I have recently been enjoying Kid Icarus through the joys of virtual console and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the game is. It excels in many ways and amazingly feels like a modern platformer, rather than a dated NES game.
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Graphics 7/10
This is hardly a work of art, however when you think about the graphical limitations back then, the graphics are pretty good. Kid icarus does look like a human with wings, the reapers look like reapers, the monsters look like monsters, you can easily identify everything.
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Gameplay 9/10
A lot of people view this as a very hard and frustrating game, although I have to disagree. The code saving makes the game accessible and fun, the platforming is challenging yet not frustrating, the monsters are hard but not overly difficult and the difficulty curve feels just right. I feel this is a great game to test your skill.
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Audio 8/10
The sounds are fine and although the music is not as catchy as other nintendo themes, I never found myself sick of it *coughpokemonbattlemusic*
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Appeal 9/10
The words "Classic nintendo platformer" ooze appeal alone. Add in factors such as the "Cylinder" mechanic (When you walk off one edge and reappear on the other), a metroid cameo and some hardcore challenge and suddenly the game is so much more.
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Rating - 85%
A respectable score for a fan favourite. Bring on Uprising.