Kid Icarus

From Greek mythology Nintendo borrowed a winged hero and sent him into hell — not downward, though, but upward. Kid Icarus ranks among the most challenging and, at the time, most underrated titles of the early NES, yet it grew out of exactly the same workshop and at the same time as the legendary Metroid.

That is no coincidence. The game was created at Nintendo R&D1 and runs on an engine related to Metroid's, only instead of the claustrophobic corridors of planet Zebes it offers a vertical climb toward the heavens. The hero Pit, an archer with angelic ambitions, climbs upward screen by screen, collecting upgrades and hearts he spends at merchants. That climbing is itself a mechanic: falling off the bottom of the screen means death, so every jump is a little drama.

What makes the game stand out is its uncompromising difficulty and its structure. Vertical stretches alternate with side-scrolling dungeons complete with maps and bosses, changing the pace and the demands on the player. Pit starts weak and vulnerable, but as the game goes on he grows strong enough that at the summit he faces the goddess of darkness herself. That arc — from helplessness to triumph — is part of why fans remember the game.

For many years Kid Icarus was more of a footnote in Nintendo's history, a curiosity in the shadow of the big brands. The comeback came later and grandly: thanks to Pit's presence in the Super Smash Bros. games and especially the modern installment Kid Icarus: Uprising on the 3DS, the brand gained a new cult status and a whole generation of new fans who traced their way back to the original.

Today the eight-bit original is regarded with respect — as a tough, ambitious game that took mythology seriously and did not go easy on players. It is a title for those who love a challenge and are not afraid to die.

Why play: A demanding, atmospheric platformer from Nintendo's golden era that stands at the roots of the metroidvania and today is finally reaping its deserved respect.