What once started as one of the strangest tech demos we ever played turned out to be an innovating spin-off game set in the Star Fox universe. Project Guard transformed into Star Fox Guard and certainly has that ‘Miyamoto’ magic all over it. Sure, it’s not the best Wii U game on the market but it’s one of the only games able to demonstrate the true power of the GamePad.
You work for Grippy Toad now
Since Star Fox Guard isn’t just a tech demo, it comes with a story. The story is set in the Star Fox universe, meaning you’ll see Fox and his crew flying by from time to time. The story isn’t that big but it’s nice to see that everything is voice acted and the graphics are on the same level as the main game. This time, you won’t ‘work’ for Fox however, you’ll work for Slippy’ uncle Grippy Toad, who happens to own one of the largest mineral mining facilities in the universe.
Since Grippy Toad is so successful, he has a lot of enemies. No Andross this time but waves of robots. Grippy Toad hired you, the player, to keep his facilities safe from these robots attacks. In order to do so, you’ll gain access to twelve different cameras equipped with lasers. It’s up to you to monitor every camera and take down those hostile robots before they reach your core.
Protect the core
Each mining facility has its own core that you’ll need to protect at all costs. If a robot manages to take down your core, you’ll need to restart the mission. To make things more interesting, the robots are divided into two sections. The Chaos Robots are here to make life difficult. These aren’t programmed to destroy the core but are programmed to disable the cameras using different techniques. Some will destroy your cameras while others will mask your base in pink smoke. The Chaos Robots aren’t that dangerous but you’ll need to take them out as soon as possible since they can really mess up your cameras and therefore chances of survival.
No longer a tech demo
The Combat Robots form the second section of the robots and are here to take down your core. Just like the Chaos Robots, these come in different sizes and types as well. Some Combat Robots will run straight for your core while others use shields or invisibility cloaks to disguise themselves for the cameras.
Monitor those cameras
The biggest challenge in the game is to monitor all the cameras on the television screen and the GamePad. As said before, this is one of those Wii U games that truly demonstrate the power of the controller. On the television screen, you’ll see what your cameras are seeing. By tapping on one of the camera numbers on your GamePad, you’ll see what that camera sees in the center of your television. Once you got eyes on your enemy, you can start firing your lasers at it by pushing any button on your GamePad. It’s a little tricky to monitor the twelve small screens all at once but Nintendo made sure the level of difficulty is just right.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s a very challenging game due to the multiple screens you need to monitor, but it’s not that hard to clear the standard levels. If you’re looking for more challenge, you can play the extra levels you’ll unlock in the story mode. The extra levels offer different patterns and enemies than the regular levels.
A bit too challenging for you? Call in the help of Fox or Falco! By scanning the Fox or Falco amiibo, you can call in an airstrike that will take down the enemies on the map. Be aware, however, this airstrike can be activated once a day, or twice if you own the two amiibo figurines.
No multiplayer? Think again!
Modern gamers demand multiplayer in their games nowadays and at first sight, Star Fox Guard doesn’t have one but that’s not entirely true. Firs of all, this is a perfect couch multiplayer to play with friends. Since it’s very difficult to monitor twelve monitors at once, it’s great to have a second player monitoring the television screen and shouting the numbers of the cameras you need to activate. Sure, it’s not an official multiplayer mode but it’s a great to have a second player by your side while fighting off the robots.
Besides that, you can also put together your own Squad of Robots, which is surprisingly fun to do! By playing the story mode, you’ll learn what kinds of combinations are hard to fight. You can put those types of robots together in your Squad but there are some rules, you can’t create the ultimate Squad that will take down everybody else but you can create a very challenging Squad to defeat nevertheless. Thanks to the online play, you can take out the Squads of other players worldwide. By defeating those, you’ll gain more points and rise on the leaderboards. So as you can see, no real multiplayer but enough alternatives to keep you satisfied!
Upgrade your gear
The last thing worth mentioning is that Star Fox Guard doesn’t feel like a tech demo or low-budget game. The game offers a lot of missions and thanks to the unlockable cameras; you’ll always have something new to experiment with during your adventure. Gaining a camera that can shoot multiple targets at once or slows down time are game changers when it comes to your survival.
Conclusion:
Star Fox Guard turned out to be more than the tech demo we’ve played a couple of years ago. Placing the cameras on the correct spot and monitoring them all isn’t easy and needs practice. Lucky for you; you’ll learn the ropes step by step. The game feels right at home in the Star Fox Universe and is definitely worth the shot, especially since it comes at a lower price.
8/10
You can buy Star Fox Guard in the Nintendo eShop or as part of the First Print Edition of Star Fox Zero.
