Classic NES Game 3: Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus (1986), like Metroid, was a game that I never owned but instead borrowed from Robert. Although I am a bigger fan of Metroid, I believe I liked Kid Icarus so much because of its similarities to Metroid. Sure, Kid Icarus has a Greek mythology-based theme vs. a futuristic space theme, but both games were created by the same man (also creator of the original Game Boy and ill-fated Virtual Boy), and Kid Icarus was built on the Metroid engine. Plus, both had excellent soundtracks for their time, both scored by the same composer. So, both games had similar gameplay, and look and feel. It also shared a trait with The Legend of Zelda: you could buy items from little shops throughout the game.

One of the things I always liked about this game is that it has one of the most comical bosses I can think of, the Eggplant Wizard! These bosses, depicted in the above screenshot, hurled eggplants at Pit (the game's hero). If you were to be struck by one of their eggplants, you would be turned into an eggplant yourself--a giant eggplant with legs! And, the fun doesn't stop there. How does one free himself from the curse of the egglant? By visiting the hospital, of course! Yes, this game actually had a hospital room inhabited by a lone nurse whose sole purpose was to remove the eggplant curse. Comical, indeed!