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Kid Icarus
North American boxart
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Gunpei Yokoi, Satoru Okada
Engine	Metroid
Platform(s)	FDS, NES, GBA, Virtual Console
Release date	NES JPN December 18, 1986 NA July 1987 EU 1987 Virtual Console NA February 12, 2007 EU, AU February 23, 2007 Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Box_art. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Intelligent Systems (formerly known as R&D1) is an internal team of Nintendo Co. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Satoru Okada is the general manager of Nintendo Research & Engineering, the division that develops and designs Nintendo handhelds and other products. ... A game engine is the core software component of a computer video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. ... This article is about the first game in the series. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... Legend of Zelda Famicom Disk The Family Computer Disk System , FDS) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ... “NES” redirects here. ... “GBA” redirects here. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... “NES” redirects here. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... North American redirects here. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... North American redirects here. ... For other uses, see Australia (disambiguation). ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: E (Everyone) (Wii)[1] OFLC: G (Wii)
Media	FDS floppy disk 1 Mbit cartridge
Input methods	Gamepad

For the title character, see Pit (Kid Icarus). For the series as a whole, see Kid Icarus (series).

Kid Icarus (光神話 パルテナの鏡, Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami^?, Myth of Light: The Mirror of Palutena) is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It is the first game in the Kid Icarus series. Further information: Game classification Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay interaction. ... A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games into suitability-related groups. ... The ESRBs logo. ... The Office of Film and Literature Classification is a statutory censorship and classification body which provides day to day administrative support for the Classification Board which classified films, video games and publications in Australia, and the Classification Review Board which reviews films, computer games and publications when a valid application... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible (floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. ... The Megabit is a unit of information storage, abbreviated Mbit or sometimes Mb. ... Cartridge for the VIC 20 homecomputer In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pit ) is a video game character and protagonist from Nintendos Kid Icarus series. ... Kid Icarus is a series of video games first published in 1986 by Nintendo. ... A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ... Namcos Pac-Man is one of the most popular video games ever made. ... Intelligent Systems (formerly known as R&D1) is an internal team of Nintendo Co. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Legend of Zelda Famicom Disk The Family Computer Disk System , FDS) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ... 1986 1986 in games 1985 in video gaming 1987 in video gaming Notable events of 1986 in computer and video games. ... “NES” redirects here. ... 1987 1987 in games 1986 in video gaming 1988 in video gaming Notable events of 1987 in video gaming. ... Kid Icarus is a series of video games first published in 1986 by Nintendo. ...

The game has been re-released twice: on August 10, 2004, for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Famicom Mini Series in Japan only, and on February 12, 2007, on the Wii's Virtual Console in North America. It was released on the European and Australian Virtual Consoles on February 23, 2007. is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “GBA” redirects here. ... The Classic NES Series in North America (Famicom Mini Series in Japan and NES Classics in Europe) are a series of Game Boy Advance games that were originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom and Famicom Disk System emulated on the Game Boy Advance. ... is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... // The following is a list of the 140 games available on the Virtual Console for the Wii in North America, sorted by system and in the order they were added in the Wii Shop Channel. ... // The following is the complete list of the 168 Virtual Console titles available for the Wii in Europe as shown within the Virtual Console section of the Wii Shop Channel. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Gameplay

Kid Icarus is often compared to Metroid (which was released the same year), as it uses the same game engine. It even includes a Metroid enemy, though it is called "Komayto" in Kid Icarus. The game manual theorizes that Komayto may have come from another planet.^[1] In volume 204 of Nintendo Power, an article was written about the game describing it as blending together elements from The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., and Metroid, stating that Pit can "jump like Mario, collect items like Link, and shoot enemies like Samus." This article is about the first game in the series. ... The Metroid ) games are a series of video games produced by Nintendo. ... Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo. ... This article is about the first game in the series. ... This article is about the Super Mario Brothers video game for the NES. For other uses, see Super Mario Bros. ...

