History VideoGame / KidIcarus

It was followed by ''Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', a 1991 sequel for the Platform/GameBoy. After a nightmare that Palutena has proves to actually be a premonition of an invading demon army, this time led by Orcos, she commands Pit to train himself to use the sacred relics once more to defeat them. Interestingly, this title [[LateExportForYou wouldn't see release in Japan until 2012]], only being available to North American and European audiences.

Put all tropes specific to ''Uprising'' on [[VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising its own page]].

[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Tropes that apply to the series as a whole]]

* Level1MusicRepresents: The Underworld theme is the most iconic music of the series. Though given the [[NintendoHard time you'll spend there]] it's not too surprising.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes that apply to the ''Game Boy'' game ''Of Myths and Monsters'']]
* TheArtifact: Centurion statues in ''Of Myths and Monsters''. In the original, Pit had to release centurions who were turned to stone by Medusa's gaze. In the sequel, Medusa is absent and breaking the Centurion statues with a mallet only releases items.
* BagOfSpilling: The second game feels more like a prequel in this regard. Pit has no strength levels, health extension or times from the NES game and is told he is not ready to use the three sacred treasures even though he can use them for free in the first.
* BrokenAngel: In the ending of ''Of Myths and Monsters'', Pit's wings fall/rip off in front of a overly [[SlasherSmile happy-looking]] [[TheFaceOfTheSun sun]], presumably leaving Pit to plummet to his death. No wonder it's called Kid '''[[MeaningfulName Icarus]]'''.
%% * DeathThrows: In both ''Kid Icarus'' and ''Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters''.
* DemBones: The Overworld fortress guardian in ''Of Myths And Monsters''.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Palutena having a dream about her palace's destruction is what kicks off the ''Of Myths And Monsters'' plot.
* EmergencyWeapon: Due to a loss in the form's mobility, ''Of Myths And Monsters'' lets Pit use hammers to defend himself if struck with the egg plant curse. This does not remove any need to get to a nurse to complete the fortress but makes the trip bearable.
* TheFaceOfTheSun: A happy looking sun appears at the end of the second game.
* GainaxEnding: In ''Of Myths and Monsters'': after defeating Orcos and receiving congratulations, Pit flies upwards through the heavens, past one of each monster he's fought, until [[IcarusAllusion the sun comes into view and his wings fall right off]]. The End!
* GiantFootOfStomping: The Big Toes that fall from the sky in the Game Boy game are a little smaller than most examples. Also, Orcos shows one of the usual size.
* GrimyWater: Don claims the lakes in ''Of Myths And Monsters'' are poisoned.
* HealingSpring: Hot springs heal you, ''Of Myths and Monsters'' however is not above sticking tower-enemies in them.
* InterchangeableAntimatterKeys: In both games, every door outside of the fortress remains shut once you've entered and exited it but the Game Boy game lets you buy one time use keys, which can reopen any door and once you've used every door in a level you can use Palutena's key to open them all back up. Even after making Palutena's key available you still have to destroy the level with hammers to reveal where it is hidden.
* LargeAndInCharge: Orcos from the Game Boy sequel seems to be a subversion, but eventually goes to [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever "truly titanic"]] size!
* MakeMyMonsterGrow: Orcos impressively goes up to Franchise/{{Godzilla}} size. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTlJS9EtanA See for yourself!]]
