Star Fox Zero

When we previewed Star Fox Zero at E3 2015, it showed promise, but had a number of red flags. We were told it could be completed in about as long as it takes to watch a movie. By itself that’s not a big problem, as Star Fox games are designed around replay. The trouble was Nintendo didn’t seem to be targeting a deeper challenge for experienced players.

After months of feedback from internal testing teams and fans, Nintendo decided to delay Star Fox Zero. The result was a hit to the company’s financial position, robbing the Wii U of one of its most recognizable titles during holiday 2015.

As is often the case with legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto though, extra time yields better results. The Star Fox Zero I recently played fixes some of the issues from eight months ago. It now resembles earlier entries in the series, restoring some of the missing elements and our faith.

Before I picked up the gamepad, Nintendo showed me a brief video detailing the substantial changes. In June 2015, no galaxy map was planned. It’s now back. The Arwing wasn’t going to have its traditional smart bombs. Those have also been restored.

“Certainly with games today, we take the approach of wanting to make sure that as broad of an audience as possible can play the game,” Miyamoto tells me. “Sometimes what that means is we’ll lower the difficulty level. We really rethought it this time with Star Fox and said, ‘One of the key features of Star Fox is that challenge and overcoming that challenge.’ The game does have the ability for you to fly around in an invincible Arwing. For newer players they can enjoy playing that way.”

Nintendo gave me control of the Arwing in a tutorial arena. This combined both the on-rails elements that have been part of the series since the Super Nintendo debut and all-range mode, which gives players freedom to fly around an arena-like setting, dogfighting with antagonists and flying through rings. Much like in Star Fox 64, all-range mode is used frequently in boss battles.

After easing back in to the dual television and gamepad screens, as well as the motion-controlled targeting, the team threw me in the deep end. If you were concerned about Star Fox Zero’s difficulty, put those fears to rest. The later stages are overflowing with enemies, bullets, and tight passages to navigate. Nintendo has abandoned the prescribed method of playing, which was to hold the gamepad in front of you to easily flick your eyes between third-person and cockpit views. I played with the tablet-style controller closer to my lap and looked down only when needing precision shots. Slight motions are enough to move the crosshairs, and a simple tap of the Y button re-centers the motion control. Later on, I became comfortable using the minus button to swap the views on the television, eliminating the need to glance away almost entirely. Using both simultaneously was still a good option for boss battles in all-range mode.

I also had a chance to check out the branching paths. When I saw the game at E3, I was told these would simply be hidden areas in the level with alternative goals. Now, they are alternate courses with different boss battles and a path through the game that presents deeper challenge.

You won’t be able to locate them immediately, so expect to return to previous stages to explore with equipment earned by completing later levels. The result is a galaxy map with sub-stages and branching paths that will make Star Fox veterans feel right at home.

The original intent was to make Star Fox Zero accessible, and the added difficulty required Miyamoto and Platinum to make some adjustments. Players are able to make themselves invincible to enjoy the game. A co-op mode also allows the player using the gamepad to aim and fire, while someone using a Pro Controller or Wii Remote and Nunchuk flies.

It looks laughably primitive today, but the original Star Fox was revelatory when it first hit the Super Nintendo. Thanks to a specialized on-board graphics chip, the game pushed polygons onto the screen in an era where sprites were king. Star Fox 64 followed up with more sophisticated visuals (including textures!) and a few new additions to Team Star Fox’s hangar, including the Landmaster tank. Star Fox Zero is like a cover version of that sequel, hitting many of the same notes (and featuring familiar ships and locations) as Star Fox 64. Unfortunately, the experience feels dated and lackluster, rather than the exciting return of Fox McCloud that Nintendo was undoubtedly aiming for.

The most noticeable change is the incorporation of motion controls, allowing players to fine-tune their aim a bit more than in previous entries. Before, you piloted Fox’s Arwing ship and other vehicles from a third-person perspective. In Zero, the image on your TV is essentially that view, while the GamePad’s screen pulls you into the cockpit for precision targeting. You have to use motion controls to better aim your crosshairs, which can take some getting used to.

The default setting, where your crosshairs and the GamePad’s motion are always synced, simply doesn’t work well. After playing for a minute or so, the calibration wanders off, so the center position isn’t facing the TV. Resyncing is as easy as pressing a button, but that doesn’t make it feel like any less of a failure. The alternate controls, where motion controls only come into play when you press the fire button, fare better, since you are essentially recalibrating every time you enter into combat. Even at their best, the controls are a necessary concession to giving the player better aiming options, rather than a fun way to interact with the game.

Aside from that, it’s the same basic format we’ve seen before. Fox is on a mission to defeat Andross, and his mission takes him from the Earth-like planet of Corneria to far-flung places across the galaxy. Wherever you go, enemies have a tendency to streak into view in groups of three or more units, providing nice targets for Fox and his wingmen. You have rings to collect, bombs to pick up, and moments where you need to help your friends from tailing enemies.

It’s a mix of on-rails sections with forced scrolling and free-range sections, where you’re able to move around deceptively small areas at will. Battles generally lack a sense of scale, and few enemies offer anything beyond an easy kill. While there’s a little kick in seeing some of these familiar Star Fox locations again, at a certain point it made me long for a hyperspace jump to someplace fresh.

Depending on your mission, you pilot one of several different vehicles. The Arwing is Fox’s staple, and it can transform into a bipedal walker mode. You also have a drone-like Gyrocopter and the Landmaster tank.

The Gyrocopter is the most interesting form, since its hovering ability lets you find a safe spot and act like a mobile gun emplacement. It also lets you deploy a little robotic helper to reach tight spots and hack terminals — including a stealth-oriented level that’s one of the few highlights.

The visual differences between vehicles are clear, as is the fact that you’re either able to walk freely or are auto-soaring through the world, but they don’t shake up the game in any major ways for the most part.

Star Fox Zero isn’t ever bad, but it’s generally uninspired. It’s a musty tribute that fails to add much to the series, aside from tweaked controls and incremental vehicle upgrades.

I loved Star Fox when it came out, and I’ll even defend Star Fox Adventures (to a reasonable degree). For now, I’ll stick to Super Smash Bros. when I feel like reuniting with Fox.

Star Fox Zero is a space shooter developed for the Wii U video game console. The game follows the adventures of the Star Fox team as they fight against sinister forces that threaten the peaceful space. The main character, Fox McCloud, leads his squad through various missions to protect the galaxy and deal with enemies using his piloting and combat skills.

Features:

• Utilizing the Wii U GamePad: Unique control mechanics that integrate the GamePad screen for additional gameplay features
• Combining platformer and shooter elements
• Ability to play with friends in multiplayer modes