Kid Icarus

Stats:
System: NES
Release Year: 1986
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB: N/A

Plot

Rid Iculaus

Ahh. A little guy in a tunic hops around on brick platforms dodging weird, mythological inspired monsters. Did you think this game would be hard?

Once again Nintendo fools us all.  What seems to be a little kid's game sends even the most hardened gamer it convulsions thinking about the shrieking grim reaper or questing through the 3rd labyrinth. Heck, my neck hairs stand on end when I hear the BOING! sound of an eggplant hitting my head to this day.

Overview

What really makes Kid Icarus work is the enemies, so I'll talk about the really interesting ones.

Grim Reaper
Seems like an experiment in smarter enemies. This guy would patrol a set area, most of the time looking pretty stable. Then, if he sees you, be prepared for an attack. The Reaper screams and yells and generally has a fit. The little "Reapettes" come down from the sky and loop around for a little while. The best way to get the Reaper is either from below, or while it's back is turned. Be careful, it's turns when you least expect it.

Thieves
Elves with bags in hand. The bounce around the screen, and they don't hurt you, but you'll regret letting them touch you. The steal. And they never steal useless items. They'll steal some gadget you were just waiting to use, something that took you eight hours shooting monster getting money to buy it. Don't worry, you can buy it again. The thieves sell your stuff at the black market, where you can buy it again at twice the original price or more.

(Note about non-black markets: if you think they're too expensive, take the second controller and press a, b, start, select all at once. This will make you haggle with the shopkeeper. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.)

Eggplant Wizards
BWAAAA! I hate these guys. They hide out in labyrinths, waiting in a room you don't expect (usually near a boss.) When you come in this room, they start throwing eggplants of evil at you. If you touch such an eggplant, woe is you. These vegetables have the effect of turning your upper body into a suchlike plant. You can't shoot while you have the curse, only walk around and slam down with mallets of which you have a limited supply. The only way to get a cure is to find a hospital somewhere in the level. If you can get to the hospital before whacked to bits by enemies normally as harmless a penguins, you are indeed very fortunete.

The different rooms in Kid Icarus also make the game ever so much more interesting. For instance:

Treasure Room
These rooms do have patterns, but they are not easy to identify. The premise seems simple enough: in the room are scattered about several different bags, each containing some useful item. Any and all of these items are yours for the taking. But if you take an item before all the bags are open, the closed bags dissapear. Here's the kicker. If you want all the bags, you have to avoid getting the infamous blue skull guy who hides in only one of the bags. If you get him, you lose all the treasures. But if you hit all the other bags, and hit his last, you'll get a really valuable treasure. Don't worry, it'll all make sense when you hear his theme music for the one-hundreth time.

Training room
Do you have what it takes to be a sharp-shooter? Prove it. Enter a training room when you find one. In hear a little floaty man will tell you to train. After he poofs into thin air, a myriad gray slabs will appear from nowhere and start waving around in the air, trying to beat you up. Survive in this room long enough, and you get to pick out a prize.


I could go on, but to do so would rob the joy (and suffering) to be found crammed tight inside this little pak. People still play this game, wondering if they'll ever get to Medusa, the last boss. I've been there, and I still play this game. Does that mean I need professional help?