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The History and Story behind Kid Icarus and Pit

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Z

Zeela12

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Kid Icarus
(AKA Myth of Light: The Mirror of Palutena)
published in 1986 for the Famicom disk system, then again in 1987 for the NES.



The Setting was during a time when gods and humans lived together in harmony. Angel land was ruled by two goddesses, Palutena, Goddess of light and Medusa, Goddess of darkness.


(Palutena)

Medusa destroyed the morals' crops and turned them to stone. Palutena was enraged, so she turned Medusa into a hideous monster:



(Medusa)


Medusa had revenge on Palutena and assembled a massive evil army, taking over Palutena's castle and emprisioned her. She also took the 3 treasures:

Mirror Shield:

Light Arrow:

Wing of Pegasus:


And Medusa gave them to her most powerful minions.

Palutena's last hope was a young angel trapped in the underworld, Pit. Using all that's left of her powers, she gave Pit a magical bow, and using the bow Pit was able to escape the Underworld, retrieves the 3 treasures and ultimately saves Palutena and all of Angel Land.


(Pit Normal Form)


(Pit Final Form)

Something else of interest:

These are called Centurions. Centurions are the solders of Palutena's army that Medusa turned into stone. Pit can use the Mallet to free these Centurions throughout the game, and when fighting a boss, they will come and help Pit.

These are in fact the creatures that fly around in Pit's Final Smash.
Screenshots:





Ending:

Battle with Medusa



Medusa's True Form



Freeing Palutena



The nearly impossible "Best Ending" (The strong looking man is Pit's "true" form)



in 1991 another game was released, named Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters


One night, Palutena has a dream that Angel Land will be in danger again. She askes a Soothsayer and he said that it's not just a dream, but a demon named Orcos will attack Angel Land.
Palutena summons Pit, and tells him to go obtain the 3 treasures again and practice so he will be strong enough when Orcos strikes. He ends up saving Angel Land once more.

Screenshots:

(Orcos)


(The ending was much like the legend of Icarus where the angel approached the sun too closely, and the wings fell off, but it's not sad in this case.)




Videos:
A Kid Icarus and Brawl Mocumentary

http://screwattack.com/archive/VGV/KidIcarus.html
(video of just how awesome Kid Icarus is)

World Record Speed Run of Kid Icarus
(this is part one, find the other parts on youtube too.)


A Play Through of Kid Icarus
(also Part one, find others on his account)

Orcos Battle in Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters


​
 
R

Raikage

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Thanks for this. I got Kid Icarus on the Wii, working my way through it before Brawl comes out. It's very hard though, I had to buy a new classic controller cause of it :embarrass
 
Z

Zeela12

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0rion said:
Does Pit have like some sort of rival? Or did the people who made this game fail to come up with one?

Oh and uh, thanx for da history lesson.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Pit really doesn't have a rival. I guess Medusa would be his rival, but in the end, Medusa and Palutena are more of archnemisis. Pit is like a pawn I guess lol.
 
0

0rion

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See man, that's why Nintendo should like revive the series and make a cool Kid Icarus game before Brawl's launch. And put like a kick @$$ rival in the mix. Darn, but man it looks like it's too little too late. Still, wouldn't mind playin a revamped Kid Icarus game.

And I'ma see if they have a Kid Icarus game on one of these NES immulators. Hopefully I'll get lucky.
 
kilroy

kilroy

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Raikage said:
Thanks for this. I got Kid Icarus on the Wii, working my way through it before Brawl comes out. It's very hard though, I had to buy a new classic controller cause of it :embarrass
Click to expand...
kid icarus is a very front-loaded game. the beginning (climbing out of Hades) is the most difficult.

don't try to rush through it. take your time and kill lots of enemies.
 
MAtgSy

MAtgSy

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I think I have an answer to the Pit's rival question. Allow me to cover the other half of Pit's history that some historians tried to erase.

In 1989, NBC premiered a cartoon based on a short story that ran in a couple of issues of Nintendo Power magazine entitled Captain N: The Game Master.




The show was about a teenager named Kevin Keene who found himself inside Videoland, a universe where video game characters were real. Pit was a member of Kev's crew, the N Team. However he was never actually called Pit, instead he was always referred to as Kid Icarus for some reason. Kid also had a speech impediment, adding "icus" to the end of at least 1 word of every line he spoke. In terms of powers, he got a Green Arrow like arsenal of trick arrows that each have different functions including rain arrows, love arrows, rope arrows, whatever plot device was needed.


On the villain's side was Eggplant Wizard, a common enemy in the Kid Icarus games that was upgraded to reoccurring villain. He worked for Mother Brain (Metroid end boss that was the main antagonist of the show) & could use his magic to summon fruits & veggies that had a surprising variety of uses. In a way he was the evil counterpart to Pit, using an at first glance limited power to accomplished virtually anything.


