Kid Icarus is an action and platform game created and released by Nintendo in 1986. It was first available in Japan on the Family Computer Disk System, and later in Europe and North America on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan in December 1986, in Europe in February 1987, and in North America in July 1986.
The story follows Pit, the main character, as he searches for three sacred treasures to save Angel Land, a fantasy world inspired by Greek mythology, and its ruler, the goddess Palutena. Players guide Pit through different levels, fighting enemies, collecting items, and defeating bosses to reach the end of each level. The game was developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 team with help from an outside company, later known as Tose. Toru Osawa and Yoshio Sakamoto designed the game, Satoru Okada directed it, and Gunpei Yokoi oversaw its production.
Kid Icarus received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its music and the variety of gameplay styles, but others noted that the graphics were simple and the game was very challenging. It was later added to lists of top games by IGN and Nintendo Power.
The game was re-released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan in 2004, on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007, and on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2013. A 3D Classics version was released in Japan in 2011 and in other regions in 2012. In 2016, it was included in the North American and PAL versions of the NES Classic Edition. The game was also available on the Nintendo Classics service in 2019.
A sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, was released for the Game Boy in 1991. A third game in the series, Kid Icarus: Uprising, came out for the Nintendo 3DS in March 2012. This followed Pit's appearance as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, released in 2008.
Gameplay
Kid Icarus is a game where players move side to side through levels and can collect items to get stronger. The player controls a character named Pit, who fights monsters, jumps over obstacles, and collects items. Pit’s main weapon is a bow that never runs out of arrows. Players can improve the bow with three special items: the Protective Crystal blocks attacks from enemies, Flaming Arrows hit multiple enemies at once, and the Sacred Bow lets arrows reach farther. These upgrades only work if Pit has enough health. The game tracks the player’s score, and if enough points are earned in a level, Pit’s health increases at the end.
Throughout the game, players can enter doors to explore different types of rooms. Shops and black markets let players trade hearts (collected from defeated enemies) for items. Treasure rooms contain items, enemy nests give extra hearts, and hot springs heal Pit’s health. In the god’s room, Pit’s bow and arrows become stronger based on how many enemies he defeats and how much damage he takes. In the training room, Pit earns one of the three power items if he completes a test of endurance.
The game world is divided into three main areas: the Underworld, the Overworld (Earth), and the Skyworld. Each area has three levels that can only be moved through in one direction and a fortress. In the Underworld and Skyworld, Pit climbs upward, while the Overworld uses side-scrolling levels. At the end of each area, players face a fortress, which is a maze with rooms that do not scroll. Inside, players must find and defeat a boss. In the fortress, Pit can buy a check sheet, pencil, and torch to help navigate the maze. A one-time-use item called a mallet can break stone statues, freeing a helper named a Centurion to aid in boss battles. For each boss defeated, Pit receives one of three sacred treasures needed to enter the final stage, the Sky Temple. This last part changes the gameplay style, replacing platforming with a scrolling shooter format.
Plot
The game takes place in Angel Land, a fantasy world inspired by Greek mythology. Before the game's story begins, Earth was ruled by Palutena, the Goddess of Light, and Medusa, the Goddess of Darkness. Palutena gave humans light to help them feel happy. Medusa, however, disliked humans. She dried up their crops and turned them into stone. Angered by this, Palutena changed Medusa into a monster and sent her to the Underworld. Seeking revenge, Medusa secretly worked with monsters in the Underworld to attack Palutena's home, the Palace in the Sky. She surprised Palutena, stole three sacred items—the Mirror Shield, the Light Arrows, and the Wings of Pegasus—and took away the power of Palutena's army. Medusa turned Palutena's soldiers into stone, leading to Palutena's defeat. She was then locked inside the Palace in the Sky.
