''Kid Icarus'' is a media franchise of fantasy

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

s by

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...

. The games are set in a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

world based on

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

and

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

, called "Angel Land". The gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure and platform elements. The ''Kid Icarus'' franchise is known as a cult classic and a sibling series to the

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic ...

franchise. The first installment, '' Kid Icarus'', was released in 1986 for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

and was received to critical acclaim despite poor sales. A sequel, '' Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', was later released for the

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

. After a 20-year hiatus, '' Kid Icarus: Uprising'' was released in 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS handheld.

History

After

's release of commercially successful platforming games in the 1980s, including '' Donkey Kong'', '' Ice Climber'', and '' Super Mario Bros.'', as well as the critically acclaimed

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based ...

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-relea ...

'', the company was interested in entering a different genre. They began work on an action game. The game was called ''

''. Nintendo released ''Metroid'' for the Family Computer Disk System on August 6, 1986, and on the

one year later. ''Kid Icarus'' was developed alongside as its sister game, as it shares elements and programmers with ''Metroid''. The game was produced by the same man who produced ''Metroid'', Gunpei Yokoi, who previously produced ''Donkey Kong'', '' Donkey Kong Junior'' (1982) and the original '' Mario Bros.'' (1983), and it featured music written by

Hirokazu Tanaka , also known as Chip Tanaka, is a Japanese musician, composer, sound designer, and executive who pioneered chiptune music. He is best known as one of Nintendo's in-house composers during the 8- and 16-bit era of video games. Tanaka also had a role ...

, who also composed for '' Duck Hunt'' (1984). After the release of its handheld sequel, '' Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters'', the series received no new installments for two decades. During 1990s, a different gaming magazine claimed another project named ''Kid Icarus: Angel Land Story'', sometimes called ''Super Kid Icarus'', to exist in-work for Super NES though it is unknown if the source is real or not. An installment for the Nintendo 64 was rumored to be in development, but was never released. During early 2000s, Capcom moved their resources to redo Dead Phoenix into new untitled ''Icarus'' game, to debut on

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the ...

. A series revival was planned for

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

, developed by

Factor 5 Factor 5 GmbH is an independent software and video game developer. The company was co-founded by five former Rainbow Arts employees in 1987 in Cologne, Germany, which served as the inspiration behind the studio's name. In order to have a str ...

, but this appearance eventually led to cancellation. In 2008, Pit appeared in '' Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' with a new design. During their E3 event in 2010, Nintendo unveiled '' Kid Icarus: Uprising'' for the Nintendo 3DS, the first game in the series since 1991. The game was released in March 2012 to positive reviews from critics. Palutena and Dark Pit appeared later in '' Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U''. Pit, Palutena, and Dark Pit returned, alongside all previous characters, in '' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.

Characters

The ''Kid Icarus'' series has a cast of recurring characters. Some common characters in the series include Pit (the main character), Palutena, Viridi, Hades, Magnus, Dark Pit, Medusa, Pyrrhon, Pandora, Arlon, Poseidon, Phosphora, Dyntos, Thanatos and Cragalanche.

Notes

References

{{Main franchises by Nintendo * Nintendo franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1986