* MissionPackSequel: ''Of Myths and Monsters'' has updated graphics but is otherwise nearly identical to the first game for the gameplay and progression. The Centurions are even sealed in stone again, for no actual reason.
* NintendoHard
** Like difficulty curves? Then you'll love the new "difficulty ''cliff''"! It starts out extremely difficult, but out of nowhere it becomes easy. [[SchizophrenicDifficulty World 1 is the hardest in the game]]. It is [[PlanetHeck Hell, after all.]]
** For some, the last dungeon (''3-4'') might be a brain-wreckingly difficult.
** Its difficulty is alleviated in the [[Disambig/Nintendo3DS 3D Classics]]-port, which seems to be mainly based on the Japanese version, and thus has a save-feature (comparable to ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''), meaning you can just reload your savestate on the latest level reached. Additionally, you can choose between two control modes, "[[AntiFrustrationFeatures CUSTOM]]" and "ORIGINAL". ORIGINAL has Pit maneuver like in his NES-title; CUSTOM, on the other hand, gives him ''much'' smoother run- and jump-physics, a faster shooting-frequency, being able to jump while aiming up, and being able to slow his descent like in ''Of Myths and Monsters''. Believe it or not, this makes the game much more accessible and manageable.
* NonLinearSequel: ''Of Myths and Monsters'' has a confusing relationship with the original ''Kid Icarus''. Despite being an ostensible sequel, neither [[AllThereInTheManual the manual]] nor the in-game text refer to Pit's fight with Medusa, and the game is actually a training mission through which Pit is meant to become worthy to use the Three Sacred Treasures, which he was able to use with no apparent issue in the first game. Is it supposed to be a StealthPrequel?
* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: The Underworld fortress guardian in of ''Myths And Monsters'' is the Minotaur. Few players got by him. Those that did tended to be annoyed to learn he was an {{early bird boss}}.
* SamePlotSequel: ''Of Myths and Monsters'' (assuming it even ''is'' [[NonLinearSequel a sequel]]) rehashes the exact same adventure from the first game, but changes the ExcusePlot into a training mission to thwart the coming evil of Orcos rather than saving Palutena from the already arrived evil of Medusa.
* SceneryPorn: The [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3D Classics]] re-release of the first game has some ''really'' nice-looking backgrounds.
* SchrodingersCanon: The Game Boy title ''Of Myth And Monsters'' wasn't released in Japan and therefore isn't acknowledged in ''Kid Icarus Uprising.'' That being said, it has not been officially removed from the continuity, and ''Uprising'' doesn't invalidate it.
* SegmentedSerpent: The Fire Serpent in ''Of Myths And Monsters'', guardian of the Skyworld fortress. The head is different from the other parts and is the only part that can be damaged.
* SoundtrackDissonance: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B14wbvOK424 The Fortress-theme from]] ''Of Myths and Monsters'' does not sound very Fortress-like.
* SpikesOfDoom: Usually in the form of thorns or briars, they are more liberally scattered through ''Of Myths And Monsters''.
* StickyFingers: Sticky Talons in the Game Boy game, who steal Pit's power ups.
* TakenForGranite: Palutena in the Game Boy game by Orcos.
* VideoGameFlight: The angel feather in the second game lets you fly freely for a brief time. The wings of Pegasus let you fly indefinitely but in the first game you are limited by a scrolling screen, the second game only limits you to what can't be broken with your hammers.
* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: In ''Of Myths and Monsters'' only.
* WingsDoNothing: Played with. Wings can slow his descent and Pit is again able to obtain a powerup that allows {{flight}}. As a trade off, Pit can no longer move while crouching.
[[/folder]]

