Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus is the work of most of the team behind Metroid, and it shows: Pit climbs out of the Underworld, crosses the Overworld, and finally ascends the Skyworld to rescue Palutena from Medusa. Vertically scrolling stages mean falling off the bottom is death.

Its three regions each play differently - the Underworld is a punishing climb, the Overworld is a maze with shops, and the Skyworld mixes both and adds a fortress crawl at the end. Pit gains strength by finding Sacred Treasures, and the game tracks your score to raise your maximum health. It has a password system for saving progress, which was a genuinely useful feature for a 1986 cartridge. Its difficulty is as notorious as its music: the Underworld's first climb sends you back to the start on almost any mistake.

• ▸Three regions with distinct structure - Underworld climb, Overworld maze, Skyworld fortress
• ▸Sacred Treasures and Chariot upgrades bought with currency
• ▸Password system for resuming progress
• ▸Music by Hirokazu Tanaka with the classic title theme arrangement