With World 1-3 bested, Pit moves along to an even more advanced version of the vertically scrolling action that’s transpired over the past three stages… oh, no, wait. Actually World 1-4 bears no resemblance whatsoever to the previous three levels. Instead of a one-way ascent, this stage instead plays out as a labyrinth of single, […]
Did you miss me? Alas, I had to take a break from 2 Dimensions because I was working on a massive freaking Sega Genesis anniversary tribute. As always, the challenge with this sort of thing is in writing something about a well-worn subject that hasn’t already been said to death. Despite the fact that they’re […]
Depending on which version of Kid Icarus you play, the game’s difficulty level will either climb or drop here in the second stage. In the 3D Classics remake, World 1-2 isn’t as difficult as World 1-1; in the original NES/Famicom game, however, it’s moderately more difficult. So if you go old-school, you have to struggle […]
Like Castlevania, Kid Icarus tells a story through its environmental design. Castlevania‘s story, I think, is relayed more effectively via its visuals, but Kid Icarus‘ narrative actually fits better with the progression of its play mechanics. In brief, the gorgon Medusa has deposed the goddess of light, Palutena, imprisoning both the goddess and her subjects […]
Before I venture any further into The Anatomy of Metroid, its sibling micro-series Kid Icarus requires a look. The original games in each respective series shared a certain amount of overlap, as the Metroid staff helped put the wraps on Kid Icarus after shipping their own project. Despite have been developed and released shortly after […]
World 8-4 Bowser’s castle is different than the other castles. Oh, it looks the same, and it uses a lot of the same tricks you’ve seen in previous x-4 stages. But this is a challenge on a whole different level from what’s come before. World 8-4 is a huge, complex maze. It makes World 7-4’s […]
And here you earn your doctorate. World 8-3 is pretty straightforward, both in its design and its intentions: It simply hates you and wants you to be dead. You fight Hammer Bros. here. Not a couple, nor a couple of pair of them; Hammer Bros. comprise the vast majority of enemies in this stage. Backing them […]
World 8-1 While not a difficult course in terms of level design (outside of a few tough jumps), World 8-1 does its best to unnerve you into playing sloppily by giving you entirely too little time in which to complete the stage at a reasonable pace. Compared to some of the more recent World x-1s, […]
World 7-3 Case in point for my previous claim: World 7-3 sends you into a reprise of World 2-3, but one that’s far, far more difficult than what you dealt with the first time around. Once again, you have a bridge stage following an underwater level, but the gauntlet of flying Cheap-Cheaps is several orders […]
World 7-1 Well, here you go. There can be no doubt at this point that Super Mario Bros. wants you dead. World 7-1 consists of a pure gauntlet of devastatingly placed foes, specifically Bullet Bills and Hammer Bros. There are a few other enemies that appear here and there, most notably a hilariously ineffective Buzzy […]
World 6-3 I remember being confused a long time ago when someone referred to the “ice level” in Super Mario Bros. “Super Mario Bros. doesn’t have an ice level,” I said, puzzled. Later, I realized they were referring to World 6-3, which features a monochromatic color scheme. But I never parsed it as ice, personally. […]
World 6-1 World 6-1 sees the return of Lakitu. This is Super Mario Bros.‘s way of congratulating you for surviving a brutal gauntlet: By following it up with something even worse. Actually, this stage isn’t too difficult if you have fireballs, since Lakitu’s Spinies go down like suckers when you flash-fry them. Of course, that’s […]