The original 1986 NES/Famicom game was developed by Creator/GunpeiYokoi's Nintendo R&D1 division, using the same game engine as ''VideoGame/{{Metroid|1}}''. [[note]]In fact, as a shout-out to its sister series, one of the enemies you can encounter are life energy-sucking aliens called Komaytos, which are basically Metroids in all but name.[[/note]] This installment sees Medusa, Goddess of Darkness, invade Skyworld out of revenge for Palutena banishing her to the Underworld. Trapped in her palace, and with most of her army turned to stone and imprisoned in the depths of the Underworld themselves, Palutena uses the last of her power to gift a captured Pit a bow and arrow that he uses to escape from the Underworld, gather up the three sacred relics that Medusa stole in her attack, and defeat the fallen goddess and her legion.

[[folder:Tropes that apply to the first two games]]
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: In the Japan-only [[MultipleEndings worst ending]] of the first game. After defeating Medusa, Palutena assigns you a new role depending on your skill and completion (how many upgrades to strength and health you've obtained against how many times you've died). If you do especially badly, she turns you into a specknose. (Due to how the points work out, this is usually a case of EarnYourBadEnding, but is also the likeliest result of {{Minimalist Run}}s).

* BanditMook: The invincible Pluton would steal one of Pit's special weapons and [[InvincibleMinorMinion could not be destroyed]]. Even worse; there was [[AirborneMook a flying variation]]. Sticky talons too, but they are destructible.
* BottomlessPitRescueService: The Angel Feather in the first game. If you fall down with at least one in your inventory, Pit will slowly fly back up. You have to land him on a platform before the Feather's effect wears off, or else he'll actually die.

* TheCameo: Pit has been making cameos for [[VideoGame/{{Tetris}} several]] [[VideoGame/WarioWare games]] in his 8-bit form.
* DamageSpongeBoss: The boss battles in the first game are relatively simple, but Twinbellows has 100 HP, Hewdraw and Pandora have 200 HP, and Medusa has 150 HP. The damage dealt by Pit's arrows is determined by his strength; if Pit hasn't received any strength upgrades (whether the player is doing a minimalist run or is simply not skilled enough at this NintendoHard game), then he has to hit Hewdraw and Pandora 200 times to defeat them, making for a long and grueling war of attrition against these bosses. The fortress bosses can be mitigated by Centurions, who can help dish out extra damage, but they're more likely to die instantly and leave Pit to fight the boss on his own.
* DamselInDistress: Palutena in the original game is imprisoned by Medusa and her Underworld army. Apparently, being a goddess does not make one immune to this trope.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: On certain platforms (such as ice and clouds), Pit will jump down to a lower level when the player presses Down. However, Down is also used for ducking, which is an effective means of dodging enemies. In the heat of an enemy-infested screen, a player might press Down to avoid an attack... only to drop off the platform instead, likely leading to Pit falling down a {{Bottomless Pit|s}} and dying.

* DenialOfDiagonalAttack: Considering what ''Kid Icarus'' shares its engine with, it is not surprising.
* DifficultyByRegion: The American version made a few changes to the [[UnexpectedShmupLevel last level of the original game]]: the screen scrolls automatically rather than based on the player's movement, you no longer have to hold the Jump button to fly, you can fly through the bricks and pillars, and enemy patterns have been changed. These differences make the American version a little easier.
* DirectionallySolidPlatforms: Most surfaces are solid, but certain platforms (including those made of ice and clouds) allow Pit to jump through them from below, which are useful for vertical scrolling levels and fortresses. Pressing Down while standing atop these platforms will drop Pit down; this is useful in fortresses, but [[DamnYouMuscleMemory less so in other levels]].

* EarlyGameHell: The Underworld, despite being the first couple levels, is very difficult due to the lack of powerups and health, combined with the infamous vertical RatchetScrolling and BottomlessPits. The game becomes more manageable after the first fortress, with the Overworld being a traditional sidescroller, and Pit having plenty of powerups and health by the time Skyworld goes back to the vertical scrolling. Gets a lampshade in ''Uprising'', with Pit and Palutena reminiscing about how deadly the Underworld is.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pre-Sakurai era can seem rather bizarre to people who got acquainted with Pit through ''Smash'' and ''Uprising''. Character designs were very simplistic and cartoonish (mostly apparent in-game with Pit's sprite), Pit could only fight with his bow (which he couldn't even split into two swords like in ''Brawl''), and he had to go to [[AnachronismStew hospitals]] to be transformed back from an eggplant[[note]]granted, ''Uprising'' would introduce different anachronisms, but not to that extent[[/note]].
* EarnYourBadEnding: In the Famicom version, to get the bad ending where Pit turns into a monster, you'll have to either do a MinimalistRun or do ''a lot'' of dying.

