Kid Icarus: Apotheosis

Kid Icarus: Apotheosis is a 2021 video game released for the Nintendo Switch Plus Console. Developed by Nintendo and Sora LTD, it is the sequel to 2012's Kid Icarus: Uprising. Masahiro Sakurai, director of the latter game, served as a creative consultant for this game, but did not directly oversee the supervision of the game. The story builds on the mythology established in Uprising, while also introducing new characters as Pit attempts to save the world of humans and stave off the Fall of the Gods.
==Gameplay==
Apotheosis plays very similarly to Uprising in terms of execution, possessing both rail shooter levels (shown as flying levels, although players maintain some level of control over their movement on screen, the trajectory of the level is unalterable) and third-person beat 'em up stages where Pit can use his bows and swords to do battle with enemies on the ground. One major difference is the addition of dual analog controls, where one control stick is used to move and the other is used to aim. The game does feature an auto-aiming feature for more casual play, though this feature is disabled at the highest difficulty levels.
The game retains the humor of Uprising, with occasional interactions between Pit and other characters on the field, including with the goddess Palutena. Other characters from Uprising return, including Pit's doppleganger Dark Pit, the goddess of nature Viridi, the human warrior Magnus, and Underworld foes Pandora and Thanatos. Hades, the final boss in Uprising, returns in a minor role in this game, while this is the first Kid Icarus game that doesn't feature Medusa in any significant role.
The single player campaign is divided into 20 chapters, with each of those chapters subdivided into 4 stages and a boss fight at the end. Simultaneously, Dark Pit is undergoing a campaign that is alluded to in game dialogue. Players who finish the single player campaign, beating all chapters at 5.0 difficulty or higher will unlock Dark Pit's campaign, in which they can play as the doppleganger. Dark Pit's campaign contains an additional six chapters that are similarly divided into 4 stages with boss fights at the end of them.
The game also features multiplayer shoot 'em up stages, where foes can battle with a variety of different weapons and skins unlocked during the game.
==Story==
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Kid Icarus: Apotheosis and Kid Icarus: Uprising.
===Chapter 1. The Festival of Light===
5 years after the conclusion of the war with the Underworld and the Human World is at peace. Palutena's Army and the Forces of Nature are at an uneasy truce, while the Underworld has been gripped by years of Civil War between the god of Death, Thanatos, and one of Medusa's former commanders, Pandora. The ruler of Skyworld and the Protector of Humanity, Palutena, has given her army some time off, allowing the angel Pit to represent her in the town of Goras, which is now watched over by the human warrior Magnus as its chieftan. There is to be a Festival of Light to commerate the end of the Underworld War and to renew faith in the Goddess of Light. Pit enjoys himself at the Festival, meeting with his old friend (who has since once again become friends with former enemy Gaol), before getting a visit from his doppleganger Dark Pit. After a brief staredown, Dark Pit mysteriously tells Pit to watch himself and then departs. Elsewhere in the Festival, Magnus is approached by an outsider named Pythos, who tells Magnus to reject following the Goddess Palutena and give himself over to the Light of Creation. Disgusted with his approach, Magnus banishes him from the Festival.
However things take a dark turn as Magnus, Gaol, and other humans within the Festival suddenly are overcome by a great disease, turning into plant-human hybrids. Pit immediately suspects that the Forces of Nature are behind this assault, and accuses them of having broken the truce between them and Skyworld. Pit summons his armor and begins fighting enemies of the Forces of Nature who show up to "reclaim the settlement" for the goddess Viridi. After fighting his way through levels of plant based enemies and being forced to fight the "zombified vegetables" of Magnus and Gaol, Pit fights and defeats Cragalanche, a sentient boulder, breaking the spell cast on the people of Goras and reclaiming the town. Despite the gratitude of Magnus and many of his people, some complain about another war breaking out between the gods, and speak of Pythos' message from before. Magnus seems to win them over, but some are still discontented as the Chapter ends.