Medusa appeared in only 1 episode, when Pit & Simon Belmont of Castlevania fame attempted to retrieve a magic mirror from her lair (coincidently or perhaps not, Medusa was also a boss in some Castlevania games). Pit used the mirror to turn Medua's stone gaze back at her, turning her to stone & freeing the centurions.


In addition to the tv show there was also a comic book that ran for a mere 5 issues. The main difference from the show was the absence of 3rd characters, forcing some substitution. Uranos, another minor enemy from Kid Icarus that got upgraded to reoccurring villain. While the short life span of the comic didn't allow for much screentime, Uranos did come off as the most competent of Mother Brain's henchmen.

The other big difference that often goes overlooked is the quality of the writing. While still not exactly a masterpiece, the comic book was a substantial improvement over the shoddy writing of the cartoon. It's proof that the base premise could've been so much more than what it became.

A final note on Eggpant Wizard, in a interview during E3 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto said in regards to a new Kid Icarus game "Well, we obviously can't ignore that. Okay, we'll get the Eggplant Wizard coming back." Considering that Eggplant Wizard was just a minor enemy in the old game, it seems weird for Miyamoto to mention just him. I believe it cements Eggy's place as the true rival of Pit.
 
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Zeela12

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Yeah, I thought about the eggplant wizard too, but I'm unfamilar with the TV and comic for Pit, so I can't say much.

In the game however, the bosses are all pushovers, including the final ones too, the real challenge to the game is actually the eggplant wizards themselves.
 
O

OcarinaLink

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I remember playing Kid Icarus back in the day, on the Game Boy. It's really great to see Nintendo bringing back a great classic such as Kid Icarus and completely giving him the updated 3D love. Can't wait to try him out in brawl!
 
K

kingkuma

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now ima have to now sonic or pit... dam you nintendo!! lol jk i heart you nintendo just plz dont get rid of any charcters on ssbm there is no point...
 
B

Brawlmatt202

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Zeela12 said:
Thanks, hopefully this will raise awareness of Pit? maybe let Nintendo make new Kid Icarus games or something...

At least now people won't go "WTF?" when they see Pit.
Click to expand...
Shigeru Miyamoto DID hint a new Kid Icarus game for the Wii...

But then again, why would he work on it? He wasn't involved in the original game, was he?
 
P

Pit 42

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Brawlmatt202 said:
Shigeru Miyamoto DID hint a new Kid Icarus game for the Wii...

But then again, why would he work on it? He wasn't involved in the original game, was he?
Click to expand...
Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy was. May he RIP.

Perhaps Nintendo will start with something simple like a remake/prequel (a la Metroid Zero Mission)?
 
Z

Zeela12

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Pit 42 said:
Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy was. May he RIP.

Perhaps Nintendo will start with something simple like a remake/prequel (a la Metroid Zero Mission)?
Click to expand...
well, I think elaborating on the story would be better, because if you think about it carefully...

1. Pit was locked in the underworld eternally, powerless to get out.
2. Palutena easily released him, even while she's captured.
3. Palutena "had no other choice but to get help from pit"
4. Palutena chose not to release him before this all happened...

Why is he in the underworld? why was he locked there forever? to me it seems really vague, how come palutena didn't release him before? Maybe Pit is actually some kind of a bad guy? locked away by Palutena?

well.. without more story it's hard to know.
 
Red_Maniac

Red_Maniac

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Brawlmatt202 said:
Shigeru Miyamoto DID hint a new Kid Icarus game for the Wii...

But then again, why would he work on it? He wasn't involved in the original game, was he?
Click to expand...
So? Miyamoto was involved with the first two Metroid Prime games.
 
F

Fyacin_the_Deadeyed

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Kid Icarus is possible the hardest game I have ever played in my entire life. It is brutal and unforgiving. This seemingly innocent game takes my poor skills, which I had beleived before to be somewhat 1337, and mashes them to a pulp with eggplants and little grim reapers. It laughs at my every attempt to defeat it, and drives to the brink of insanity. Time and time again I am faced with that abbhorrent screen of death, yet I am drawn back by that siren's song every, time, just to have my hopes dashed upon the rocks of reality, and to fail angeland again. Medusa reviles in my attempts to defeat her, and laughs at my incompetence. Death is my fate I fear and it is my destiny to be broken by this game.
 
WolfCypher

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Fyacin_the_Deadeyed said:
Kid Icarus is possible the hardest game I have ever played in my entire life. It is brutal and unforgiving. This seemingly innocent game takes my poor skills, which I had beleived before to be somewhat 1337, and mashes them to a pulp with eggplants and little grim reapers. It laughs at my every attempt to defeat it, and drives to the brink of insanity. Time and time again I am faced with that abbhorrent screen of death, yet I am drawn back by that siren's song every, time, just to have my hopes dashed upon the rocks of reality, and to fail angeland again. Medusa reviles in my attempts to defeat her, and laughs at my incompetence. Death is my fate I fear and it is my destiny to be broken by this game.
Click to expand...
That sounds like me with Zelda 2.