* EscapedFromHell: This is how the first game starts — Pit has fallen into Hades and must fight his way back up. In the second game he's been sent there to prove himself worthy to reuse the three sacred treasures.
* EveryTenThousandPoints: Your get LifeMeter extensions at 20,000, 50,000, 100,000 and 200,000 points.

* FourIsDeath: Most enemies appear in groups of four, most significantly the Reapettes for the [[TheGrimReaper association with death]], but also including Shemum, Commyloose, Monoeye, Minos, Mick, Rokman, Octos, Komayto, Moila, and Daphne.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The manual describes certain enemies as distinct gods, such as Holer being the God of Plants, Uranos being the God of the Sky, and Erinus being the God of Revenge. However, in the game itself, these [[OurGodsAreDifferent "gods"]] are actually just common {{mooks}} without any individuality.

* GoldenEnding: The best ending of the first game, earned by maxing out all of Pit's stats, shows Pit growing in size and getting [[SmoochOfVictory kissed]] by Palutena.
* TheGoomba: Aside from Shemums, each fortress has a very basic, slow-moving, easily killed enemy commonly found throughout the labyrinth. The Underworld fortress has Kobil, the Overworld fortress has Shulm, and the Skyworld fortress has Uranos.
* GreatEscape: The first world is technically Pit escaping from his imprisonment in the Underworld to go kick Medusa's ass. No wonder it was [[NintendoHard hard.]]

* GuideDangIt:
** Nothing in the game tells you that there is a second, hidden score counter that must be raised to certain amounts (by collecting hearts, killing enemies etc.) to get the weapon upgrades. If you don't raise this score high enough, Zeus simply won't appear in the upgrade rooms, and you will have a very tough time completing the game.
** The enchanted weapons you get from the training rooms--the Crystal Rod, Flaming Arrow, and Sacred Bow--are not immediately functional. You must raise Pit's health to maximum first (with at least two health upgrades, which requires 50,000 points), which you probably won't be able to do until you reach the hot springs in the first dungeon. And even then, you ''still'' won't be able to use the enchanted weapon right away, because they're disabled while in dungeons.
** It is not obvious what to do in the treasure rooms in the first two worlds (the rooms full of breakable pots.) You have to break all of the pots ''without'' collecting any of the items inside. One pot, if broken last, will contain a life potion, barrel, or credit card. Said pot is randomly selected when you enter the room, though it's possible to [[https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Kid_Icarus/Rooms#Treasure_Rooms guarantee a win every time]] by breaking a few specific pots first.

* HitPoints: The fortress guardians in the first game have counters for how many hits they need to take.
* IGotBigger: The good ending of the first game has Pit instantly grow from a young boy to a tall handsome man.

* InvincibleMinorMinion: Plutons are {{Bandit Mook}}s that deal no damage to Pit, but in return are completely unaffected by Pit's arrows.
* JourneyToTheSky: The plot of the first game revolves around Pit climbing the Underworld to eventually reach the Overworld, and from there continue his travel to reach Skyworld (where he has to further climb upward) and save Palutena.
* KillTheGod: In addition to Pandora, T(h)anatos, and Medusa, Pit is also capable of killing Holer, Uranos, and Erinus, which are also described as gods in the first game's manual.
* LargeAndInCharge: Medusa is larger then any other enemy in the game. Orcos from the Game Boy sequel seems to be a subversion, but eventually goes to [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever "truly titanic"]] size!
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: In the first game, if an enemy has a blue version and a red version, the red version is more dangerous while also giving larger hearts and more points. This an inversion of fellow NES game ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', where blue enemies are tougher.
* LevelInTheClouds: The third world and the final level take place in this setting. Pit has to climb upward with the help of hovering rocks and uniquely colored cloud platforms (green in 3-1, pink in 3-2, and white in 3-3), all while dealing with numerous enemies. Most of the Platform/GameBoy sequel takes place here as well.
* LostInTranslation: An enemy named Phil has a DubNameChange in the first game, which changes it to [=EelEye=]. Consequently, its association with the fellow enemy Collin loses the ShoutOut to Music/PhilCollins.
* LuckBasedMission: The second room of World 3's dungeon has you climbing down a ladder right into the crosshairs of two Eggplant Wizards. They will either hit you with an unavoidable eggplant curse the instant you enter the room, or they will decide not to. You just have to hope they don't.

