Kid Icarus : Of Myths and Monsters

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for Game Boy is Nintendo's 1991 single-player action-platform sequel to the NES original. It brings the winged archer Pit and the myth-inspired realm of Angel Land to the portable system in a new adventure built around horizontal and vertical scrolling. Nintendo published the game in North America in November 1991 and Europe followed in 1992; it was not originally issued in Japan. The Game Boy cartridge is a distinct sequel rather than a conversion of the 1986 NES game, although it continues its hero, world, and blend of platform action with gradual character improvement.

A troubling prophecy tells the goddess Palutena that demons led by Orcos will invade Angel Land. She calls upon Pit, leader of the Icarus Army, but he must first prove himself capable of using Angel Land's Three Sacred Treasures. His journey begins in the Under World Tower, crosses the Over World, and climbs the Sky World Tower before reaching the Sky Palace. Each of the first three stages contains three areas and a fortress; finding and defeating its guardian recovers one treasure and advances the mission.

Pit is armed from the outset with a bow and a renewable supply of arrows. The Game Boy controls let him run, jump, climb ladders, crouch, and aim upward, while repeated presses during a jump allow his wings to soften a descent. A hammer can be selected as an alternate weapon, useful against enemies and for breaking particular obstacles. The freely scrolling environments encourage players to check routes, ladders, hidden doors, and side rooms instead of simply moving in one direction.

Defeated foes leave hearts, which function as the game's spending currency. Shops and Black Markets exchange them for helpful supplies, while other chambers offer information, recovery, training, or opportunities to earn more hearts. Potions and other recovery items help manage Pit's health, and the pause menu displays his possessions and status. Progress can be saved at checkpoints at the end of an area, a practical feature for a multi-stage portable quest.

The adventure also rewards steady performance with equipment and growth. Sacred Chambers can grant Zeus's Power Arrows, and the training center can award tools such as protective crystals, fire arrows, or the long bow when Pit meets its challenge. These additions make his basic attacks more capable, while the fortresses add maze-like layouts, traps, and guardian battles. The final three relics are the Wings of Pegasus, Silver Armour, and Light Arrows; together they change Pit's abilities for the showdown at the Sky Palace.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters retains the series' use of classical names and monsters but tells its own Angel Land crisis, centered on Palutena's warning and Orcos's invasion. Its Game Boy design retains recognizable elements of the earlier Kid Icarus while offering four-directional exploration, battery-backed continuation, and a self-contained campaign for one player. Nintendo later made the game available as a Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console release in Europe and North America, preserving this overlooked early chapter between the NES debut and the much later Kid Icarus: Uprising.