[review] Kid Icarus: Uprising - I LOVE YOU, HOT SPRING!

I actually wasn't really planning on getting this game at first, because the only exposure I'd ever had to Kid Icarus was Pit's playability in Brawl. At the same time, though, the game did look pretty interesting when I watched the E3 preview. Er, at least, I think it was E3. My memory isn't the best.

Anyway, I had some extra cash so I decided to go ahead and pre-order it. I'll be honest and say that a big reason why I wanted it was because all my friends were getting it and I have neurotic issues with feeling left out of... anything. Same reason I just had to have Pokemon White as soon as possible. Thankfully, I didn't regret my purchase at all. Uprising is probably my favorite 3DS game so far for a number of reasons. I'm actually kind of surprised at how much heart was put into it.

I have a thing for really fast-paced action games, so I was pretty happy when I learned that this would be a shoot-'em-up type game. I didn't really follow it much prior to its release, so I was mostly unaware of how it would play before I got it. I wasn't disappointed at all; this game really knows how to keep you on your toes!

Gameplay

Despite enjoying video games, I'd be a liar if I said I was any good at them. So I never really played Uprising at a difficulty level higher than about four or five. Of course, that meant that I was never able to earn enough hearts to buy weapons. But that didn't really matter much since most of the weapons up for sale were things I already had.

Before I go any further, I have to add that I am... kind of an idiot. You can customize Uprising's control scheme at your leisure, but I didn't know that until after I'd already finished the game. So I had a few issues playing. By default, you move Pit with the stylus while using the 3DS' buttons to do everything else. I didn't really like that, because after a while my wrists started to get more than a little sore. Can't fault the game for that, though, since apparently you don't even have to use the stylus at all if you change the settings.

Since it's a shoot-'em-up, it's kind of easy to get overwhelmed. I found that there were often more enemies onscreen than I could handle. But really, that just adds to the excitement of playing. You're in immediate danger at pretty much every point in the game, and sometimes I found myself taking damage during what I thought was a cutscene. There are lots of creative and fun enemies to encounter, as well; the Eggplant and Tempura Wizards... Well, I wouldn't call them "fun", exactly. But they definitely got a few good laughs out of me. I was... surprised, to say the least, when an item chest sprouted schoolgirl legs and started chasing me down to try and kick me to death. You can tell the development team really let their imaginations run wild.

You get a huge assortment of different weapons to choose from, and if you aren't satisfied with your current arsenal, you can combine the weapons you already have into something new. It's fun just experimenting with different items and seeing how each one affects the experience. I still don't think I can decide which weapon is my favorite yet.

The game has a nice, full length, and it always throws something else at you just when you think you're done. Don't let the fast pace fool you; you'll definitely get your money's worth with Uprising as far as longevity is concerned.

Narrative

My favorite, favorite, favorite thing about this game has to be its incredibly witty dialogue. It's not every day that a video game has genuinely clever writing, so titles like Uprising are pretty rare gems. I actually laughed out loud a few times while playing. Normally I'd complain about the fact that the characters never stop talking, but in this case? I'd be distraught if they did. Once you complete the game, you get the option to turn the dialogue off. Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would want to.

Pit is lovably moronic. I'm surprised I came to like him so much, all things considered. I used to hate him solely because my cousin always used him to kick my ass in Brawl, but now I can safely say that all is forgiven. For that matter, I wasn't expecting to like Dark Pit Pittoo as much as I did. I'm normally not one for evil dopplegangers, but he's actually handled in a way that isn't painfully trite. I especially love how none of the other characters take him seriously at all, insisting on calling him by that ridiculous pet name until he just stops complaining and rolls with it.

Palutena is an amazing troll. Pretty much nothing like how I thought she would be. She and Celestia would get along rather well, I think. I can't help but love that moe little tsundere Viridi, however; she was one of the game's biggest highlights for me, as were some of the other villains. The banter just made it difficult to dislike anyone at all.

Presentation

You can tell they spared no expense when creating this game. Uprising is just more proof that the 3DS is destined for a long line of great-looking titles. The game's visuals are gorgeous as hell, rivaling even the likes of Ocarina of Time 3D. I'll never get over the 3DS' ability to display borderline console-quality graphics, I swear. Uprising is highly cinematic, and it's as much a treat to look at as it is to play. The interface itself is pretty sleek as well; the menu even changes for a while to reflect events that transpire during a certain point in the story. Gotta love all that attention to detail.

Sound

The music in Uprising is positively flawless. When I first started playing, I thought it sounded like something you'd hear in Brawl. The main menu theme is still stuck in my head and I haven't even listened to it in several weeks!

The voice acting is surprisingly good. People don't typically associate video games with decent voice work, but Uprising has instilled me with faith that full voice acting in games might not be such a bad thing. It seems like the localization team took special care in recruiting voice actors with a considerable amount of experience; for example, Viridi's voice actor is the same chick who plays Starfire in Teen Titans, and I'm pretty sure some of the other characters sounded a little familiar as well. I thought Palutena's voice actor was Tara Strong, but it looks like I was mistaken. They sound extremely similar, though.

The excellent voice acting goes a long way in making the already awesome dialogue as fun to listen to as it is. It's definitely one of the highest of the game's high points.

Overall

I wasn't really expecting much out of Uprising because I knew squat about it. But I'm certainly glad I decided to give it a try. It's a masterpiece in just about every way I can think of, and it's obvious that the development team enjoyed making it just as much as I enjoyed playing it. I'm really happy for the 3DS, because it hasn't been out for a very long time and yet it's already got such excellent titles to its name.