* MarathonLevel: The final stage in the original game runs as long as it takes for you to accumulate enough points in the level to continue on to the battle with Medusa. If you don't have enough points, the stage will loop back from the start. It is a little surprising after the 'get to the end/get to the fortress guardian' goal of ever other level in the game but once you realize progression is based on how many enemies you defeat it shouldn't take more than two trips through the level.
* MedalOfDishonor: If you beat ''Kid Icarus'' (NES) in a minimalist speed-run instead of making an honest time-consuming grind, Palutena "promotes" you to serve as some kind of Janitor because she believes that you are a lucky fraud for saving Angel Land from Medusa.

* MultipleEndings: The original ''Kid Icarus'' has a total of six potential endings, four of which are shared between the Japanese and English versions, but the Famicom Disk System original has an extra-bad ending, which the Nintendo Entertainment System version replaced with a new GoldenEnding. Unlike its sister series ''Metroid'', ''Kid Icarus'' grades you on [[HundredPercentCompletion completion]] rather than speed. Each version uses a slightly different metric; the Japanese version gives you ten points for each level in both your endurance and your strength (i.e. five endurance and five strength together earns you a full hundred points) and then deducts a point for every time you continue after dying, while the English version counts how many values you've maxed out (the number of hearts collected, amount of endurance, amount of strength, how many weapons were collected).
** The worst ending of all, only available if you finish with less than 60 points in the Japanese version, ends with Palutena turning Pit into a [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie specknose]].
** The worst of the shared endings (60 to 79 points in Japanese or no categories completed in English) shows Palutena [[BroughtDownToNormal turning Pit into a farmer]] with a straw hat and sickle[[note]]Or perhaps even just a normal human child, considering the "sickle" also resembles a butterfly net[[/note]].
** The second-worst of the shared endings (80 to 84 points or only one complete category) results in Palutena turning Pit into a foot-soldier or a guard with a helmet and club.
** The second-best of the shared endings (85 to 99 points or two complete categories) has Palutena turn Pit into a soldier captain with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galea_%28helmet%29 galea]] and spear.
** The best of the shared endings (the original GoldenEnding in Japan at 100 points or three complete categories) has Palutena promote Pit into a full-grown {{hunk}} of an angel.
** The newer GoldenEnding (earned by obtaining 999 hearts, five health, five strength, and all three weapons in the English version) features Palutena promoting Pit to full-grown angel as before and then planting a SmoochOfVictory and BigDamnKiss on him, while the background lights up and angels appear to rain hearts on them.
* NationalGeographicNudity: The NES game got away with Syrens having exposed breasts, likely due to being based on Myth/ClassicalMythology where such depictions would be commonplace.
* NewGamePlus: In the NES version only, pressing "Start" at the conclusion of the end credits restarted the game but with Pit as powered up as he had been before (minus the three sacred treasures, of course).

* PowerDyesYourHair: Pit goes through different hair colors at different power levels in the NES game, with blue being the strongest.
* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The Overworld theme contains a snippet of "The Girl I Left Behind Me", a marching song that dates back to Elizabethan England but which has a lot of American history, too. This is retained in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' remix, but left out of the ''Uprising'' remixes.
* RatchetScrolling: One of the main sources of difficulty in the first game is the fact that Pit cannot go back once the screen scrolls. In the horizontally-scrolling Overworld, it's no worse than a ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' level; an invisible wall at the left edge of the screen simply stops Pit from backtracking. But in the vertically-scrolling Underworld and Skyworld, the bottom of the screen becomes an instant-death {{Bottomless Pit|s}}, even if there is a platform just off-screen.
* RedShirtArmy: The Centurions. Turned into stone by Medusa, you spend half your time in the dungeons saving them with Hammers(?!) only to have them drop like flies when they attempt to fight the bosses, who aren't that tough anyway.

