One of the most longed-for franchises from Nintendo's long history makes its glorious return in spectacular 3D. Kid Icarus is back in a new game designed specifically for the Nintendo 3DS system by Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai and his development team at Project Sora.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a fast-paced and action-packed blend of aerial and ground-based shooting built on elegantly intuitive and streamlined play control. Boasting game play that is easy to pick up but incredibly deep, the game is sure to satisfy novice gamers as well as fans who have been clamoring for a new installment in the franchise.

The hero, Pit, teams up with Palutena, the goddess of light, who bestows on him the miracle of flight for limited stretches. With this gift, Pit soars through skies, shooting down swarms of enemies along the way, before finally setting down and engaging in frantic ground-based battles against Medusa's underworld army.

Kid Icarus was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.

Ah, Kid Icarus. For so many E3 presentations now, it's been the game that everyone wants to see, yet nobody expects to. This will have been a very nice surprise for many people. Now, we've got all the game's media for you, so you can click here to see the game's 25 screenshots and five pieces of artwork. You can also watch the trailer below, as seen during the presentation.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is expected to launch next year.