GoNintendo spoiler-free Kid Icarus: Uprising review

Written by Kevin Cassidy (RawmeatCowboy), EiC/Site Owner of GoNintendo



This review does not feature multiplayer content, as online opponents were very few/far between. A separate multiplayer review will be available in the near future. Also, typos will be corrected as the day continues on.
I knew a lot of things about Kid Icarus: Uprising after playing my first hour. I knew the game was really something special, and that's saying something when you look at Nintendo's catalog of games. I also knew that the game was going to have one, MAJORLY polarizing element. Famitsu's review score of 40/40 came as quite a surprise, but I knew that European and North American reviews were going to vary wildly from that. I'm sure you all have a good idea of what that element is by now.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is, without a doubt, one of the most engaging titles that Nintendo has ever released. It shows evolution, innovation and a level of polish that you don't find in many other titles. This title truly is worthy of bringing Pit and his gang back into view of gamers today. Such a an amazing title to welcome back this classic character in almost every way. The thing is, that one element that stands out could really be the make-or-break element for consumers.




We've been waiting for Kid Icarus: Uprising for a very long time now. We didn't even know we were waiting for Pit's return when Nintendo announced their Project Sora initiative. We all wanted to see just what that project was that involved Sakurai, but we weren't expecting a revival of a long-forgotten Nintendo character. When Project Sora was announced as Kid Icarus: Uprising, it was still an agonizing wait for that game to actually see release. Now we're here in launch week, and the wait is worth it in so many ways.

Anyone that has played the Smash Bros. series knows that Masahiro Sakurai has a certain style about him. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the menu designs, they all have a very Sakurai sensibility to them. Within the first few minutes of Kid Icarus: Uprising, you automatically get that Sakurai vibe. Even those that have played Smash Bros. but don't know who Sakurai is will be able to pick up on those elements right out of the gate.

While he wasn't the only man working on the project, there's no doubt that his influence was a major driving force on this project. The man loves to jam-pack his games with so much content that it's mind-boggling, and Kid Icarus: Uprising is no different. This game is absolutely bursting at the seams with things to do and see. The sheer amount of content is daunting at first, and I know that it'll be many, many months before I see everything that was included in this title.

As with the Smash Bros. series, there's a huge amount of collection to be done in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Of course, it's up to you if you want to complete every angle the game throws at you. You can play through the title and choose not to explore the avenues that are offered to you, but the allure of these extra elements and layered content is so strong that you'll most likely feel yourself diving into them at any chance you get.

One of the biggest and most engaging elements for me comes from the weapons collection. My dear lord, there are so many different weapons to be found in this game! Kid Icarus: Uprising throws a constant barrage of weapons your way, each with a unique design and rating, as well as visual approach. I'm telling you, the amount of weapons include and the styles used to showcase them is absolutely insane. I don't know how this one element of the game didn't bring the entire production to a halt. When you see how much content is here weapon-wise, you'll understand why the game took so long to see release!

One of my favorite aspects of the weapon collection and crafting is the ability to try out any/all weapons before you actually take on a real level. The weapon screen lets you test out any weapon you've collected. You don't even have to equip it. Just select a weapon and pick the option to test it out, which transports you instantly to a test range with one enemy. You can beat the crap out of that enemy as much as you want in order to learn the new weapons' ins and outs. This element is ridiculously useful. It's much better to test a weapon here than take it into battle and find out that it's not the right one for you.

Not only do you collect weapons while traveling through levels, you can also purchase weapons and even combine weapons that you've picked up. If you are looking for a weapon that does a bit more damage in the melee aspect, you can combine two weapons to get the job done. This upgrade system is handled in an easy-to-read chart that gives you a look at what you'll create in real-time. You'll know the stats, ratings and design before you decide to commit to combining your weapons. Seeing what weapons can be combined into is an absolute blast. It's an element of the game you'll find yourself visiting after every mission.



