Kid Icarus
While franchises born on the NES, like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, continued on to have highly successful careers, Kid Icarus only got a sequel on the Gameboy before being abandoned for decades. If you just play the first ten minutes of each original game, that decision seems to make sense. Kid Icarus starts slower than it's peers, and begins at a higher difficulty, so it doesn't quite hook you in the same way. However, playing through the whole game reveals that it actually combines some of the best aspects of Nintendo's NES-era lineup and deserves far more recognition.
In Kid Icarus, you'll find character growth and platforming reminiscent of Metroid, an adventure and menacing enemies that rival The Legend of Zelda, and linearity directed by clever variety similar to the likes of Super Mario Bros. Playing as Pit, an angel with wings too weak to fly and a bow that can't shoot very far, you attempt to climb out of the depths of the underworld, cross the vast earth, and reach through the heavens in order to collect the sacred treasures and fly! Now flying isn't the actual end-goal, but it stood out to me because of how different and exciting it was as a finale. The actual goal is to save the goddess Palutena from Medusa, whose army you've been fighting the whole game. I didn't find the final boss battle to be very thrilling, but the journey there was a blast!
The fate of the Kid Icarus series is unfortunate, especially with an entry title as solid as this. Without a lineage as recognizable as that of Mario and Zelda, most people (myself included) wouldn't think to choose this game when revisiting the NES library. However, I think Nintendo really had something special here, and more recognition is deserved for it's accomplishment. Ultimately, I guess the title fits, and this game flew a little too close to the sun.
