August 2020: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (1991)

New month new game!!! I have played through this a couple of years ago and failed to beat it correctly. I am excited to take a stab at it again. It was picked by Robin Enrico who had this to say about it:

A deeply overlooked first party gem, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters is the best game in the Kid Icarus series while also being the least memorable. It is a vast improvement over the obtuse and punishing NES release. But unlike the way Samus Return expanded the way a Metroid game could play, Of Myths and Monster mostly recreates the design of the first game with the edges sanded off. In the moment to moment it is fun to fight the monsters, explore the labyrinths, and level up Pit to meet the game’s later challenges. It’s just that the graphics (while featuring some excellent sprite work for a Gameboy game) are lacking in the vibrant hues of the NES version, resulting in no one area standing out from another. You won’t notice this as you breeze through the roughly two hour playtime, but it’s hard to recall a moment from this game in the same way you might the utter frustration of trying to beat even the first level of the NES version. Still, they nail the core of what the series should be here and it will make you wish there was a sequel that innovated on this incredibly strong base.

This cartridge runs under twenty bucks but you can always download it from the 3DS Store for $4. Or you could always download a rom file or borrow it from your pal. Be sure to read the MANUAL first!