Also very similar to Smash Bros. is a giant puzzle screen that will slowly open up as you complete various tasks in the game. Each title has a certain 'value' to it. For example, you'll open up one tile to collecting a certain type of weapon. Another tile will open up if you dodge successfully 10 times in a row. Yes, it's exactly like the titles in Smash Bros., which should indicate how long some of these will take to unlock. You'll also gain feathers that let you freely open up certain tiles, which is exactly like the hammer in Smash Bros.. You can even scan over these tiles to see what you need to do to unlock new pieces, but this information is only given in tiles that are touching a tile that has already been unlocked. Again, you'll feel super compelled to unlock all the tiles here, and some of them are going to be quite a challenge.

As if that content wasn't enough for you, there's also the idol section of the game. If you are familiar with the trophies section in Smash Bros., you already know what to expect here. Every enemy...every weapon...every power-up...every vehicle...there's an idol for all of them. You can unlock these entries by tossing up 'eggs' to reveal idols within, just like the capsule aspect from Smash Bros.. You can also scan your AR cards to automatically retain idol entries for whatever cards you have. Now you can see how the cards serve a purpose outside of their canned battle animations. Tracking down cards to complete your idol collection might be easier than finding idol entries. It all depends on what you are looking for and how readily available it is either in-game or via AR card.

Everything I've described is all supplementary content to the main game. You don't have to touch any elements of these features if you don't want to! Sure, I would suggest that the weapon selection option is pretty necessary, but you don't have to switch if you don't want to. With that said, the other elements aren't needed to progress in the main game. It's all bonus content...but content in the way that it should be created. These are features and elements that you'll want to dive into. You'll feel that the rewards you get and the things you experience through these features are well worth the effort. Truly addictive in nature and ridiculously well thought out.

Of course, the reason to spend so man hours plugging away in this supplementary content is because of the main gameplay. Kid Icarus: Uprising features a long and winding campaign that will take you through all sorts of plot twists and amazing missions. I honestly cannot speak highly enough of the campaign here. I promise you, while I was playing through this title, I felt that I experienced things and saw gameplay design and mechanics that I hadn't experienced in any other title. To say that this is a rebirth of the Kid Icarus brand is a huge understatement. In my mind, there are decisions made here that can further multiple types of games, especially the on-rails shooter genre.

Each mission in Kid Icarus: Uprising is split into two different elements. The first half of each mission has you flying around through the air, thanks to Palutena granting you the power of flight. She can only give Pit this power for 5 minutes, which means you won't be flying through entire levels. You'll usually find Pit flying to a destination in order to take out a boss or find something that he needs to proceed on his quest.



The second half of each mission involves moving around Pit on foot. You'll be walking/running around dungeons, caverns, mountain-tops and more in order to reach your goal. Of course, the mechanics change quite a bit when you're walking instead of flying. This means you'll have to take on enemies in a different way, and you'll also have to get used to moving Pit around in a separate manner. The combination of these two elements really makes for some engaging gameplay, and it also helps to keep things action-packed and paced well.

I absolutely cannot gush enough about the on-rails section of Kid Icarus: Uprising. That's not to say that the on-foot content isn't amazing, because I found that to be wonderful as well. The thing is, the on-rails section show just how well thought-out the designs were. The places you'll go and the things you'll see are going to amaze you. I was actually taken aback while flying through the skies to reach my next objective. I really, really felt an adrenaline rush as I was blasting baddies and dodging incoming obstacles. The way these sections are handled blew my mind.

I think a lot of this excitement comes from the way the camera is handled. In most on-rails games you don't get a lot of exciting camera angels. In Kid Icarus: Uprising, you can tell that the levels were designed with a very roller coaster feel to them. The camera soars, swoops, twists and turns to show you the action from all sorts of amazing viewpoints. Not only that, but the way the camera moves about also tells the story of the action on screen. When you're flying around in a particularly heated section, the camera jerks around in order to tell that story. When you're soaring high in the sky overlooking a canyon, the camera gracefully swoops and sways behind Pit. I'm telling you, you're going to feel like a bad-ass taking on these missions. I truly felt immersed in the action, thanks to this design.

