Power of Flight
The Power of Flight is a new mechanic introduced in Kid Icarus: Uprising. It grants Pit the ability to fly without the need for the Wings of Pegasus, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. This power was given to Pit by Palutena, in order to help him reach key destinations for his missions.
Functionality
Although the Power of Flight appears to be very similar in function to the Wings of Pegasus and other related items, it actually has some major differences in the way it works. The primary difference is that this power is fueled constantly by Palutena, allowing her to completely control Pit's path and direction. To this effect, the Power of Flight acts as a sort of vessel to get Pit to his destinations, although he still has control over his aim and manuverability. The other difference is the time limit of five minutes during which he can sustain flight. Because this power consumes so much energy, Pit can only stay airborn during this time limit before his wings burn up and he falls to the surface world. While Palutena is usually able to get Pit to ground level before the five minutes are up, some missions may impede this effort and stress the limits of flight. One example of this is in Heads of the Hewdraw, where Pit will be kept airborn under the time limit until he defeats Hewdraw.
Trivia
- The Wings of Icarus in Super Smash Bros. Brawl are very similar to the Power of Flight in that both abilities cause Pit's wings to glow blue. In fact, the move may have been an early concept of how the Power of Flight would work in Uprising.
- The fact that Pit's wings burn up after flying for too long may once again be a reference to the story of Daedalus and Icarus. In this case, it is referencing the point where Icarus' wax wings melt due to him flying too close to the sun, causing him to fall into the ocean below.
- This new mechanic was originally called the "Miracle of Flight" when it was first revealed in the E3 2010 trailer. Why exactly the name was changed is currently unknown.