Kid Icarus: Uprising

After more than two decades of silence, Pit, the winged angel in the service of the goddess Palutena, returned in 2012 in one of the most ambitious and, at the same time, most debated games on the 3DS. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a project by Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Super Smash Bros. and Kirby series, and from the very first minute you can feel his obsession with action, humor, and dense design.

The game is split into two phases. The flight sections send Pit soaring through the air in the form of a flashy rail shooter packed with enemies, projectiles, and grandiose bosses. Once he touches down, it turns into a third-person action shooter where you move, dodge, and swap among dozens of different weapons, each behaving differently. The whole experience is accompanied by the constant, witty, and confidently chatty dialogue between Pit, Palutena, and other characters, which became legendary.

Its greatest pride is the Intensity system. Before each mission you bet in-game currency on the difficulty along a scale, and the higher you go, the tougher the fights and the richer the rewards awaiting you. This gambling mechanic gave the game enormous replayability and depth for those who want to conquer the peak of the challenge.

When it came to the controls, though, criticism clashed with admiration. Aiming with the stylus on the touchscreen while simultaneously moving with the slider was unfamiliar and even tiring for many, which is why Nintendo bundled a plastic stand with the game. Even so, the game won a strong fan base thanks to its energy, visual scope, and unexpected depth.

The package also included collectible AR cards which, once scanned by the 3DS camera, brought character battles to life in augmented reality, one of the most inventive demonstrations of the console's capabilities. Thanks to this game, Pit also returned to the wider public's awareness and became a fixture in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Why play it: It combines a brisk rail shooter, chatty action, and a gambling difficulty system into an unmistakable package. For players who want something quirky on the 3DS, brimming with personality.