Some 25 years after the original Kid Icarus™ game for NES™ captured the hearts and imaginations of gamers worldwide, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this beloved series to new heights – and new visual dimensions – on the Nintendo 3DS™ system. The dark goddess Medusa and her Underworld Army have returned, and they’ve got their sights set on the heroic angel Pit. With the aid of Palutena, goddess of light and guardian of the human race, Pit must fend off this malevolent threat. The richly immersive graphics of the Nintendo 3DS system offer incredible depth as Pit battles enemies by air and by land.
Designed by Masashiro Sakurai – creator of Kirby™ and Super Smash Bros.™ – Kid Icarus: Uprising is an epic, action-packed odyssey that unfolds with stunning 3D visuals. The game also includes fully-voiced levels and an amazing soundtrack.
Release dates
JP March 22, 2012
NA March 23, 2012
EU March 2012
Videos
English voice cast
Tara Strong - Palutena Johnny Yong Bosch - Pit Gregg Berger - Magnus Sarah Natochenny - Medusa
Gameplay
From the latest fact sheet:
Designed by Masashiro Sakurai – creator of Kirby™ and Super Smash Bros.™ – Kid Icarus: Uprising is an epic, action-packed odyssey that unfolds with stunning 3D visuals. The game also includes fully-voiced levels and an amazing soundtrack.
Each Chapter delivers nonstop action and is broken up into two sections: Air Battle and Land Battle. In Air Battle the action unfolds like a dynamic guided shooter. When Pit is facing enemies in Land Battle, the game play handles more like a third-person shooter.
Collect different weapons and learn the unique characteristics of each weapon type as you determine which weapon is best suited for each battle.
Controls
From the latest fact sheet:
The game’s simple, intuitive play control has players hold the system in their left hand, while the right hand uses the stylus on the touch screen for targeting. The controls are simple enough to be grasped quickly, but offer layers of depth and strategy for advanced maneuvers.
Multiplayer
The game features local and online multiplayer. From the latest fact sheet:
Experience an innovative take on multiplayer battles in Light vs. Dark, as two teams battle on land whittling away at the other team’s health meter each time a team member is defeated. The team battle then changes to a man-hunt once one team’s meter is emptied. The opposing team must target the other team’s lone angel to win the match.
AR
The game will contain a couple of AR cards, and you will be able to use these to battle against friends. The outcome of these battles is sadly predetermined, so the only real reason for doing AR battles seems to be eye candy. A missed opportunity, methinks. From the latest fact sheet:
The game includes AR Card compatibility. Using the built-in 3D camera on the Nintendo 3DS system, the game recognizes countless specially designed AR Cards, with animated game characters popping up in 3D on the game screen and even battling each other when two cards face off.
Circle Pad Pro?
Yes, but only to offer lefties a way to play the game. You won't be able to play using both circle pads.
There is also no information on whether it will be possible to purchase the Circle Pad Pro in a bundle with the game, but considering it will only be of any use to lefties, I doubt it.
Free 3DS stand?
Yes, but Japan only for now. Hopefully they will bring it over to other regions as well, it looks a lot more comfortable than just holding the 3DS in a cramped position.
Game's looking amazing. Its only downside might be the short length. From what we've seen the levels last approximately 5 minutes and are non-stop action so I can't imagine the game being very lengthy. And I think that this is why they're doing that elaborate difficulty system: add more replay value.
Ground locations include a medieval castle and an interstellar space-pirate vessel
Fight with projectile attacks
Can hide behind pillars/rubble
Close-range melee combos
Dash attacks
Can take your time to explore in these sections
Lots of hidden treasures
Secret life-restoring hot springs
“levels are frenetically paced and full of surprises”
Sakurai calls this “escalating the situation”; piling action on top of action to keep players off balance and engaged
Vehicle example: Exo Tank
Grinding gameplay made possible by Palutena’s magical rails
There are times in which NPCs appear abruptly to fight by your side
Recurring villains like Dark Pit appear from time to time
Constant stream of dialogue to give players a better idea of what’s going on
Dialogue is usually between Pit and Palutena or Palutena and the villain at the moment
Dialogue “works like a charm” because of “clever writing and strong performances”
“necessary plot explanations and strategy tips are buried deep within a stream of smart, self-aware banter”
There’s a moment in the game in which Pit finds an item from the first Kid Icarus and Palutena says that it’s less pixelated than she remembers
A comrade-in-arms will express shock that Pit would be so reckless as to open treasure chests left in plain sight without suspecting a trap
“strong characters and a rollicking plot without ever pulling players out of the action to watch a non-interactive event scene or read a screen full of text”
Palutena will show cute artwork and screenshots from the original Kid Icarus (reminding Pit of how enemies used to look) on the touch screen, though “the game rarely gives you a chance to peel your eyes away from the action unfolding above”
At least 8 chapters; Nintendo Power reached this point and said there was “no end in sight”, hinting that there are many chapters
Uprising isn’t the type of game you play once and then put on the shelf
Massive arsenal in the game
“more weapons than anyone could realistically hope to use in a single trip through the game”
Unique, legendary, superpowered weapons
Nine weapon categories
“when you switch to a new weapon category, it almost feels like you’re playing an entirely different game”
Individual weapons, some with very different properties in each category
Burst Blade unleashes a flurry of short-range bullets that are great for clearing a room
Viper Blade sends out smaller, longer-ranged bullets that poison their targets
Samurai Blade is weaker at long range, but has a fast and deadly melee combo
Royal Blade is slightly weaker on offense, can send unleash a deadly blast attack to cover your escape when you dash backwards to evade an enemy
Obtain 1-2 random weapons from treasure chests
Collect hearts and use them to purchase weapons from a random assortment at Arm’s Altar
Access the Arm’s Alter between levels
There is a practice range at Arm’s Alter
Random assortment of special abilities for each iteration of a weapon
Examples of the above: One random Royal Blade may have a small defensive boost, an extra bullet on each side-dash attack, and a chance to paralyze foes; another Royal Blade may feature a speed boost, enhanced long-ranged shots, and an improved combo attack
Practically an infinite amount of randomly generated weapon variations
Pass a “seed” of a good weapon you find through StreetPass; let your friends buy it in their own games
Pit can pick up single-use items in addition to weapons
Examples of the above: A centurion that follows Pit around firing arrows at foes, a shield that protects Pit’s flank from enemy attacks
Pit can find magical powers that may be equipped between levels
Powers include summoning a meteor shower or firing a massive laser beam (offensive)
Defensive powers include a high-jump or the ability to recover some health
Powers take up space on Pit’s power grid
Find powers in high and low-level versions
Bring only as many powers into combat as you add to the grid
Use a power only a certain amount of times in each level
Can replay levels to gather hearts and open treasure chests
Sakurai hinted at high-level challenges: “We’ve added a certain unique system to address the original game’s reputation for being quite challenging.”
AR Cards were originally intended to be the Kid Icarus equivalent of Smash Bros.’s trophies
Nintendo hasn’t said how the cards will be distributed
Gather cards to unlock more more content in the game (nothing that can’t be unlocked through standard play)
multi
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Thu, January 12th, 2012 at 20:19
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