===Chapter 2. The Palace of Nature===
Palutena dispatches Pit into the Great Viridian Forest (which Pit says sounds familiar, but he can't place its location) to seek out the Palace of Nature and confront the Goddess of Nature, Viridi, who has not responded to Palutena's demands for an explanation. The Palace is heavily fortified by enemies and natural barriers that Palutena guides Pit through using the Power of Flight. She also mentions that Dark Pit has a separate mission to check on the Underworld to see if they are behind all this. Pit eventually lands in the Palace Courtyard where he is faced with a shade of Viridi, who casually dismisses him.
After fighting through the levels of the Palace, he confronts the Goddess directly on behalf of Palutena. The conversation goes poorly, as Viridi claims that by attacking her, the Army of Palutena has broken the truce between them. She also claims to have no knowledge of the attack on Goras, though Palutena then points out that other attacks by the Forces of Nature have been carried out on other cities throughout the human world. After further conversation goes nowhere, Pit is forced to battle Viridi herself. The two fight to a standstill, before Dark Pit arrives and reveals that this is not the real Viridi, that she has been kidnapped and is being held by unknown parties. The doppleganger of Viridi smiles and identifies himself as the trickster god Loki, who is working for parties unknown. Loki disappears in a puff of smoke and Pit rushes off to save other towns from Viridi's rampaging minions, who have been left leaderless after the Goddess' disappearance.
===Chapter 3. The Web of Arachne===
Pit is dispatched to the human kingdom of Tebesh, where the people are being assaulted by a minion in Viridi's Army, Arachne, a former human who was cursed into a drider (half-human, half spider) by the Goddess Persephone for daring to challenge her in a contest of weaving. Arachne joined with Viridi, having nowhere else to go. Through dialogue, we learn of Persephone being the figurehead Queen of the Underworld, having been the wife of Hades, though both Thanatos and Pandora have been waging war with each other to truly control the forces of that realm. After engaging in a flying stage, Pit's Power of Flight temporarily gives out, though it is quickly restored by Palutena. She tells Pit not to worry.
As Pit lands outside the kingdom gates and faces down several of Arachne's soldiers, he is joined by another angel from Palutena's army named Iris. Iris is a rival to Pit, but like him is an angel who cannot fly under her own power. After some playful insinuation from Palutena concerning their "relationship", the two venture forth into the castle and straight into the lair of Arachne. Along the way, they encounter some humans who have yet to be cursed by Arachne, as she plans to do to the entirety of the kingdom. These humans, though thankful for rescue, curse the name Palutena and all the Gods, saying that the "Messenger of Light" was right when he came through. Before Pit can question them further, Arachne shows up and Pit and Iris must defeat her, breaking the curse she has on all the people in the Kingdom. Pit realizes that some of the minions that he and Iris had killed before were actually human, and that their souls had been corrupted by Arachne's magic. Palutena tells him they need to continue to reign in the Forces of Nature, as she has sent Dark Pit on a mission to find Viridi (though through dialogue with Iris, it seems there is more to what is going on than Pit realizes.)
===Chapter 4. The Goddess of Discord===
Pit and Iris return to their mission to save the Human World from the Rampaging Forces of Nature, this time confronting the General of Viridi, the Flying Bird Queztus. They are almost overwhelmed in the air, but are saved by a human inventor by the name of Aeolus, an apprentice to the great craftsman Daedalus. Aeolus uses his Divine Wind machines to keep the Bird Minions of Queztus from overwhelming them. Taking to the ground to assault Queztus directly, Iris and Pit are surprised to find the General having already been defeated by of all people, the Goddess of Discord, Eris. Eris explains that she is behind Viridi's disappearance, working on behalf of the God of War, Ares, who is plotting to assault Skyworld and assume all of Palutena's powers. She also remarks that Palutena, Medusa, Viridi and herself are all "minor" goddesses, while other gods such as Hades, Poseidon and Ares, are Major Gods. The leader of the Major Gods, Zeus, is aloof at the wars of the minor goddesses, which is why Ares is attempting to usurp Palutena's realm to increase his own power, to challenge his father as Zeus once challenged his.
