Grind Rail

The Grind Rail is a special object introduced in Kid Icarus: Uprising that Pit can jump on and slide along in order to reach new locations. While on the grind rail, Pit can shoot at enemies as it is not uncommon for enemies to attack him. Furthermore, Pit can use melee attacks on enemies if they get within a certain distance from him but dash shots are impossible to carry out on grind rails. Pit can switch from one grind rail to another if two are parallel to each other, and traps can be set along the grind rails that can hurt Pit, as well as the possibility of the rail running out, leading Pit to fall and take damage. Grind rails are first seen during Chapter 4.

The Aurum Hive
Kid Icarus: Uprising is the only game in the Kid Icarus series containing grind rails, however, they play a very important role in many levels. In Chapter 16: The Aurum Hive, the player must face the boss of the level, the Aurum Generator, solely on three grind rails which they can jump from one to the other. The Aurum Generator will attack Pit while he is on the grind rails so moving around is a good strategy, which is described by Palutena in the game. However, there is an unlockable item that can be obtained by defeating the boss by not swirching from rail to rail.

Rail Temple
Another important role of the grind rail is shown in an unlockable multiplayer stage named Rail Temple. The stage is large with many grind rails to aid the player in travelling around it. There is also an island at the center of the stage which is only accessable via a grind rail or as spawn point if the player dies. The course is unlockable by becoming an angel in Light vs. Dark.

There are many other grind rail occurrences in the game as well.

Trivia

 * Grind Rails are said to be a gift from the gods and are provided by Palutena, Viridi and Hades at various points in the game. However, Phosphora remarks that she wished that she "had the budget for grind rails" suggesting that she could not create grind rails for some reason.


 * In Chapter 15, the Aurum seem to have the power to warp and bend grind rails despite not being of a divine background assumedly.


 * In Chapter 4, Palutena introduces a type of grind rail where Pit must shoot at targets on the wall to extend the grind rail. This type only appears in this chapter.