E3 2011: Kid Icarus Preview Impressions

Some heroes speed across the land. Others soar through the air. When you're Pit, the star of Kid Icarus: Uprising, you do both. Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference didn't show much of this upcoming action adventure for the Nintendo 3DS, but what we saw had us even more excited to play it. But let's start with what we knew going in: Kid Icarus: Uprising features action both on land and in the air. As an angel called Pit, you face enemies in the air as well as on the ground and either pick them off with your bow or bash on them.

The canned footage shown on the E3 stage began with a cutscene showing a giant armored brute clad in purple armor, his hands shimmering with magic. Then, we cut to Pit speaking with a muscled man, exclaiming, "Wait--you two know each other?" Following this brief intro was a series of extremely short gameplay clips showing Pit flying through the air in apparent on-rails sequences, attacking enemies on the ground, and facing off against a giant flaming dog-demon--presumably Cerberus. Brief scenes indicated some of the enemies and events you should expect to see, including a flying three-headed hydra and a flight through space aside a giant vessel. And of course, you shall glimpse Medusa, the Goddess of Darkness, looming on the horizon.

Perhaps even more exciting was the announcement that Kid Icarus: Uprising will include three-on-three multiplayer. The clips of multiplayer shown looked like a lot of fun, with players speeding about the arena at high speeds, slashing and shooting each other. The text interstitials said it all: Battle other players!" "Choose your weapon...," "And defeat the opposing team's angel!" There's a lot to look forward to later this year--and you can add Kid Icarus: Uprising to the growing list.