Kid Icarus - Of Myths and Monsters (USA, Europe)

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters stands as one of the most ambitious and polished action-adventure titles in the Game Boy library, expanding upon the NES original with refined gameplay and new features. Released by Nintendo in 1991, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters follows the angelic hero Pit as he trains to face an approaching evil threatening Angel Land. What makes Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters particularly noteworthy is how successfully it translated the unique vertical platforming, horizontal shooting, and dungeon exploration of its predecessor to the portable format while addressing many of the original's difficulty issues. The game features more accessible level design, a save system replacing passwords, and revised controls that make Pit's adventure more approachable without sacrificing depth. With its blend of Greek mythology, creative enemy designs, and gameplay that shifts between different styles, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters delivered a varied and engaging experience that showcased the Game Boy's capabilities. Though sometimes overshadowed by its NES predecessor, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters has earned recognition among retro games enthusiasts as not just a worthy sequel but in many ways an improvement over the original.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released in 1991 for the Game Boy, arriving five years after the original NES Kid Icarus. The game was directed by Satoru Okada, who also worked on metroid II, another successful NES-to-Game Boy adaptation. Despite its quality and positive reception, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters never released in Japan, making it a rare example of a Nintendo first-party title that launched in North America and Europe but not in the company's home market. Upon release, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters received favorable reviews, with critics praising its improvements over the original and how it successfully translated the Kid Icarus experience to the portable format. After this release, the Kid Icarus franchise went dormant for over 20 years until Kid Icarus: Uprising revived it on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. During this long hiatus, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters maintained the series' legacy, with many fans discovering the franchise through this Game Boy entry. Among collectors of retro games, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters is considered an essential title in any comprehensive Game Boy collection, representing one of the system's more ambitious action-adventures. Modern players revisiting the title through Nintendo's Virtual Console service or emulation often express surprise at how well the game holds up compared to other Game Boy titles from the early 1990s, with gameplay that remains engaging despite the hardware limitations of the original monochrome system.