Pit and Iris, even with Aeolus' help, are no match for the Goddess of Discord, especially as they cannot seem to sense Palutena at the moment. Eris is about to finish them off, when she is confronted by the real Viridi, who has been set free by Dark Pit. Viridi battles with Eris while Pit and Iris provide support by taking out Eris' minions. After the two goddesses fight to a standstill, Palutena interrupts their fighting by appearing in her Giant Form and with a powerful display, dispatches Eris to the Underworld with a similar curse to the one she used on Medusa. This seems to weaken Palutena greatly, as she disappears and falls from the sky, Pit given the Power of Flight by Viridi to catch her. When he asks what is wrong, Viridi explains that the Goddess of Discord has turned the people against Palutena, turning their prayers into curses. With the people turning their back against the Gods, certain Gods like Palutena grow weaker. As she is a Goddess of Nature, Viridi's powers aren't effected as of yet, but they might be soon. She sends Pit and Iris back to Skyworld to prepare for the coming invasion of Ares' armies, while she takes Palutena to see what can be done to heal her.
===Chapter 5. The War of the Sky===
In Skyworld, Iris and Pit discover that the forces of Ares (which are similar monsters to those used by the Underworld) have already begun their invasion and are attempting to storm Palutena's Temple. After some dialogue with the God of War (Pit remarking that he doesn't look anything like what he expected a God of War to look like), Iris rallies her own troops while Pit is left with Centurions to fend off the forces of Ares. He is successful, but an aerial assault begins, which threatens Pit as he is unable to fly on his own. Fortunately he is saved by the goddess Artemis and her twin brother Apollo, who challenge their older brother and defend Palutena's realm on behalf of their father, Zeus. Artemis grants Pit Infinite Power of Flight (the power of the Major Gods being greater than that of Lesser Gods) to fend off the forces of Ares.
With the tide turned and Ares seemingly in retreat, Pit asks the twins if they can revive Palutena, however they disclose that they had been forbidden to do so by Zeus, King of the Gods, as a safety measure for their own immortality. And as a punishment for the temporary destruction of Hades, God of the Underworld. Pit asks what they mean by temporary, and they explain that Gods and Goddesses can revive their powers by eating of the Golden Apples in the faraway gardens of the Hesperides. Zeus had merely not done so because he was punishing Hades as well for his role in the war 5 years earlier. Before they depart, removing Pit's Power of Flight, they point out that some of Ares' monsters are still roaming free, leaving Pit to face off with the literal dogs of war, Phobos and Deimos. After defeating them, Pit is contacted by Viridi to speak with Palutena, who tells him off her plight and apologizes for keeping him in the dark about her condition. Pit tells her about the Garden of the Hesperides and asks how to get there. Palutena refuses to tell him, saying it may be the will of the Gods, but as she falls unconscious, her immortality failing her, Dark Pit arrives, having previously been sent by Viridi to try and find the Garden, and tells Pit he knows a back way to get there, but they will have to face a great monster to do so.
===Chapter 6. The Dragon at the Gates===
Pit and Dark Pit are transported far to the west, near where the Garden of the Hesperides is thought to be located. Dark Pit explains further that to get past this point, they will have to disguise themselves as humans and blend in to the crowd. Pit is aghast at this thought, but Dark Pit hands him a talisman that lets him hide his wings, and insinuates that this isn't the first time Pit has done so (which Pit cautiously tries to deny). They make their way through a desert town in the foothills near a mountain range called Balius. There, they encounter humans who are worshipping something called the Light of Creation, which Pit heard of in Goras. Dark Pit explains that the people feel the Gods have turned their backs on them, and so the people have turned their backs on the Gods, leading to Palutena's condition. Some gods feed of their prayers, he points out, while others, like Hades and Thanatos, feed off their fears. Pit asks Dark Pit if he knows more about the Light of Creation, but Dark Pit keeps mum on the subject.
After stopping some bandits and blowing their cover, Pit and Dark Pit flee the town and make their way into a mountain pass. Their they are granted the Power of Flight by Viridi. When asked how she is able to grant them both the Power of Flight, Viridi says that she is also using Palutena's power, and she insisted on helping them (though she is too weak to speak with them directly). The two make their way through a mountain pass, fighting against a hive of Underworld enemies who have been trying to get to the Garden of the Hesperides for years to try and resurrect Hades (though neither are sure which general they serve). After getting by them, they reach a gate and are confronted by the Great 10-Headed Dragon Ladon. They manage to subdue the dragon, defeating three of its heads before it retreats, allowing them to move on to the Garden itself.