The best compliment I can pay to the in-flight sections comes from another one of Nintendo's franchises...Star Fox. While I was so, SO happy to see Pit's flight conveyed in such amazing ways, I couldn't help but feel that Fox and his friends would be very well suited to this type of design. Now I'm dying for Sakurai to head up a StarFox project in order to breath life into a series that is all about on-rails action. I'm sure you guys will feel the same way when playing through. The work that Sakurai and his team have done with these guided portions really proves that there are still amazing things to be done with a genre that many feel to be antiquated.

For those that really don't enjoy on-rails segments, you should find much to enjoy from on foot action. While Pit may be nimble and graceful while flying high, he's agile and quick-footed on land. As Sakurai seems to love in his games, the smashing of the Circle Pad will help to perform different actions for Pit. Pushing it in any direction will make Pit gallop, for the lack of a better term. Smashing it in a direction will have Pit running, jumping backwords or dodging left and right. It's absolutely integral that you learn how to run and dodge at the right times. It's not a hard skill to master, but it's one you'll absolutely need to use time and time again in order to make it through missions alive.



Trust me, making it through alive is going to be much tougher than you expect. Medusa is out to stop Pit with everything she's got, and boy does she have a lot. There are so many minions out to stop Pit that sometimes you'll feel like you're single-handedly taking down thousands of enemies. Kid Icarus: Uprising really does not let up with the action, but you'll feel that intensity even more when you're on foot. Enemies come out you 5 or 6 at a time, and many seem to have devastating long-ranged attacks. Hardly anywhere is safe, as enemies can teleport into rooms that you think are safe. Sometimes you'll have to clear out enemies just to unlock a door to progress. I told you that dodge mechanic was uber-important, and I meant it!

As you're taking on every single enemy under the sun, you'll be doing so in some amazing environments. Much like the air segments of Kid Icarus: Uprising, the set-pieces on ground provide for some engaging locales and beautiful landscapes. You'll find yourself storming giant castles, exploring deep, dark caverns, ascending mountains to fight inside temples and so much more. There are so many areas in this game that I want to share, but I really don't want to ruin the experiences for you. These areas feel alive...they feel like real locations. There's so much attention to detail and so much thought put into the pacing and design that they just ooze gaming goodness. In both flying and on-land segments, Kid Icarus: Uprising shows a level of sophistication in design that you rarely ever see in games.

To top off all that action listed above, you'll almost always encounter a boss fight at the end of each level. These bosses can range from characters slightly bigger than Pit to towering enemies that don't even fit on screen all at once. The attack patterns and designs of these bosses will make you feel the intensity of the action. Most of these baddies are taken straight from the NES outing, but they've been given a major revamp. Their 3DS debuts have them looking sinister and forbidding in a big way, making your upcoming battles feel like there's some true importance in taking them down. I can't think of one boss fight that didn't make me feel pretty awesome when I landed that final blow.

Now, the intensity of that boss fight and the level preceding it is all up to you. As you've no doubt seen from the trailers and previews, there's an intensity meter that you play with before every mission. You gamble away your hearts (which are used to buy weapons) in order to up the difficulty. The more hearts you add in, the higher the difficulty. The higher the difficulty, the more hearts you stand to win at the end of the round. Trust me, this game is tough even when it recommends you an intensity level. If you go above that level for a bigger payout, get ready for a true challenge. I can't tell you how many times I gambled and lost. One death in a level and watch your heart bet disappear. But man, when you manage to win...it feels oh-so sweet!

There's another reason to up the ante when it comes to intensity, and it also lends itself very well to replay value. Each level will have a door or two that is locked with a number. That number represents the intensity level that you have to play at in order to open the door. These doors don't block your path through the main game, but they do hide some truly tasty treasures. These are weapons or items that make the tough fight well worth the trouble. Sometimes getting to these doors requires the study of enemy patterns and positions. You'll need to survive an absolute onslaught of terror, especially when doors are locked with a 9 rating. If you think you can handle the intensity and unlock these doors on the first try, you are in for a rude awakening!



