Kid Icarus (universe)

The Kid Icarus universe refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's cult classic Kid Icarus games. The two games in this action/adventure/platformer series were released for NES and Game Boy over fifteen years ago, and Kid Icarus received positive reviews back in the day. The star of the series is a young angel knight named Pit.

Franchise description
Kid Icarus was released in 1987 during the "golden age" of the NES and was met with positive reviews. Its gameplay was based on the engine used for the original Metroid, also released in North America and on the very same day in 1987; hence it is often considered a "sister series" to Metroid. In 1991, its sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, was released for Game Boy in North America, and it used the engine to Metroid II: Return of Samus; interestingly, it was never released in Japan. As of 2006, these are the only two games in the series; hence, it is considered a cult series from the past. In fact, the only other appearances of Kid Icarus characters properties in any media were as part of the cartoon Captain N: The Game Master and as a collectible trophy in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is suggested that during development of Melee, the developers had to decide between characters from three classic NES games to include as a fighter, and the choices were Pit, the Ice Climbers, and the Balloon Fighter. They decided upon the Ice Climbers.

Seemingly a defunct franchise of the past, global interest in Kid Icarus was renewed when the E3 2006 trailer for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl revealed a redesigned Pit as a playable character and the second Nintendo World trailer revealed Kid Icarus-themed stages. Shortly after E3, famed Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto suggested that a new game in the Kid Icarus series could very possibly see release on the Wii. In addition, the NES game was released for Wii's Virtual Console in February 2007 for 500 Wii points.

The Kid Icarus games are set in a fantasy world based on Greek mythology and holding a strong visual theme of classical antiquity. The fantasy world is titled Angel Land, and it is divided vertically into three realms: the Underworld ruled by the Goddess of Darkness, Medusa; the Overworld of mortals; and the Skyworld of angels, ruled by the Goddess of Light, Palutena. In the first game, Medusa wages war against Palutena and enslaves her in the Underworld. It is up to the young angel Pit to wield the Sacred Bow of Palutena to combat Medusa's forces and defeat her, and throughout the game he collects a series of powerful equipment called the Three Sacred Treasures from boss monsters. He eventually destroys Medusa, saves Palutena, and restores peace to Angel Land.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee
There are a large number of trophies in Melee that depict classic Nintendo games from the past, and a trophy depicting a 3D rendition of the classic-style Pit is no exception. Other than that, however, there is no additional representation of the Kid Icarus franchise in the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Kid Icarus is introduced as a primary universe in the Super Smash Bros. series in this game.

Character

 * [[Image:Pit0.jpg|right|120px]]Pit: A young angel knight who serves the goddess Palutena and saves the kingdom of Angel Land from the evil of the Underworld goddess Medusa. The name "Kid Icarus" refers not to Pit as an alternative name, but more as what kind of entity Pit is. The Greek myth of Icarus is centered around a man possessing wings; since Pit has wings, he can be considered a "kid Icarus" of sorts. For his appearance in Brawl as a fighter, Pit has undergone a major character redesign, and he uses the Sacred Bow of Palutena in combat. The bow demonstrates the previously unseen ability to split in half and be used as a pair of swords for close-quarters combat, and Pit can jump multiple times in the air like Kirby and Jigglypuff.

Stage
Brawl features at least one Kid Icarus-themed stage:
 * Angel Land: This stage is designed to resemble the general environment of Skyworld in the upper tier of Angel Land. The foreground of the stage features several platforms that can actually be shattered by characters attacks, but apparently they become replaced by clouds that substitute as platforms right after, so it may be a decorative detail.