Multiplayer in Kid Icarus: Uprising is closely linked to the Single player portion of the game. Weapons and items can be earned and used in either mode, and the multiplayer portions of the game share the same basic gameplay as the Ground sections of the Campaign. There are two modes for both local and wifi play: The team-based "Light vs. Dark and the "appropriately named "Free-For-All."
Light vs. Dark
In this mode, players are split into two teams of three. Each team has a shared life bar in addition to their regular gauges. Every time a player is defeated, their team's respective bar goes down. The more powerful the player's weapon, the more the bar goes down, meaning that choosing a powerful weapon is a double-edged sword.
Eventually, when the team bar goes down to zero, the last defeated player on the team respawns as an Angel. The first time to defeat the opposing team's angel is the winner, so protecting your team's angel is a must. However, this is balanced by angels having more health and being more powerful in battle than normal Fighters.
Free-For-All
Anywhere from two to six players battle each other for a set period of time. Whoever scores the most kills in that time is the winner. Each player can be identified by their color, which is based off of their Mii's.
Stages
- Windy Wasteland
- Lava Basin
- Starlight Observatory
- Ancient Fortress
- Twilight Stratosphere
- Desert Tomb
- Rail Temple
- Cave of Spirits
- Forgotten City
- Spiral Tower
- Small Arena
Rules that can be modified
- Stages: Can be specifically or randomly picked, though are randomly picked by default.
- Number of Players: 2 to 6
- Time Limit: from 1 to 20 minutes, in segments of 1 minute
- Items: None, Few, Standard, and Many options are available
- CPU Difficulty: 1 to 9, with 5 as the default
- Handicaps: None, Automatic based on performance, or up to 100% in intervals of 10%
- Team Life Gauge: 100 to 3000 in intervals of 50