Plot

In a time where humans and gods coexisted in harmony, the kingdom of Angel Land was ruled by two goddesses, Palutena the Goddess of Light and Medusa the Goddess of Darkness. While Palutena administered the light and helped the mortals cultivate their crops, Medusa despised the mortals and used the darkness to destroy their crops and turn the mortals into stone. Enraged, Palutena transformed Medusa into a hideous monster and banished her into the dark Underworld. Palutena ) is a fictional goddess from Nintendos Kid Icarus series of video games. ... For other uses, see Medusa (disambiguation). ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ...

But Medusa would not go quietly. She assembled an army of monsters and evil spirits of the underworld to conquer Palutena's home, the Palace in the Sky. War erupted and Medusa's minions overwhelmed Palutena's army, eventually imprisoning the Goddess of Light. Medusa then seized the Three Sacred Treasures — the Mirror Shield, the Arrow of Light, and the Wings of Pegasus (the first two of which have been seen in The Legend of Zelda series) — and gave them to her most powerful minions. For other uses, see Pegasus (disambiguation). ...

Defeated and imprisoned, Palutena's only hope was to seek the help of Pit, a young angel trapped in the Underworld. Using the last of her strength, she sent Pit a magical bow. Thus, Pit set out on a quest to escape the Underworld, retrieve the Sacred Treasures that would help him defeat Medusa, and rescue Palutena and restore peace to Angel Land. Pit ) is a video game character and protagonist from Nintendos Kid Icarus series. ...

In the end Pit retrieved these three treasures and battled Medusa. Having won, Pit traveled back to Angel Land to find the newly restored Palutena bestow on him armor (perhaps raising his rank). However, if the secret ending is reached, Pit will be turned older (teenage years) and afterwards receive a kiss of gratitude from Palutena.

Development

The original Famicom Disk System versions feature save slots, unlike the North American version which uses a password system (known in-game as "Sacred Words"). As with Metroid, the FDS version of Kid Icarus also features higher quality music and sound effects that take advantage of the system's wavetable sound channel. Wavetable synthesis is used in digital musical instruments (synthesizers) to produce natural tone-like sounds. ...

Kid Icarus was produced by Gunpei Yokoi and the music was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka.^[2] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Regional variations

The controls differ slightly between the Japanese and the North American versions. In the Japanese version, at the Palace in the Sky stage, the player must either hold or tap the A Button repeatedly to make Pit fly, whereas in the North American version, the screen scrolls automatically, thus making Pit fly with the screen automatically as well.

Since the Japanese version was released on the Famicom Disk System, some of the sound effects are different than the U.S. version. Most noticeable are the sounds the Grim Reaper makes (he sounds like he's screeching instead of just "blip blup"), the timer sound when players grab a Harp, the noise Pit makes when he's hit by an enemy (a grunt instead of a squeal), and some extra instruments in the music. This is most likely because the Famicom Disk System includes an extra sound chip to give FM-like^{[citation needed]} sounds to certain games.

Also, there are alternate endings between the Japanese version and the North American version. In the North American version, after Medusa is defeated, the player sees a short scene where Palutena thanks Pit and offers him a reward, depending on the player's progress, with the credits following afterward. In the Japanese version, however, the player's reward for beating the game is a picture with Pit standing by Palutena, with Japanese text above the two, and no credits at all.

Reception

Despite being overshadowed by Metroid, Kid Icarus is regularly recognized as a significant game. It was awarded the 84^th slot in IGN's 2003 list of the Top 100 Games of All Time^[3] and was also inducted into the GameSpy Hall of Fame.^[4] In Volume 199 of Nintendo Power, it was voted number 54 in a list of the top 200 games of all time.^[5] Pit's popularity was acknowledged by Nintendo when he was announced in 2006 as a playable character for Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. Super Smash Bros. ... The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... IGN - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... GameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game Web sites and provides online video game-related services and software. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Kid Icarus at GameFAQs
• Kid Icarus at MobyGames
• Screenshots of the game's endings at Video Game Museum
• Maps of all levels for Kid Icarus at NESMaps
• Kid Icarus Shrine - fan site
• Kid Icarus Coliseum - fan site