* SchizophrenicDifficulty: Infamously so. The first levels are teeth-gnashingly difficult, not only because you have no power-ups, but since you're climbing upward, the {{Bottomless Pit|s}} is effectively ''chasing'' you. (''Uprising'' has a nod to this, with Pit having very unpleasant memories of dying repeatedly there.) The second world is side-scrolling and quite a bit easier. The third spikes the difficulty with another upward climb, and the final level (where you have OneHitPolykill laser arrows) is so easy it's practically a CutScene. In addition, each fortress is an exercise in eggplant-induced masochism, but the fortress bosses are pushovers.

* SegmentedSerpent:
** Hewdraw and Tanatos in the first game achieve their long serpentine forms with a series of segmented sprites. It's even reflected by Tanatos's manual artwork, where his body is composed of distinct segments.
** The Fire Serpent in ''Of Myths And Monsters'', guardian of the Skyworld fortress. The head is different from the other parts and is the only part that can be damaged.
* SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom: Spike traps in the fortresses, sometimes going in four directions.
* SmoochOfVictory: The American version took out the bad ending where Pit is turned [[BodyHorror into a specknose]] and replaced it with a perfect ending where Palutena kisses Pit in addition to turning him into an adult.

* TakenForGranite: The Centurions in the first game by Medusa. Palutena in the Game Boy game by Orcos.
* ThisWasHerTrueForm: Upon the defeat of monster Medusa, Medusa's humanoid form (but still green-skinned) comes out of monster Medusa's [[{{Squick}} eyeball]] and dies. Then inverted in ''Uprising'', as her one-eyed, cyclops-faced form is revealed to be her true form in the game according to her idol. She has to use magic to cover up her cursed form.
* {{Transflormation}}: Pit spends an awful lot of time getting turned into an eggplant.
* UnexpectedShmupLevel: In the original NES game, the final level is a HorizontalScrollingShooter.

* WingsDoNothing:
** In the first game, this trope is in effect until you get a powerup. In the Game Boy game, they can slow his descent and Pit is again able to obtain a powerup that allows {{flight}}. As a trade off, Pit can no longer move while crouching in the Game boy game.
** The Kobils and Shemums can't fly either.
* WrapAround: In the NES game, not in ''Of Myths and Monsters'' because the Game Boy's resolution, the screen scrolls horizontally.
* WrongGenreSavvy: After defeating the Hewdraw, the water appears to turn into a hot spring. Many made the mistake of [[SchmuckBait jumping in and killing themselves.]]

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Mick's name is spelled as "Mik" in ''Uprising'', and Tanatos's name becomes a more accurate "Thanatos". The latter gets lampshaded in the English localization, with Thanatos claming that he added the "h" to stand for "HAMAZING!"

* DropTheHammer: Pit can collect hammers to use in the fortress. Hammers deal a good deal of damage to enemies but the main usage is using them to free stone Centurions. [[RedShirtArmy Who are mostly useless.]] Hammers were much more useful in the sequel.

* LevelInTheClouds: The third world and the final level take place in this setting. Pit has to climb upward with the help of hovering rocks and uniquely colored cloud platforms (green in 3-1, pink in 3-2, and white in 3-3), all while dealing with numerous enemies. Most of the Platfor./GameBoy sequel takes place here as well.

It was followed by ''Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', a 1991 sequel for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy. After a nightmare that Palutena has proves to actually be a premonition of an invading demon army, this time led by Orcos, she commands Pit to train himself to use the sacred relics once more to defeat them. Interestingly, this title [[LateExportForYou wouldn't see release in Japan until 2012]], only being available to North American and European audiences.

