Kid Icarus: Uprising will be using the 3DS's Circle Pad Pro attachment, but probably not in the way you'd think.
In the game's default controls, you'll use the circle pad to move and the touchscreen to aim the camera. Rather than take the obvious route, and allow the second circle pad to aim, the game will instead use the add-on to offer support for a left-handed control scheme. Lefty players will be able to use the right circle pad to move, freeing up their dominant hand for the touchscreen.
Director Masahiro Sakurai told Official Nintendo Magazine UK (via 1UP) that the decision to offer minimal support was first and foremost an issue of timing.
"I didn't know the specs of the Circle Pad Pro, or what it looked like, until Monster Hunter 3G was announced, so we weren't able to do anything big with it in the time we had," he explained.
Still, even if time hadn't been a factor, Sakurai isn't certain they would have done anything differently.
"Even if we had known about it from the start, I don't know whether we would have used both Circle Pads in that way. This would end up being just the same as controls on other platforms and I think the quick aiming possible with the touch panel suits the game best."
Kid Icarus: Uprising will be out in North America on March 23, while the Circle Pad Pro, a GameStop exclusive, hits the US on February 7.