Before losing all her power, Palutena sent a bow and arrow to Pit, a young angel. Pit escaped from the Underworld and began a journey to rescue Palutena and save Angel Land. During his quest, Pit recovered the three sacred treasures from three different fortresses: one in the Underworld, one in the Overworld, and one in the Skyworld. After collecting the treasures, Pit used them to fight Medusa in the Sky Temple. He defeated Medusa and rescued Palutena. The game has five endings. Depending on how well the player performs, Palutena may give Pit a piece of headgear or change him into a grown-up angel. In the Japanese version of the game, the best ending from the English version is not available. Instead, a different ending that is less favorable appears.
Development
The game was developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 (R&D1) division. It was created for the Family Computer Disk System (FDS) because the floppy disk, called the Disk Card, had three times more storage space than the Family Computer's cartridges at that time. This allowed developers to save players' progress and design a longer game with a larger world. Kid Icarus was the first project for Toru Osawa (credited as Inusawa) as a video game designer. He was the only person working on the game at the start. Originally, he wanted to create an action game with role-playing elements, and he based the story on Greek mythology, which he enjoyed. He drew the pixel art and wrote the technical details that became the foundation for the playable prototype. After Nintendo's game Metroid was completed, more team members were added to the Kid Icarus project.
The game was directed by Satoru Okada (credited as S. Okada) and produced by Gunpei Yokoi (credited as G. Yokoi), the general manager of the R&D1 division. Hirokazu Tanaka (credited as Hip Tanaka) composed the music. Yoshio Sakamoto (credited as Shikao.S) joined the team after returning from vacation following the completion of Metroid. He helped improve the development process and made decisions that influenced the game's design. The game included unusual elements, such as credit cards, a wizard turning the player character Pit into an eggplant, and a large, moving nose that resembled composer Tanaka. Sakamoto said these humorous details came from the R&D1 team, whom he called "strange." Osawa originally wanted the game to be serious, but the team encouraged a more humorous style.
To meet the release date of December 19, 1986, the team worked long hours and often stayed at the office overnight. They used torn cardboard boxes as beds and covered themselves in curtains to stay warm in the unheated building. The game was completed and sent to production just three days before the release date. Some ideas for extra levels had to be removed because of the tight schedule.
Release
In February 1987, a cartridge version of the game was released for the NES in Europe and North America. In July 1987, the same version was also released in North America. For this release, the ending graphics were updated, and staff credits were added. Unlike the Japanese version, which saves progress on a Disk Card, the cartridge version uses a password system to restore saved progress. This was a rare feature at the time.
In August 2004, the game was re-released for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Famicom Mini Disk System Selection. It was later released on the Wii's Virtual Console on January 23, 2007, in Japan; February 12, 2007, in North America; and February 23, 2007, in Europe and Australia. It was also released on the Wii U's Virtual Console on August 14, 2013, in Japan; July 11, 2013, in Europe and Australia; and July 25, 2013, in North America. Passwords from the original NES version do not work in the Virtual Console version. In 2016, the game was included in the North American and PAL region versions of the NES Classic Edition. In 2019, it was released on the Nintendo Classics service.
A 3D remake of Kid Icarus was released for the Nintendo 3DS. This version includes stereoscopic 3D effects and updated graphics, such as new backgrounds. It uses a save system instead of passwords. It also includes an additional sound channel from the Family Computer Disk System for music and sound effects.
The 3D remake became available on the Nintendo eShop on January 18, 2012, in Japan; February 2, 2012, in Europe; April 12, 2012, in Australia; and April 19, 2012, in North America. In Japan, users who registered any two Nintendo 3DS games with Club Nintendo between October 1, 2011, and January 15, 2012, received free download codes starting December 19, 2011. In Europe, users who registered any two selected 3DS games with Club Nintendo between November 1, 2011, and January 31, 2012, received codes starting January 5, 2012. In Australia, users who registered any two selected 3DS games with Club Nintendo between November 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012, received codes starting in January 2012. In North America, download codes for the 3D version were given to customers who pre-ordered Kid Icarus: Uprising at select retailers when they picked up the game, which was released on March 23, 2012.