===Chapter 7. The Garden of the Hesperides===
Pit and Dark Pit make it passed the Gate, but are surprisingly forced to fight enemies that are angels such as themselves, only working for the Queen of Olympus herself, Hera. Pit tries to plead with them, explaining the situation with Palutena, but the Centurions are insistent. Pit is reluctant to fight them, not wanting to kill fellow angels, but Dark Pit shows no compunctions and presses onward. For Palutena's sake, Pit is forced to do the same, though he intentionally tries to just disable the Centurions by stunning them with melee attacks as opposed to using his arrows. As they make their way deeper into the garden, they can see a man in the distance standing as tall as a Mountain. Dark Pit explains that is Atlas, one of the Titans of old, permanently punished to hold up the roof of the world by Zeus.
They make their way deeper into the Garden and finally find the Tree with Golden Apples. But their efforts are thwarted again by the Goddess of Discord, Eris, who returns to attack them. Together Pit and Dark Pit are able to do more damage to the Goddess, but the battle is ultimately still a stalemate. However they are saved a second time by Atlas himself, who has no love for the Olympian Gods regardless of their status. Atlas, holding up the sky with one hand while he attacks with the other, chases off Eris who tells them that Ares will have Skyworld, but also hints that even more will be coming his way before disappearing. Atlas allows the angels to take one fruit from the Golden Tree to revive the lady Palutena. But only one. Pit grabs the Golden Apple, but is sideswiped by Dark Pit who takes it for himself, claiming that the fruit is for a higher purpose before suddenly disappearing. Viridi says she has sensed Dark Pit heading to the Underworld, and transports Pit their immediately to retrieve the Golden Apple. 
===Chapter 8. The War of the Underworld===
Pit flies into the Underworld, headed for the Reaper's Palace, which is where Thanatos has set up shop. Viridi explains more about the Civil War in the Underworld, and how Thanatos and Pandora have been locked in a struggle. However she also states that Thanatos has been losing ground recently, that the Underworld army that Pit and "Pittoo" fought in the mountain pass belongs to him, and that it is likely that Thanatos may have recruited Dark Pit to get the Golden Apple for him, in order to tip the balance in his favor. Pit says it doesn't make sense. What would Dark Pit have to gain from all of this? Viridi, incensed by Dark Pit's "betrayal", says she doesn't care and directs Pit into the Reaper's Domain. In the palace, Pit has to fend off Reapers, Eggplant Wizards and other Underworld enemies as he did in Uprising, making his way into what he thinks is Thanatos' throne room. Once he gets there though, he finds not Thanatos, but the Ferryman Charon.
Charon informs Pit that Thanatos has been captured by Pandora's forces, and that the Civil War is all but lost. Pit realizes that Dark Pit then must be working for Pandora, but Charon tells him that isn't the case either, as Pandora has been usurped by the true ruler of the Underworld, Persephone. Viridi chimes in, saying that Persephone hated ruling in the Underworld, which Charon agrees with. Which is why she wants Hades back in charge, so she isn't stuck down there by order of Zeus. Pit is sent deeper into the heart of the Underworld, straight into Persephone's palace. After an intensive air battle (including encouragement from Palutena, who is obviously fading fast), Pit makes his way into the throne room of Persephone, where he finds not only the Underworld Queen, but a shade of Hades himself. After arguing with Persephone (something which irks the goddess to no end, though Hades spirit finds amusing), she sicks the Amazon Pandora on him. Pit fights and defeats Pandora, telling Persephone to give up the Golden Apple. It is then that he learns that she knows nothing about this, as Dark Pit had another target in mind. Hades grumbles, but becomes quiet when he realizes where Dark Pit must be headed. Persephone gives Pit unlimited Power of Flight to go to the deepest recesses of the Underworld, where Dark Pit is going to be...the Pit of Tartarus.