As if the game doesn't already sound epic enough, there's another major element that really ups the vibe. Again, Sakurai is known for bringing together some top-notch musicians to score his games, and Kid Icarus: Uprising is no different. While the music team involved may not be as big as Brawl, the compositions here are absolutely amazing. This is not only one of my favorite soundtracks this year, it's one of the best I've heard in a long time. The songs range from remixed classics to new tunes that hit on every genre you can think of. It's such a sophisticated aural output. I found myself standing still multiple times just to hear the tunes. I really, really hope to get a soundtrack release in the states. These tracks deserve to be heard on their own.

Sometimes it can be tough to hear those tracks with the amount of talking going on in the game. That's not a knock in any way, I'm just saying that there is a TON of voice work here. While I really worry about Nintendo titles that feature voice work, Kid Icarus: Uprising seems to have soared above my expectations. Not only is the voice acting good to great, the writing is both playful and engaging. There are some cheesy lines/jokes in there, but they really work thanks to the delivery. There's also quite a lot of genuinely funny comments peppered in with the storyline advancement and character banter.

The dialog in Kid Icarus: Uprising deserves to have attention drawn to it, because it does something that most games don't do. Many developers talk about how traditional cut-scenes ruin the flow of a game. They say games can tell stories better than using these movie-based elements. Kid Icarus: Uprising really does take a unique approach to storytelling, and this dialog is the delivery system. While you're flying/walking about and taking out enemies, Pit and Palutena have a constant dialog. You'll hear about mission details, storyline elements, character backgrounds and much more. This is all fed to you as you play, instead of making you sit there and watch. There are a handful of short, traditional cut-scenes, but by-and-large, your story is delivered this way.

While it may not sound like much in description, this method of storytelling really works quite well. I can't say that I've ever played a game that delivered story in this way and with this level of effectiveness. It keeps you motivated and gives you plenty of reason to actually listen to the story. You want to learn about what's going on, rather than feeling forced to sit back and take it all in. It's a really organic delivery system, and there's no doubt that a lot of thought went into devising this method. It's something I'd really like to see other companies explore, and I hope to see it utilized by Nintendo more in the future.

All I've done is praise and applaud, but in the beginning of this review I said that I knew reviews and consumer opinion would be polarizing. Where does that come into play, you ask? I honestly don't think I have to tell you. By now, you know that one of the biggest worries with Kid Icarus: Uprising comes from the controls. Since we learned of how the game played, many people were worried that the control scheme wasn't going to work for them. To be 100% open and honest (as I always am in reviews!), I have to say that finding a control scheme that works and feels right for you might be a struggle...or even a losing battle.

First thing's first...in my opinion, the in-air controls for Kid Icarus: Uprising feel absolutely fantastic. You'll move Pit with the Circle Pad, move your shooting reticle with the stylus and shoot with L. This really works out oh-so well for an on-rails segment. You simply dodge out of the way of attacks, line up your reticle independently and fire away. In no time you'll find yourself dodging enemy fire and swooping in for the kill in no time. The problems for most players will come into view when you lose your power of flight and take to the land for on-foot battles.



You'll still move Pit with the Circle Pad and fire with L, but the touch screen controls take on a few more elements. While you still use the touch screen to aim your attacks, you'll also use it to act as a virtual Circle Pad. You slide the stylus left and right to turn Pit as he walks. You can also quickly slide the stylus to spin the camera around Pit and slam it down to stop the camera in a certain position. I have to admit that spinning a seated camera around the character was fun, but when you're actually in the heat of things, these control mechanics seem to get in the way.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a HUGELY action-filled game. I'm talking about non-stop action...you'll be fighting your way tooth-and-nail through levels. You'll need to dodge and run, hide and attack with precision in order to stay alive. In practice, the touch screen turning/aiming mechanic just doesn't mesh well with the Circle Pad movement. When the action quiets a bit, you can better get a handle on the controls. When things pick up (and they almost always pick up), you'll find the hectic battles causing you issue with the controls. More often than not, you'll find yourself aiming in correctly or over-rotating the camera.

