One of my first downloaded VC games and regretted wasting 500 Wii points on this disastrous so-called NES classic.
I've heard of Kid Icarus for some time since I missed out on playing this game on the NES. I didn't even know there was a sequel for the Game Boy. I've read the profile of Pit (the game's hero) on the trophy section of Super Smash Bros. Melee. And once I found out the NES classic would make its way to the Wii Virtual Console, I was hyped. Or so I hoped…
STORY
Something to do with Medusa conquering the world (I didn't pay attention to the story as it seems odd, objective-wise). I think the plot is based somewhat on Greek Mythology. I much prefer God of War's Greek Mythology storyline more as the plot for Kid Icarus doesn't seem to fit well with what you are trying to accomplish through the entire game.
GAMEPLAY
The controls are solid at best, allowing you to shoot, jump, and duck enemy cover. But the worst parts of the entire game are the levels and its steep difficulty. There are three different types of platforming: horizontal, vertical, and screen-by-screen. All of them have their brand of frustration.
For the vertical-type levels, you will lose a life if you drop to the bottom of the screen or get killed by enemies that really tick you off (the most appropriate way to describe it) and you can go side-to-side in this type of gameplay (as seen on Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3).
For the horizontal-type levels, you move forward (right, obvious) and work your way to the exit. And finishing levels with this type of mode will take you a while since they are VERY long!!!!
And for the screen-by-screen-type levels, they appear at the end of each world. This is used to work your way to the Boss battle as it feels like a maze (BTW the later levels will be much more frustrating and problematic as you progress through the game). And for the bosses, you will defeat them once their HP goes to zero.
You will collect items that will help you on your journey as well as purchase new items and power-ups when you enter specific doors.
GRAPHICS & MUSIC
If you like 8-bit NES graphics and music, that's what you'll see in this game. But overall, not the best looking graphics you'll see on the NES, even on the Wii where the graphics look much sharper. The music can be very annoying as you keep trying and trying to beat the level. I much prefer the Brawl versions of Kid Icarus' musical scores.
CONCLUSION
I don't know why I bought this game. It's very hard to play even with the solid controls; the level design cannot compare to other NES games like Mario and Zelda; and the music and graphics have aged well, but not as great compared to other 8-bit games Nintendo worked on for their NES console. In other words, do not get this game. You'll not only regret downloading it, but also losing 500 Wii Points (like me) on a game that that was considered a "good" game when it was released but an abomination from today's standards. If you enjoyed the game, then enjoy it. But for me, I was very disappointed on a VC game I never played back in the day.