It’s safe to say that both Nintendo and the Metroid franchise are gearing up to have one of the biggest years in their history. On top of finally getting a reveal trailer and release window for the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, it’s all but confirmed that the Switch 2 will be arriving sometime in 2025. Together, the resurgence of a beloved franchise and the launch of a new system position the Big N to have one of its most exciting years in a while, but there’s another somewhat-forgotten series that should be included in all the excitement: Kid Icarus.
The Kid Icarus and Metroid franchises are actually somewhat linked by their history and importance in Nintendo’s domination of the Western gaming market during the third console generation. Both titles were previously Famicom Disk System games that served as tests for new technology, paving the way for future Disk System titles to make their way to North America on standard NES ROM cartridges (including The Legend of Zelda). Given the importance Kid Icarus had for both the NES (courtesy of the original game) and the 3DS (courtesy of Kid Icarus: Uprising), it’s surprising that Nintendo has left the franchise in the past, but now could be the best time to bring it back.
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Kid Icarus: Uprising is a Cult-Classic That Still Deserves a Sequel
1987’s Kid Icarus was a revolutionary action platformer for its time, benefitting from the same leaps in technology that other Nintendo franchises like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda did by starting as a Famicom Disk System title before making its way to the West on a standard NES cartridge. Nintendo would follow up with a Game Boy exclusive sequel, Of Myths and Monsters, in 1991, but it would be more than two decades until players got the true follow-up the series deserved with 2012’s Kid Icarus: Uprising. Despite that game’s acclaim and popularity, though, Nintendo has never developed a sequel.
Outside its fervent cult following, Kid Icarus: Uprising holds the special distinction of being the 19th game in history to receive a perfect 40/40 score from legendary Japanese gaming publication Famitsu. Along with Fire Emblem: Awakening, Kid Icarus: Uprising is also one of the main titles responsible for helping to establish the 3DS’ foothold in global markets, quickly selling over a million units and driving players to pick up the console. Considering its relevance to Nintendo’s success in the 2010s and the pedigree of its development team (led by Smash Bros. Masahiro Sakurai and featuring the talents of Yasunori Mitsuda), a proper sequel to Kid Icarus: Uprising is long overdue.
Pit’s Enduring Appeal as a Character Primes the Series for a Revival
Given Sakurai’s penchant for including Pit in each of the Smash Bros. games, it should come as no surprise to learn that he was instrumental in getting Kid Icarus: Uprising made in the first place. Further, many of the lessons learned during Uprising‘s development would help to inform the development of later Smash Bros. games, making it an interesting outlier in Nintendo’s 3DS library in terms of its importance to the development of the system’s titles. And while he’s far from one of the most-played characters in Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pit’s recurring appearance across the franchise and his status as a mid-tier character illustrate that he’s still popular enough to carry his own game.
The upcoming release of the Switch 2 sees Nintendo primed for a very exciting 2025, one that could secure the company’s place as a continued leader in the industry moving forward. Confirmation that the Switch’s successor will be backward compatible with digital and physical games in players’ current Switch libraries means the system will launch with thousands of games, and that’s without even considering the new, original IP it will have to coincide with its release. Kid Icarus’ long period of absence makes it as strong a candidate as any to benefit from Nintendo’s upcoming momentum.
