Kid Icarus

About Kid Icarus (NES)

Kid Icarus is Nintendo’s great mythological adventure — a vertical-scrolling odyssey developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released on the NES in 1987 (following its 1986 Famicom Disk System debut in Japan). You play Pit, a young angel archer serving the goddess of light, Palutena, on a quest to rescue her from the clutches of Medusa, goddess of darkness, who has turned Angel Land’s people to stone.

The game is famous for its difficulty and its quirks: upward-scrolling stages, shops and black markets, the dreaded Eggplant Curse, and an ending that changes based on how well you play. It shares DNA with Metroid — both were developed side by side by the same team — and together they defined Nintendo’s adventurous spirit in the NES era.

Detailed Gameplay

Kid Icarus is a vertical platformer: Pit climbs skyward through stages filled with flying enemies, crumbling platforms, and doors hiding shops, hot springs, and treasure chambers. His bow fires arrows that grow stronger as he collects power-ups, but one hit can send a long climb tumbling back down.

The Climb

Each stage scrolls upward — fall off the bottom and you lose a life, so careful jumping matters more than speed. Enemies like the Monoeye and Eggplant Wizard harass you constantly; the wizards can curse Pit into an eggplant, leaving him defenseless until he reaches a hospital room. Treasure chambers hide weapon upgrades, water of life, and pencils that reveal hidden shops.

The Three Sacred Treasures

To face Medusa, Pit must recover three legendary artifacts: the Mirror Shield (blocks enemy shots), the Light Arrows (devastating upgraded shots), and the Wings of Pegasus (true flight). Each is guarded at the end of a fortress stage, and the final battle plays very differently with all three in hand.

Shops, Hearts, and Strength

Defeated enemies drop hearts — the currency of Angel Land. Spend them in shops on mallets (to free petrified soldiers), water barrels, and the credit card for the black market. Hot springs restore health, and the strength meter (built by clearing chambers and surviving) determines how many endings you can unlock.

Game Highlights

• Nintendo’s mythological epic — Greek-inspired adventure from the team behind Metroid.
• Unique vertical scrolling — climb skyward through stages where every fall hurts.
• The Three Sacred Treasures — Mirror Shield, Light Arrows, and Wings of Pegasus transform the finale.
• Memorable quirks — the Eggplant Curse, black markets, hot springs, and petrified soldiers.
• Multiple endings — your performance determines how the story concludes.

Controls

Pit moves with the D-pad (or arrow keys) and jumps with one button; the other fires his bow. In fortress stages the view shifts to side-scrolling, and with the Wings of Pegasus the finale becomes a free-flying shooter.

• D-pad / Arrow keys: move
• A / Z: fire arrows
• B / X: jump
• Start: pause

Tips and Strategies to Win

• Never fall — vertical stages punish falls with lost progress; jump only when you are sure of the landing.
• Farm hearts early — enter and re-enter doors to respawn enemies; a stocked wallet buys the gear that saves runs.
• Prioritize the hospital — if cursed by an Eggplant Wizard, find a hospital quickly; a defenseless Pit is a dead Pit.
• Upgrade arrows before fortresses — stronger arrows come from treasure chambers; do not face a fortress underpowered.
• Learn the final fortress — the last stage is a maze; map it mentally, conserve health, and save your strength for Medusa.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why is Kid Icarus so hard? A: The vertical scrolling, one-hit knockback falls, and sparse checkpoints make it unforgiving by design. Patience, heart farming, and learning enemy patterns turn it from brutal to beatable.

Q: What does the Eggplant Curse do? A: Eggplant Wizards can transform Pit into a walking eggplant that cannot attack. Find a hospital room to be cured — or finish the stage cursed if you are feeling brave.

Q: Are there different endings? A: Yes — depending on your score, strength level, and completion time, the ending shows Pit in different forms, from a simple sprite to a fully grown angel. It was a revolutionary reward for skilled play in 1987.