===Chapter 9. The Pit of Darkness===
Pit flies further into the depths of the Underworld, headed for the dreaded Pit of Tartarus. It is there, we learn through dialogue with Persephone (as Viridi's powers as a minor goddess don't extend this far down into the Underworld), that the Titans of old are held in prison. In particular the predecessor to Zeus as King of the Gods, Cronus, is kept locked away for all Eternity within its confines. Pit faces the toughest guards of the Underworld on his way their, despite being told to stand down by Persephone and surprisingly of all, Hades, indicative that even the Major Gods have trouble this close to the chaotic void. Pit eventually makes his way down there and has to fight the dragon Campe who guards the entrance to Tartarus. Once he defeats her, he finds Dark Pit near the entrance, the Gates of Tartarus already opened and Cronus' spirit released. Dark Pit though without the Golden Apple, though.
Pit confronts Dark Pit and asks him why he stole the Golden Apple. Dark Pit explains he has his own reasons, primarily because he wants his own life, not just existing as a shadow of Pit. It turns out that since he was a flawed clone from the Mirror of Truth, he can never truly exist on his own. His life is forever tied to Pit, and Dark Pit wishes to have a life free of this. When told that Palutena would have found a way to help if he had just asked, Dark Pit smirks and tells Pit that the Goddess of Light wouldn't have helped him. She couldn't of. None of the Gods of Old would. Which is why he was recruited by some of the newer, younger gods, to overthrow the order and restore balance to the world as it was in the olden days. Pit gets down to business and asks where the Golden Apple is, but Dark Pit is coy, saying that it is safe with "those who truly deserve its power." Dark Pit and Pit then fight, the latter barely defeating the former. Before he can deliver a finishing blow though, Dark Pit disappears in ethereal light. Persephone also brings Pit back to the Palace of the Underworld where Viridi can contact him. Viridi tells Pit to return to Skyworld immediately...as Palutena is quickly fading fast. Pit arrives to see Palutena give her last blessing, telling him to visit the craftsman Daedalus to get true wings. However, she is saved from dying suddenly by the arrival of the God Hermes, who tells Pit that he is to escort him to Olympus itself to meet with Zeus to discuss stopping Cronus.
===Chapter 10. The Mountain of the Gods===
Pit follows Hermes up the slopes of Olympus, to the seat of power of the Major Gods. He is joined (much to his chagrin) by Iris, who tells him that two angels have a greater chance of stopping Cronus and finding the Golden Apple than just him alone. Pit asks about the whereabouts of the Golden Apple, but Hermes says they have someone else working on that. They approach the Halls of Olympus to find that the War of the Sky has spilled over into the Major God's Realm, as the forces of Ares do battle with the forces of Zeus himself. Hermes is summoned to a council of the Gods to attempt to ease the tensions in the face of this new threat, leaving Iris and Pit to fight both the corrupted Angels of Ares and even some monsters summoned to the field by Zeus. Along the way, they see the devastation that has spilled over into the world of Man, as once again the Wars of the Gods have consequences.
Eventually they are summoned by Zeus, who has "banished" Ares for the time being. Zeus informs them that Cronus would have no need of the Golden Apple, but that he is their primary concern. He agrees to intercede on Palutena's behalf, saving her life in exchange for Pit and Iris' help. Pit asks why they need their help specifically, and Zeus explains that Cronus is a primal God, and as such cannot be harmed by them directly. It is why Cronus and the Other Titans were banished to Tartarus in the first place: Cronus had placed a spell on all his children so that they couldn't rise up and kill him the same way that Cronus had done with his father, Ouranos. But agents of them, even if empowered by them, could do so. Pit and Iris are given gifts from the Forge of Hephastus and his mortal craftsman, Daedalus, to accomplish their goals, recreations of the Three Great Treasures used by the Olympians during the Titanomachy all those years ago: A Helm of Invisibility, the Trident of Poseidon, and the Lightning of Zeus. Also given temporary flight by the Gods, the two angels dispatch to where Cronus has gone, the temple of Uror in the far North, home of the Fates and of the fabled Loom of Time.