Despite Pit being one of the main characters in the 1980s animated series ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'', ''Kid Icarus'' would spend the next seventeen years as little more than a CultClassic within Nintendo's NES library known primarily for [[NintendoHard its high difficulty]]. The character wouldn't make a reappearance until 2008's ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where he was a playable fighter and received a radical makeover to match. The renewed popularity of the character, and a request from Nintendo CEO Creator/SatoruIwata to create a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS launch title, resulted in ''Smash Bros.'' director Creator/MasahiroSakurai using his version of the character as a basis for a brand-new entry in the series: ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', released in 2012, reimagined the series as a ThirdPersonShooter, giving Pit a large and varied arsenal of weapons to use as he aims not only to defeat a revived Medusa, but also her master [[ManBehindTheMan Hades]].

* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: In the first game, if an enemy has a blue version and a red version, the red version is more dangerous while also giving larger hearts and more points. This an inversion of fellow NES game VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda, where blue enemies are tougher.
* LevelInTheClouds: The third world and the final level take place in this setting. Pit has to climb upward with the help of hovering rocks and uniquely colored cloud platforms (green in 3-1, pink in 3-2, and white in 3-3), all while dealing with numerous enemies. Most of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy sequel takes place here as well.

** Its difficulty is alleviated in the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS 3D Classics]]-port, which seems to be mainly based on the Japanese version, and thus has a save-feature (comparable to ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''), meaning you can just reload your savestate on the latest level reached. Additionally, you can choose between two control modes, "[[AntiFrustrationFeatures CUSTOM]]" and "ORIGINAL". ORIGINAL has Pit maneuver like in his NES-title; CUSTOM, on the other hand, gives him ''much'' smoother run- and jump-physics, a faster shooting-frequency, being able to jump while aiming up, and being able to slow his descent like in ''Of Myths and Monsters''. Believe it or not, this makes the game much more accessible and manageable.

* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The Overworld theme contains a snippet of "The Girl I Left Behind Me", a marching song that dates back to Elizabethan England but which has a lot of American history, too. This is retained in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' remix, but left out of the ''Uprising'' remixes.

* SceneryPorn: The [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS 3D Classics]] re-release of the first game has some ''really'' nice-looking backgrounds.

* SchrodingersCanon: The Game Boy title ''Of Myth And Monsters'' wasn't release in Japan and therefore isn't acknowledged in ''Kid Icarus Uprising.'' That being said, it has not been officially removed from the continuity, and ''Uprising'' doesn't invalidate it.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

It was followed by ''Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', a 1991 sequel for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy. After a nightmare that Palutena has proves to actually be a premonition of an invading demon army, this time led by Orcos, she commands to Pit to train himself to use the sacred relics once more to defeat them. Interestingly, this title [[LateExportForYou wouldn't see release in Japan until 2012]], only being available to North American and European audiences.

It was followed by ''Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', a 1991 sequel for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy. After a nightmare that Palutena has proves to actually be a premonition of an invading demon army, this time led by Orcos, she commands to Pit had to train himself to use the sacred relics once more to defeat them. Interestingly, this title [[LateExportForYou wouldn't see release in Japan until 2012]], only being available to North American and European audiences.

Despite Pit being one of the main characters in the 1980s animated series ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'', ''Kid Icarus'' would spend the next seventeen years as little more than a CultClassic within Nintendo's NES library known primarily for [[NintendoHard its high difficulty]]. The character wouldn't make a reappearance until 2008's ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where he was a playable fighter and received a radical makeover to match. The renewed popularity of the character, and a request from Nintendo CEO Creator/SatoruIwata to create a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS launch title, resulted in ''Smash Bros.'' director Creator/MasahiroSakurai using his version of the character as a basis for a brand-new entry in the series: ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', released in 2021, reimagined the series as a ThirdPersonShooter, giving Pit a large and varied arsenal of weapons to use as he aims not only to defeat a revived Medusa, but also her master [[ManBehindTheMan Hades]].