• Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Mar 23, 2012
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

  • Summary: Enjoy classic games with a new dimension via the 3D Classics range, remastered with immersive 3D visuals! From the creators of Metroid comes Kid Icarus: an action-platformer starring angelic warrior Pit, whose quest is to rescue the goddess Palutena and save Angel Land from the evil Medusa. Armed with his trusty bow and arrow, Pit must battle from the underworld to the sky, to seek out the Three Sacred Treasures - only then will Pit have the power to take on Medusa. Look out for Pit's return in Kid Icarus: Uprising for Nintendo 3DS! Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Feb 13, 2012
    90
    3D Classics: Kid Icarus is definitely worthy of its "Classic" title in this re-release for the Nintendo 3DS.
  2. Mar 14, 2012
    85
    Essential stuff. [Apr 2012, p.89]
  3. Mar 6, 2012
    80
    Still a very tough cookie, but one that gets tastier as you go and is perfectly suited to handheld play. [March 2012, p.109]
  4. 70
    This 3D Classic is surprisingly good given the base material. I actually recommend it highly. Try playing with classic controls first, then custom controls, and see how much different the experience is. As somebody who'd simply dismissed the game up until now, I'm glad I had the chance to play it because Kid Icarus is unexpectedly enjoyable.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. 10
    A very wise move for Nintendo as it makes this 8-bit classic a visual masterpiece and keeps to the original game's control scheme. It truly is essential for this game to appear on the E-shop as Kid Icarus: Uprising is on it's way. Expand
  2. Pit soars, even after 20 years of collecting dust.

    Kid Icarus on the NES was considered one of the more underrated titles in it's library.
    Although it had many problems, it still aquired a cult following. What's wonderful is that 3D Classics Kid Icarus is a better game than the NES one.
    Graphics. Although the graphics aren't that great, this was near the beginning of the N.E.S. lifetime. The real awesome thing about the graphics is the 3D. Pretty 8 bit backrounds have been created for this game, which really highlight the 3D. 8.5
    Sound: The sound effects are nice, and the music is amazing. Each track is great, and really has one of the best soundtracks of that era. 9
    Controls: The controls have been made so you can customize it any way you want. The controls are also spot on. 8
    Gameplay: Kid icarus is a wonderful platformer, with many different ways to go about playing it. Add in the extra power ups, and the buyable items, and you have one deep gameplay expierience. Unfortunatly, the game has random difficulty spikes, and some enemies can be super annoying. (AHEM EGGPLANT WIZARDS!!!) 8
    Replayability: The game is quite short. Although there are many things to find, there isn't much of a reason to go back unless you really like it. 6
    Conclusion: Kid icarus 3D classics is a must-buy virtual console game. If you got $6 dollars to spare, then it is worth it. Definetly not for the weak of heart though. 8
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  3. Overall fairly fun, but very hard and very short. for example the monsters that steal your extremely important power ups cannot be killed, requiring you to suicide and start the level over, or pay many hearts (generally more than you'll have) to get them back.

    The castle maps are nearly useless, assuming you bother to activate them. power ups are neither self explanatory, nor easy to activate, requiring you to reach full health before they activate. I found the easiest way was to reach the end of the area, then suicide on the next one to come back with full health. each and every death requires you to restart the area.

    The first ascent (out of the underworld) is quite definitively the hardest part of the game. despite all this when you get good and get it right, its very satisfying to do well at it.

    And then it ends. My stats log lists the game as played for 5 hours when I completed it, but I completed half the game before restarting (I lost all power ups to the thieves and it auto-saved when I reached the next area), and left my 3DS on standby for at least an hour (I don't know if that is included). I could have been much faster if I wasn't so meticulous about power up collection.

    The price is like all eShop titles, more than it's worth. £5.40 for a re-release of an old game, that as far as I can tell has taken little or no effort on their part (except to label which sprites belong to which layer). if the price ever comes down to £2 or £2.50, then this would be an 8.5 or 9 out of 10, but it is too short and insubstantial to warrant the same price as so many full 3D games on steam.

    Finally, the title "3D Classics" is a bit misleading. While technically using the 3D feature to separate the sprite layers of the game, it makes almost no difference and is barely noticeable.
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  4. With all the improvements they made, this game disappoints. I need to find out who I can contact at Nintendo for not including the New Game+ feature. That feature made the NES game so great. I would have given it a positive review if it had that feature. Sorry for being so harsh, Nintendo. You can rectify yourselves if you make an update with the New Game+ feature that the NES classic had. I'm a big fan of Kid Icarus, but I feel robbed. Expand

See all 7 User Reviews