===Chapter 11. The Fates of the Chosen===
Pit and Iris travel into the far northern reaches of the North, narrowly escaping the strange Frost Giant which seem to be riled up about something. We learn more about the nature of other divine pantheons within the world, including the Gods of the Far North (of which Loki is a part of) and some other gods in the far East. Pit asks which gods are the real ones then, and Iris simply shrugs her shoulders. As they approach the Temple of Uror, a blizzard strikes, and they have to abandon their Helm of Invisibility to make the trek through the snow on foot. After encountering more frost giants and other snowbound enemies, they make their way into the room of the Fates, finding Cronus their studying the Loom of Time. Cronus dismisses them as "unimportant" as he tries to find a way to unto the actions of the Titanomachy and restore himself and the Titans to true power.
Attacking Cronus barely gets his attention, and he easily dispatches both Iris and Pit with little effort. The two angels begin using the other two of their ultimate weapons, Iris wielding the Trident and Pit barely able to handle the Lightning of Zeus. These get Cronus' attention much more, but he still is too much for the two to handle. Suddenly, the two are joined by Dark Pit, who attacks Cronus with a scythe seemingly cut from the stars themselves. Dark Pit is joined, surprisingly enough, by the mortal Pythos, who gloats about the coming of the light of creation. The scythe wounds Cronus badly, and he asks Dark Pit where he obtained such a weapon. Dark Pit smiles, revealing himself to be Loki in disguise. He says that Chaos shall be restored as it once was: the formless slain made whole again by the Golden Apple of the Hesperides. Pit and Iris watch in horror as a great blackness comes from the sky, and Cronus shirks away, crying out for mercy from his father, as the primordial god Ouranos returns to lay claim to the dominion of the world. The Loom of Fate shudders and begins to unravel, as Pit and Iris are separated, Pit succumbing to the darkness as all the world around them is reformed. 
More to Come...
==Main Characters==
	Pit- A commander in the Army of Palutena and chief warrior on behalf of the goddess of Light. Has sympathy for the Human World, and often spends time there.
	Palutena- The goddess of Light and self-described protector of Humanity. Is the ruler of Skyworld, which is a realm between the Earth and the Higher Realm of the Gods.
	Dark Pit-  A doppleganger of Pit created from the Mirror of Truth by the Underworld General Pandora. Rebelled against his creators and serves his own needs, though he seems to have a begrudging respect for his Light counterpart and his mission to protect humanity.
	Magnus-  A powerful human warrior who now rules over the town of Goras, and is a primary worshipper of the Goddess Palutena. Holds a Festival of Light to commerate the 5 year anniversary of the end of the Underworld War.
	Viridi-  The Goddess of Nature and ruler of the eponoymous Forces of Nature. Viridi is mentioned as having attacked Goras and several other human villages in violation of the truce with Skyworld. However, the Viridi encountered in the Palace of Nature is really a trickster god named Loki, who serves parties unknown. She eventually returns in Chapter 4, explaining the motivations of the Goddess of Discord.
	Loki-  A trickster god known to Palutena as a "troublemaker from the North", Loki is serving Parties Unknown in imitating the Goddess Viridi and sending the Forces of Nature into a Frenzy.
	Pythos-  A supposed holy man who enters the village of Goras, seeking to convert the townspeople over to the "Light of Creation", though details of that are sketchy at best. His true motivations remain unknown.
	Arachne- 
A commander in the army of the Forces of Nature, Arachne is a former human cursed by the Goddess Persephone to be a half-human, half-spider. She now seeks to spread that curse across the land.
	Eris- 
A minor goddess like Palutena, she reveals that she is the one who kidnapped Viridi to stir up trouble between the forces of Palutena and the forces of Nature, in order to turn humanity's back on Palutena and weaken her. She works directly for Ares, the God of War, who seeks to take over Palutena's domain.
	Iris- 
Another angel within the Army of Palutena, Iris is Pit's Rival in almost everything, though Palutena playfully seems to think they'd make a good couple together (something they find repulsive). She helps Pit on occasion in battle.
	Aeolus- 
A human inventor who is an apprentice to the great craftsman Daedalus. He helps Pit and Iris in Chapter 4 in defeating the minions of Queztus.
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