Pit and his battle with Medusa. Apparently, Medusa’s defeat was a ruse created by Hades; she’s alive and wreaking havoc on the earth. Before the ending credits scroll you’ll face all sorts of crazy characters, including a dark version of Pit.. Each mission starts out with a flying, on-rail, shooting segment akin to those found in Star Fox. Even though the game will send you down a predetermined path, you’re still able to control Pit as he flies around the screen. These segments are all around awesome; Pit is easy to control, taking down enemies while avoiding enemy fire is fun, and the environments that you zip through are a visual treat. I have absolutely no complaints when it comes to this part of the game.

Although the first part of each mission takes place in the air, the 2nd half features ground battles. For some reason Palutena, the Goddess that granted Pit his powers, can only keep him afloat for five minutes at a time. After that she needs to recharge, forcing Pit to land. Odd reasoning aside (Pit has wings after all) bringing the fight to the ground does two things; it opens up some cool gameplay elements and reveals one of the main flaws found in Uprising. During ground segments, Pit is able to blast enemies from afar, as well as, getting up close for some melee action. A flick of the thumb stick will cause Pit to dash around enemies, narrowly dodging attacks while setting up for a counter. I enjoyed taking down multiple enemies while maneuvering quickly around the battlefield. Moreover, the enemies seemed to be more varied than the ones found in the air segments and the change in pace helps to keep things from growing stale.

With that being said, the control scheme isn’t the best for a handheld title. Almost everything is done with the left hand, including holding the system. Your right hand is used to control the camera using the stylus on the bottom screen. To be honest, it wasn’t super terrible as I’ve grown accustomed to the hand cramping that came with playing FPS’s on my DS lite. That doesn’t mean I like it though. This issue isn’t all Uprising’s fault either; the fact there is only one analog stick on the 3DS is the main culprit. The stand that comes with Uprising doesn’t really help as you have to sit in an awkward position to play while it rests on a table. No matter how you set up the 3DS, you’re going to be uncomfortable.

This is a shame because there is a lot to like with the ground fighting. Like I mentioned before, engaging multiple enemies is very entertaining. Not only that, but new weapons and power-ups can be found in the levels via lite exploration. Speaking of weapons, Uprising has a large arsenal available for gamers to enjoy. Whether you find them or buy them, you still have more variability with the option of combining two weapons to make a new one. Ranging from normal (Pit’s old crossbow) to the absurd (a giant, dragon headed cannon), each weapon has its own stats and special abilities; dashing with a metal club before swinging may create a screen filling tornado, blowing enemies all over the level. The size of the weapons also varies; some large and powerful weapons may weigh Pit down while others are lite and have no effect on pit’s speed. I was surprised at how many different weapons are available throughout the game. Loot lovers will dig this bullet point.

All the weapons you find in the single player campaign can be taken with you online. You can play in two competitive match types, Free-for-All or Team Battle, online or through local-wireless connections. The Team Battle has a really cool twist that I think should be incorporated into other competitive multiplayer games. Gamers will separate into two teams, Light and Dark before the match begins. At the bottom of the screen is a bar that represents each team’s life points. During the battle, every time a member of one team dies, that team loses life points. Once all of a team’s life points are gone, the last person to die (using up the points) will spawn as either Light or Dark Pit, depending on what team they’re on. The winning team is the one that takes down the opposing team’s Pit. The twist that I mention before has to do with the weapons each player is using. Gamers who have played for a long time will have unlocked some really powerful weapons, giving them an advantage over other players, or so one would think. You see, the more powerful the weapon, the more value it holds and the more life points are lost when a player dies using it. This gives gamers who may not have a lot of time on their hands to play and find weapons a chance at winning. Genius! My only gripe with the online mode is the fact that you can’t invite friends to play with you against other players. You have to play with all friends or all strangers. Meaning that, if only one of my friends was online and we wanted to play together, our only choice would be a one on one match up. This wouldn’t be a problem if you could befriend the randoms you play against online, resulting in more friends. As it stands, you either have to have a bunch of friends online at once or you have to play with people you don’t know.

All and all, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a great game. Its super fun, has tons of unlockable items, and is visually pleasing. The 3D effect isn’t just thrown in, it adds to the overall experience (especially during the flying segments). There is also plenty of fan service for nostalgic gamers. The only down side was the fact that the control scheme for the on-foot segments is very uncomfortable and that the online mode can be really exclusive when it comes to playing with friends. If you can look past those two issues though, you’ll find that Uprising is one of the few “must have” titles on the 3DS!