I can see how the idea was formed and how developers felt it might work, but it just doesn't line up well enough with the on-foot action. I played a large number of chapters of the game with this stylus on-foot action, and even after all that time I still didn't have a handle on things as to where I felt comfortable. I wanted it to work, but I just couldn't count on the control scheme when the action was hot and heavy. I'd like to think that my years of gaming experience go to show how even a seasoned gamer will struggle with this control scheme. I've been around the gaming block a number of times, and even with all my years of gaming I still couldn't get this control scheme to do exactly what I want.

I've played first-person games on the DS and loved the stylus control. Dementium is the perfect example of first-person turning controls that just work. It has to do with the slower pace and more methodic movement. Kid Icarus: Uprising uses the same kind of first-person control idea with some new elements, but it sprinkles it into a hugely high-octane gameplay setting. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but the end result leaves much to be desired. Maybe you're a better gamer than I (very, VERY possible), and you won't struggle with controls. If I had to guess, I think many will find the scheme a bit daunting.

The inclusion of the 3DS stand with every copy of the game just goes to show that the dev team knew the on-foot stylus action was going to cause quite an issue for most players. Does resting the 3DS on a stand actually help the control scheme? It's certainly better than playing with the 3DS in your hands, I can tell you that much. I had less trouble than I did when trying to hold and play, but even the stand can't alleviate all the issues. You're still going to have multiple issues while playing, and you're going to come away with an aching hand from playing in a rather precarious position. Playing a touch-screen only game with a stand would make perfect sense. Making the player hang onto the Circle Pad for dear life while the 3DS is planted on the stand makes for an uncomfortable session.

So what did I do after I struggled so much with the stylus control? I actually went into the plentiful control options and changed my aiming to button-based. Yes, I went back to the N64 days and make the A/B/X/Y buttons my aiming option. This let me move the cursor on-screen by pressing the corresponding buttons, which left no need of stylus. While it may seem quite archaic...it actually worked for me. I wouldn't say it was perfect, but I found it MUCH better than the stylus situation. I overcame any niggling issues I had with button aiming and became much more proficient. Now the game was tough due to the gameplay itself, and not because of a controls and gameplay mix.

There are so many ways for you to tweak the controls in Kid Icarus: Uprising, and it's quite obvious why they were thrown in there. You can change just about anything you want to, and I'm hopeful that all of these options allow players to find something that feels close to right for them. You might have to go through multiple trial-and-error sessions, but the game itself is so damn amazing that you'll find this trial period well worth the investigation.



The thing that absolutely kills me is that there's a peripheral out there that would eliminate absolutely all of these control issues. The Circle Pad Pro is crying out to be used in this game. It would work ridiculously well for aiming and walking. How Nintendo pushed this game back multiple times and didn't add in fully-functioning support for the Circle Pad Pro is beyond me. All you get from the CPP is a left-handed option. While that is no doubt important, I feel that a huge opportunity was missed here. I say ditch the stand included with each copy. Nintendo should have made this game as the showpiece for the Circle Pad Pro. Throw in that baby with each game and you'd find the experience to be a very pleasing one. At least, I would imagine so.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is an amazing experience and one of Nintendo's best...all while being a head-scratcher. I really feel like the controls are the one element holding this game back, and they can be a huge detriment. I feel Famitsu's review score is reflective of the game minus control issues. Maybe that team didn't have the issues I did. If they didn't, I can 100% understand their score. If I were still giving games review scores, I'd side with that Famitsu review in a second.

Once you work through the controls issue, Kid Icarus: Uprising is one of the most amazing games that Nintendo has ever released. It wows time and time again, offers up SO much to do and it does it all extremely well. There's innovation and play and a loving hand guiding this entire experience. I don't believe that any other long-dead character has received a revival/revamp as good as Pit. This is a franchise that has been given new life in a big way, thanks to Uprising. Even with control issues, I feel this is a title that all Nintendo fans have to check out. The actual meat-and-potatoes of the game itself make these control issues worth struggling through.

I almost feel like the game itself a new rebirth for the Big N. This is a core gamer's game with a refined approach and a bold design. There are many things that developers can learn from this title. Genres can be expanded and gameplay ideas can be innovated upon through Uprising's adventure. The sad thing is, developers will also see/learn just how important a good control scheme can be. Get ready to struggle...but get ready to love every minute of it.