Kid Icarus NES

Game History

Kid Icarus was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game was directed by Yoshio Sakamaki and designed by a team that drew inspiration from Greek mythology, though the gameplay borrowed heavily from platformer conventions of the early 1980s.

Kid Icarus was first released in Japan on December 19, 1986, followed by a North American release in July 1987 and a European release in 1987-1988. The game featured the protagonist Pit, a small winged angel tasked with rescuing the goddess Palutena from the underworld.

The game received positive reviews from critics at launch, with praise directed toward its challenging gameplay, colorful graphics, and imaginative enemy designs. However, its commercial performance was modest compared to other NES titles, partly due to release timing and competition from established franchises. It sold approximately 1.3 million copies worldwide during its initial run on the NES, which was respectable but not exceptional by Nintendo's standards.

Kid Icarus became historically significant to collectors because the original NES cartridge, particularly early Japanese Famicom releases, commands substantial prices in the secondhand market today. This is partly due to its relatively limited initial sales figures and the collectible nature of Nintendo's early catalog. The game has gained a cult following over decades, with fans appreciating its unique difficulty curve and creative level design.

An interesting development detail is that the game's punishing difficulty was intentional, designed to extend gameplay and justify the purchase price—a common design philosophy for 1980s video games with limited content. The game featured a password system allowing players to continue their progress, which was innovative for its time.

Kid Icarus spawned a sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, released for Game Boy in 1991. The franchise remained dormant until 2012 when Kid Icarus: Uprising was released for the Nintendo 3DS, introducing the character to a new generation and cementing the original's legacy as an important early Nintendo intellectual property.