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Kid Icarus: Uprising game review

It’s been a long, long wait for Kid Icarus: Uprising. The game that’s loosely based on the more popular Greek myths was supposed to be released a year ago. Sadly, it wasn’t ready on the day that the 3DS was launched. Now, a year later, it’s here. And, oh, boy, what a terrific, deep experience playing can be!

KID ICARUS: UPRISING
Nintendo for 3DS; Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older.

Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 9.7
Replay Value: 9.0
Overall Score: 9.1

Pros: Deep online multiplayer; cool augmented reality cards; characters who speak.

Cons: Controls take getting used to; occasional camera-angle issue; characters speaking during battle is distracting.

The story of Kid Icarus: Uprising features Pit, the chipper main character, in a battle to save Angel Land from the scheming Medusa. This nasty snake-haired goddess commands an army of varied, flying monsters that want to strike out at Pit.

But the plucky warrior is helped by Palutena, the chatty goddess of light who guards the human race. Through her, you’ll learn how to use weapons and even how to fly.

BOTH BIG AND SMALL REASONS TO GET IT

The reasons to get the game are many, and even the small things will rock your world. Six augmented reality cards add enjoyment beyond the game. Use them, and you’ll get collectible hearts that let you buy stuff. You can make your own weapons. You can use a slider to carefully increase the difficulty of the game far beyond the usual Hard option.

Each level is composed of a seat-of-your-pants flying mission, a difficult ground mission and a boss battle. The bosses you encounter are wonderfully weird and crazy. For instance, the giant dragon Hewdraw has three heads, each with a wild personality. It’s like meeting the Three Stooges of dragons.

On the ground, you sometimes find vehicles that you can jump into and drive around. The Exo Tank, for instance, looks like a supercharged Japanese stag beetle mixed with a Roman chariot. It shoots blue lightning bolts from its frontal blades and moves via jet propulsion.

This is such a carefully made game packed with action that you might miss one of the best things about it: the dramatic, humorous, sometimes cheesy dialog voiced throughout. Hearing full audio conversations is rare for a Nintendo handheld. And there sure is lot of conversing.

For example, Palutena really is a motormouth. She tells stories about Greek history or the dangerous terrain or the complex characters. Most of the time, her banter really adds to the game. But when she gabs as you’re flying and fighting, you miss some important points she’s trying to make because you’re trying to win a battle – and stay alive.

The music is full of variety, too. Take the soundtrack to Pandora’s Labyrinth of Deceit. It’s a strange, dizzying maze that goes on and on. And it features artwork that must have been inspired by the first “Tron” movie. As you play, you’ll hear a smooth jazz song that you’ll probably be humming when you put the game down.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Kid Icarus: Uprising comes with a plastic stand. The stand supposedly allows for easier play. But including that stand points to the one big issue: They added the stand to make controlling the game easier. But you still may well have problems whether you try the stand or just hold the 3DS as you play.

That’s because the controls aren’t precise enough.

The control stick on the upper left is used for moving Pit around. It’s also used to make him leap to the side when, say, a ball of fire has been aimed at him by an enemy. That control doesn’t always work well.

And you’re supposed to use the stylus on the touch screen to aim your weapons. That’s a hard and sometimes painful experience. I ended up using my index finger instead.

Nintendo has tried to give you variety in the way you use the controls. You can change them around. But they never seem exactly right, and if you have big hands, you’ll get cramps. I dealt with this (and I don’t have huge hands) by playing just one level at a time. Each takes about 20 or 30 minutes. Then I took a rest.

REPLAY – AND HISTORIC – VALUE

The replay value in Uprising is very high. You have an online multiplayer system that includes team deathmatch and free-for-all modes. And you’ll go back to the main game to pick up new treasure or weapons. Finally, you can pit the characters featured on the augmented reality cards against each other.

Kid Icarus: Uprising will go down in history as one of the most inventive games Nintendo has ever made for the 3DS. Despite the challenges with the controls, you’ll thrill to hours and hours of engrossing fun that includes a rich story as well.

37 Comments on Kid Icarus: Uprising game review

  1. this game is the best game in the world I would highly recommend this I have completed the game and I’m a girl and I love it and so does my 15 year old brother Together mode is awesome

  2. I HIGHLY recommend getting a bunch of power for melee with an ogre club and melee combo or melee dash attack modifiers and you can wipe out a multiplayer opponent in 1 hit. OFTO

  3. how does this get a better score than minecraft? this got a 7 out of 10 on game informer

  4. mad doctor // June 20, 2012 at 3:59 pm // Reply

    I beat it in 3 days. Reply if you need any help.

  5. awesome game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. super mrio galaxy master // June 16, 2012 at 8:52 am // Reply

    this is an epic game. but i dont now why in 23, you destroy hades hart and dont kill him

  7. ahh.. finally… I unlocked the Palutena Bow! I used a feather instead of doing the acheivement, though, so I didnt really earn it… but its still worth it!

  8. ….highly reccomended

  9. this is a must have for the 3ds!

  10. This game is amazing. In together mode, try using the laser staff at the top of the spiral tower and zooming in to snipe out targets. You can also combine powers like invisible shots and transparency. Nobody would know what hit them.

  11. charlie3118 // May 14, 2012 at 7:53 pm // Reply

    i have the 3ds but not the game. i saw the game on my 3ds i think for first timers can do 2.0. but it looks a lot of fun

  12. 3D$CR@ZY // May 6, 2012 at 6:26 pm // Reply

    It looks pretty good, and I have a 3ds. ( duh, ) but why do you fight Lady Palutena? Plus, I don’t have enough money. but it looks AWESOME!!!!!!!

    • You fight Palutena to defeat the Chaos Kin. But when fighting the goddess look for a purple aura in the sky; attack it and out goes the Chaos Kin! Then pummel it without hurting Palutena to win. Plus, don’t hit Palutena ONCE to earn a reward.

      Good Luck
      Hope this helped! 🙂

      • I own kid icarus and i love playing online you earn looots of wepons and powers.:)
        oh ya dont wana mess with me!!!!!LOL!!!!!

  13. THis game is tha bomb!!! i finished it in like a week!

  14. I don’t have it yet, but I see one big problem I’ll have with this. I’m left handed. Circle pad is on the left side, and I have to use the stylus too? See the problem?

    • The Circle Pad Pro accessory puts a circle pad on the right side of the system, and Kid Icarus is compatible with it.

    • As well as the CPP (Circle Pad Pro) you can use the buttons in the place of an analog stick/circle pad.

    • knife gun // May 20, 2012 at 7:48 pm // Reply

      you can set the contrals so you move with x a b and y and shoot with the r button

  15. to bad i don’t have a 3ds but it looks like a fun game

  16. I. AM. GOING. TO. GET. THE. GAME.

  17. 3DS maniac // March 28, 2012 at 6:49 pm // Reply

    i am getting it tomorrow.BOYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. ChessMaster11 // March 28, 2012 at 6:44 pm // Reply

    I dont see why they didn’t use the Circle Pad Pro to aim with, cuz then you could use the touch screen for something else.

  19. Espeon says // March 28, 2012 at 11:21 am // Reply

    This is the best game in the world you should try it i raelly recommend it i would still buy it for 50.00!

  20. coolman2230 // March 27, 2012 at 6:48 pm // Reply

    what about viridi? or hades?

  21. looks like fun!! But I don’t have a 3ds did they make it for any other game system???
    please answer

  22. I want the game so bad.

  23. Sounds like a really interesting game especially if you’ve read the Percy Jackson series.

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