At the start of each chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising, you get to choose an Intensity level ranging from 0.0 to 9.0. The higher the intensity, the tougher the game will be.
Playing the game at a higher intensity level will net you more hearts and better rewards. Hearts can be used to purchase new weapons, of which there are many. Uprising has nine weapon categories, each with several weapon variants, effectively making this a loot game.
The catch is that you don’t simply raise the intensity level without fear of consequences. Intensity is increased by betting Hearts that you already have. If you’re defeated during a chapter, you’ll lose some of your Hearts, and intensity will be lowered. The default intensity setting is 2.0.
Nintendo released a new video today that shows the difference between the default intensity (2.0) and the highest intensity (9.0). You can watch this above.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is scheduled for release on March 23rd in North America. Pre-ordering the game from “select retailers” will get you a free download code for 3D Classics: Kid Icarus on the Nintendo eShop.