Maybe I didn’t see it coming, but the quality and depth I find in Kid Icarus Uprising‘s multiplayer mode surprises me. I demoed it yesterday for the first time (if you missed Jeremy’s previous single-player impressions, click here, here, or here), but maybe part of my astonishment comes from the fact that I wasn’t expecting much. That isn’t a catch-all assessment — just a reflection after seeing a number of great single-player games that get tacked on multiplayer modes. Perhaps that says something about cynicism in the press to you, but I can tell you those sentiments would be misplaced: I’m aware Uprising includes multiplayer, but I’ve never known what to really think of it until now.
After spending two hours with Uprising’s multiplayer, I can say there’s a lot here to keep players busy. Multiplayer hinges on the player choosing between a diverse set of nine weapon types — each one fostering a specific play style. Heavy club-wielding players might move slower, but they have a huge power advantage up close. On the other hand, while cannons fire deadly projectiles, they cause players using them to move slowly and be slightly more susceptible to melee attacks if someone can get in close enough. So what happens when slow-moving melee fighter meets a slow-moving projectile-firer? As is always the case, the answer depends on who reacts quicker and lands the first blow, and there are plenty of other quick weapons if that’s more your thing. That balance makes playing Uprising multiplayer so interesting: aside from the frenetic pace of it all, core combat revolves around understanding a basic set of commands.
