“A new Kid Icarus game.”
Without doubt or rival, it has become the long-sought Holy Grail of Nintendo gaming. Even the slightest possibility of its eventual existence – and, as the stubborn would argue, inevitable brilliance – has fueled the unswerving, seemingly hopeless desires of fans for almost 20 years.
It may have been an entire era ago, but fans never forget. And finally, it seems the relentless pleas of the dedicated faithful have amounted to more than just arbitrary post-E3 speculation from Shigeru Miyamoto.
Take it as you will, but Kombo dropped this bomb earlier today:
“Kombo has learned from a credible source that said Wii game is in fact a new installment in Nintendo’s cherished Kid Icarus franchise. According to sources, Factor 5’s Kid Icarus title is being developed ground-up for Wii. It will not use one of the developer’s previous GameCube graphics engines. Unfortunately, at this time, no other details have been provided to us for publish.”
It is worth noting that this potentially Earth-shattering information should be considered a rumor until confirmation is offered.
However, while hopes for Pit’s return have been irrepressible among the Nintendo masses for years, the prospect of a new Kid Icarus game seems to have gained plausibility over the last few months given recent developments.
In a Nov. 30 “Wii-k in Review” podcast, IGN’s Matt Casamassina confidently stated a classic Nintendo franchise would be returning on Wii.
“What I can tell you is that a major, classic franchise will be returning to Wii. … I think Nintendo fans, people who were around during the last couple generations, are going to be pleased as punch about this one. … You are just going to be very happy with the franchise returning and the people involved.”
Levi Buchanan of IGN Wireless, a guest contributer to the podcast, was slightly more revealing when he claimed the franchise is one “many of you have been begging and hoping for.” And associate editor Mark Bozon hinted to the age of the franchise, stating that gamers “older than, like, 12” would remember the series and be especially pleased.
In what very well could be the last piece of the puzzle, Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht confirmed in a Jan. 14 phone call with Casamassina that his studio is “underway with at least one all-new Wii project.” And as Blake has suggested, Factor 5 is certainly intent on “sweating” the Wii’s capable hardware.
The planets seem to have aligned. Coincidence?