Of Myth & Monsters was the 1st ever Kid Icarus game I ever played (well, we only got 2, and one never got releaesed in Japan). While I'm hunting down the 2 Golden Sun games, I'll see if Kid Icarus was ever released on the GBA as a classic title, and if so, I'm buying it.
 
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sheikattack

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Nice pictures and screenshots. When I heard Pit was going to be a character, I read all about Kid Icarus, but never got a chance to see actual pictures from the game. Nice!
 
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Zeela12

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Fyacin_the_Deadeyed said:
Kid Icarus is possible the hardest game I have ever played in my entire life. It is brutal and unforgiving. This seemingly innocent game takes my poor skills, which I had beleived before to be somewhat 1337, and mashes them to a pulp with eggplants and little grim reapers. It laughs at my every attempt to defeat it, and drives to the brink of insanity. Time and time again I am faced with that abbhorrent screen of death, yet I am drawn back by that siren's song every, time, just to have my hopes dashed upon the rocks of reality, and to fail angeland again. Medusa reviles in my attempts to defeat her, and laughs at my incompetence. Death is my fate I fear and it is my destiny to be broken by this game.
Click to expand...
lol lots of the NES games are hard, like Ninja gaiden, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Metroid was pretty hard too.

and yeah, Zelda 2... I remember the horrors of that. But none the less, Kid Icarus was an awesome game, and the fact that nintendo is picking this up again makes me happy :D
 
shadenexus18

shadenexus18

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I......just can't play a retroed watered down version of a Nintendo game any longer, and Kid Icarus is no exception. I am in need of a Kid Icarus game for the Wii and I need it now.

Let the revival of Pit commence!
 
T

Topaz989

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Brawlmatt202 said:
Oh sweet!

BTW, for those who actually HAVE the Game Boy game, is it any good?
Click to expand...
I own two copies of it. It is not as good as the first. But here are the differences:

1) Pit can't die by falling anymore, the screen will just scoll down and you are left with the annoyance of just climbing back up

2) Pit can actually use his wings to do a minor float. I actually like this option.

3) You are no longer helpless as an eggplant anymore. You can use your hammer (they don't disappear with each use so as long as you have one in stock) So if you are transformed, you can bash the eggplant wizard that turned you into one to your heart's desire.

4) The Nurse locations are in more forgiving spots (instead of like the other side of the fortress)

5) There are actually places where only as an eggplant you can travel through.

6) If you enter a boss room as an eggplant the boss will not be there until you go back and transform.

7) Because you can go back down, there is this thing called Palutena's Key. If you enter all the doors and then near the exit strike this one stone, it will give you this key. What is handy about it is that you can enter all the doors again (like the money room or even Zeus' trials).

8) Feather is no longer there to save you from falling. Instead , like the harp it is an onscreen item in which you can use to fly all over the place for a considerable amount of time. Some doors are only accessable through this so it adds a little exploring in it.

9) Biggest change is the last level. It is not a vertical shooter anymore. It is actually quite cramped. In fact, you could walk and jump your way until Orcos for the most part. It sucks compared to the original... but fighting Orcos is WAY better than Medusa.

Oh and you also have these enemies that are clones of Pit called "Putt". I guess "Dark Pit" sounds a little cliched and stupid. :p


So is it any good? I thought so. It is alot easier than the first one, but part of the appeal of Kid Icarus was its difficulty and quirkyness (they also replaced the "Flying Noses" with "Bats"... lame).

However, you'll find it one of the better Gameboy titles.

Oh and there are no passwords or multiple endings.
 
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Brawlmatt202

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Topaz989 said:
Probably not :laugh:

Mainly because he looks like he snagged Metaknight's helmet: A picture for the curious...

http://www.flyingomelette.com/kidicarus/scans/gbman-pgs31-32.jpg


Additional note: Amazing Pit is another name for Pit with all three treasures equipped.
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Oh, sweet name!

And as for the picture...

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /kidicarus/scans/gbman-pgs31-32.jpg on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Click to expand...
 
T

thrak

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yes, pit is an angel, but so are many others (the centurions). The series tends to make angels seem like a race rather than a divinity. interesting, really...
 
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VaneWalker

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Eggplant wizard assist trophey. The Eggplant Wizard Stands in place and chucks eggplants EVERYWHERE those who get hit are turned into eggplants but getting KOed as an eggplant doesnt count.
 
WolfCypher

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I'm not expecting a fullproof answer, its just something I wanted to discuss. Anyone else wonder why the changed the Sacred Treasures from the wings, arrows, and shield to the wings, arrows, and Silver Armor?
 
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