Reception
Reviewers of the Famicom Disk System game Famicom Hisshoubon noted different opinions. One reviewer praised the game for its simple design and mysterious atmosphere, which they believed would appeal to both children and adults. Another reviewer criticized the graphics, saying they did not accurately represent the Greek mythology setting. They also mentioned that the game’s use of wrap-around effects—where characters move off one side of the screen and reappear on the opposite side—felt outdated, similar to games from the 1980s like Pac-Man. In Famicom Tsūshin, two reviewers said the game was too similar to Metroid (1986) and considered it a lesser experience. Others commented on the game’s difficulty, with one reviewer stating that it forced players into tense situations without offering rewards for completing them.
By late 2003, Kid Icarus had sold 1.76 million copies worldwide, gaining a dedicated fanbase. Critics gave the game mixed reviews over time. In 1992, a writer for Nintendo Magazine System in the UK called it "pretty good fun" but said its graphics looked outdated compared to other platform games. Retro Gamer magazine’s Stuart Hunt described Kid Icarus as an "unsung hero of the NES," praising its music and enemy designs. However, he noted that the game’s difficulty and some design flaws made it frustrating to play. Jeremy Parish of 1Up.com disagreed with the idea that the game was a forgotten masterpiece, calling it "underwhelming" and criticizing its controls, sound effects, and design choices. He recommended the Virtual Console version for its ability to let players experience the game with a new perspective.
GameSpot’s Frank Provo reviewed the Virtual Console version, saying the gameplay was not unique but had been fresh in 1987. He found the difficulty excessive and criticized the graphics, which he described as small, poorly animated, and limited in detail. He also noted that the Virtual Console version kept the original game’s slowdown issues and removed cheat codes, which he considered unnecessary changes. Lucas M. Thomas of IGN said the game’s design was confusing and not one of Nintendo’s best. He noted that the game did not hold up as well over time as other NES titles and praised its music as memorable. He criticized the removal of cheat codes as unnecessary, saying it reduced the game’s nostalgic value.
Kid Icarus is ranked 20th on IGN’s list of the top 100 NES games and 84th on its list of the top 100 games of all time. It was listed 34th on Electronic Gaming Monthly’s 1997 "100 Best Games of All Time," with praise for showing the NES’s ability to go beyond simple arcade-style games. In 2001, Game Informer ranked it 83rd, saying it was fun despite its difficulty. The game was inducted into GameSpy’s "Hall of Fame" and placed 54th in Nintendo Power’s top 200 Nintendo games. Nintendo Power also listed it as the 20th best NES game, praising its vertically scrolling levels and music but noting its extreme difficulty. Official Nintendo Magazine ranked it 67th on a list of the greatest Nintendo games.
Legacy
A Game Boy sequel to Kid Icarus, called Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, was released in North America in November 1991 and in Europe on May 21, 1992. Nintendo and Tose developed the game, and it used similar gameplay to the first game. Of Myths and Monsters was the last game in the series for over 20 years.
In 2008, a 3D Kid Icarus game for the Wii was reportedly being made by Factor 5, a German American studio. However, the game was developed without Nintendo’s approval. Factor 5 canceled several projects after its American branch closed in early 2009. In 2010, Yoshio Sakamoto said he was not aware of any plans to make a Kid Icarus game for the Wii. A new game in the series, Kid Icarus: Uprising, was later released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. This game is a third-person shooter and was created by Project Sora, the company of Super Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai.
Pit, a character known as "Kid Icarus," appears in the American animated TV show Captain N: The Game Master. He also makes short appearances in Nintendo games like Tetris, F-1 Race, and the Super Smash Bros. series.
In May 2011, independent developer Flip Industries released a Flash game called Super Kid Icarus. The game has a style similar to the SNES.
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mario is shown playing Kid Icarus in his room after arguing with his family.