This is what Wii Kid Icarus: Uprising looked like from prototype footage on the PC and Wii before Sora got 3DS development kits!
Be sure to check out my Through A Virgin’s Eyes Kid Icarus: Uprising Let’s Play series!
Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and producer of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, said that work began on Kid Icarus: Uprising before his development team at Sora even had a 3DS Development Kit. Because of that fact, they had to start development on a PC (where most games begin development, actually) and even on the Wii; before the development was moved to a 3DS Development Kit later on. So it was on the PC and Wii that they came up with the core mechanics of the Air Battle and Land Battle gameplay that would end up in the final 3DS version. Of course, using the Wii Remote pointer is somewhat similar to the stylus on the 3DS touchscreen, so this probably gave the team a useful simulation early on, and allowed them to further work on creating the game’s mechanics and design even before they could try it out on the 3DS itself.
As a result, this video shows as close to a Wii Kid Icarus game as we may ever get! Although, one would be shocked if the highly successful series (assuming sales of Kid Icarus: Uprising are steller, which they seem like they will be) didn’t eventually makes its way to the Wii U. Of course a Kid Icarus: Uprising Wii U entry is probably a ways off, as Sakurai’s next task, now that Kid Icarus: Uprising on 3DS is complete, it so move onto to developing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS!
Here is what Kid Icarus: Uprising on the Wii looked like in this new video.
From this Air Battle video you can easily imagine playing the game with the Wii Pointer, although I am not sure if it would work better than the controls on the 3DS. In an Iwata Asks Kid Icarus: Uprising interview regarding Kid Icarus: Uprising, Sakurai discussed this by saying:
“At first we didn’t have the Nintendo 3DS development kit, so we started making it on a PC. Oh, and for a while we were using a Wii to make it!”
Here is what Land Battles looked like in Kid Icarus: Uprising Wii, in this prototype video.
Very, VERY interesting! It’ll be just as interesting to see what Nintendo does with the series now that Kid Icarus: Uprising seems to be such a critical and commercial success.
Did you buy the game?
