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| Released in North America on April 22, 2016 for the Wii U by Nintendo, and developed by Nintendo EPD and PlatinumGames, Star Fox Zero brings anthropomorphic dogfighting action to the Wii U. |
I ignored it. When Star Fox Zero released in the spring of 2016, my Wii U was solely occupied by The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. I saw Zero's mixed reviews and decided I'd be fine taking a long time to get to it. Besides, I still needed to play the two Star Fox games for GameCube.
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| How could I possible "Press A" when I haven't played two completely unrelated Star Fox games from the early 00's? |
Flash forward over five years, and miraculously, I've played through both Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox: Assault for the Nintendo GameCube. For the last four of those years, I've resolved to make it through one unplayed Wii U title on my shelf during every winter break. This past break, it was finally Star Fox Zero's turn.
Can you please write a short review for once?
Yes, actually, I can. I just don't have a lot to say about Star Fox Zero, at the start of 2021, still the most recently released entry in the 3D on-rails/free-roaming hybrid shooter series. As for series history, I remember the first Star Fox game for SNES mostly as a cool store tech demo. The two GameCube games are okay. I love Star Fox 64, which I purchased on the same day I got my learner's permit, and feel like that particular Star Fox game has given me the most enjoyment. Apparently, the creators of Star Fox Zero decided that would be the best game to emulate.
Awesome, so then this game is just an incredibly fun, HD, modernized take on Star Fox 64?
Well...
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| Look at these jackanapes |
Star Fox Zero, considered a series reboot, certainly takes many notes from Star Fox 64. The story sees the evil space simian, Andross, again attempting to take over the galaxy, with Fox McCloud (literally a starfighting Fox) and Fox's animal wing mates the only ones who can stop the evil space monkey. Fox's team flies around in their Arwing space fighters, attempting to foil Andross' plans. That's about it for plot, and really all that is needed from the plot in a game like this: a framework to fly around and shoot stuff.
So...mission accomplished?
No.
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| Mission...attempted? |
The Nintendo 64 game works for two reasons: expertly streamlined gameplay and tight controls. There's nothing in that 1997 classic that doesn't need to be there, and the controls are so intuitive, they become second nature almost immediately. Star Fox 64's major innovation, rumble pak support, isn't in any way necessary to enjoy the game, and merely augments it. Star Fox Zero features graphics leagues ahead of Star Fox 64, and levels designed to feel similar to its 64-bit predecessor. However, Zero fails in matching SF64's gameplay or controls because its attempt at innovation is forcing the player to utilize controls that aren't tight or intuitive in a way that needlessly bloats the gameplay.
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| You're telling me, General Dog Guy! |
As someone with fairly huge hands, I'm a Wii U GamePad defender. I like the feel of it as a controller, and I love it as a secondary screen for use as a game map or inventory screen. I will have to join the majority of those who have attempted to play Star Fox Zero, and agree that I hate the way the GamePad is used in this game. The controls here are a strange combination of gyro and traditional controls that never meld together intuitively. In the earlier, easier levels, this can be overcome. However, in the later, difficult levels, you'll want to throw your GamePad through a wall.
So the opposite of a barrel roll?
Yes, it's maddening. Those earlier stages, where precision isn't as important, do invoke some of the charms of the N64 game. You'll be piloting your Arwing and tanks and other vehicles, not necessarily with the greatest of ease, but at least adequately enough to where the controls aren't quite overrunning the joy of the experience. These portions do feature some segments where you've got to use a drone to disable security boxes that aren't exactly fun, but still, don't feel like a total chore. However, once the player reaches the latter quarter of this maybe ten-hour game, and has to fly between narrow columns, and dogfight through tight spaces, moving the gamepad through the air, jerking the control sticks in anger, all of the earlier joys go hurtling out the window. The controls' lack of precision simply becomes unbearable. I nearly lost my mind.
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| Don't test me, Squawky |
Around this period in history, Nintendo started putting a kind of cheat-y EASY MODE into their games where, if a player died too often, something akin to player invincibility was offered to make progressing easier. In most other games Nintendo offers this, ala Super Mario 3D World, the assistance feels like a kind gesture toward children. In this case, the offered invincibility feels like an apology for Star Fox Zero's lackluster control system. If you want to get to the end credits without breaking something, utilizing the invincibility mode (which nullifies any points earned from levels) may be a necessity.
But the production values are pretty great, right?
Star Fox Zero, the first ever HD Star Fox console game, does look great. Space battles, alien landscapes, explosions, massive cutscenes, all look beautiful. The rousing musical score is fine, as are the sound effects. The voice-acting is...hit or miss. The main characters, including Fox, are solid, and Slippy is the same high-pitched annoyance that's by this point become a charming series trademark. However, some of the other characters, especially the aforementioned drone, are overly cutesy, and enhance the game's I WANT TO BREAK THIS CONTROLLER effect.
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| Maybe you should start developing video games |
But what if you're one of the few who actually enjoy and master Star Fox Zero's control system? Is there anything to keep you going after those initial ten hours?
If you find yourself gleefully swimming against the lukewarm public and critical opinion toward Star Fox Zero, the otherwise short game features a lot of unlockable bonus content to keep you busy. Bonus levels with branching paths, medals to collect, all that Star Fox stuff is here. There's even a co-op mode that splits flying and shooting between two players that makes things a little easier, if you've got the patience to find it hidden amongst the game's menus.
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| "All right" is a relative term, Peppy |
One of the best aspects of the Wii U, the proto-Switch ability to play without a television, is fairly negated here, as you really need both the GamePad AND a TV screen to play this thing. I played maybe a quarter of the game on the GamePad only, and made it work, but the GamePad speakers act as your in-ship radio, so you aren't getting any of the game's music through it. Again, there are so many head-scratching HOW DID THIS GET NINTENDO'S SEAL OF APPROVAL? moments and aspects here. While Zero certainly features some solid nostalgia, great production values, and some enjoyable moments, it is sadly, the weakest console entry in the Star Fox franchise to date. Maybe this poor, already nearly forgotten title could use a little Nintendo Switch salvation?
I should also mention, most copies of Star Fox Zero come with a free bonus game, Star Fox Guard. Guard is a tower defense game...and rather embarrassingly, it's quite better than Star Fox Zero. I'll have a review up for Guard shortly.
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