It has been a while since a Star Fox game was released but after 10 years Fox Mcloud and his loyal crew finally came out of retirement to fight an evil force and restore peace to the galaxy.
Star Fox Zero is a scrolling shooter game where you play as space pilot Fox Mcloud, flying your way through the galaxy and fighting epic space battles with a variety of space vehicles. This game is the sixth installment in the Star Fox franchise and follows the classic gameplay of the series but with upgraded controls.
Flying is controlled with the joysticks on the Wii U gamepad and the shooting is controlled with the gyroscopic controls. It can be tricky to get used to the new controls but once you master them it is a great addition to the game, giving you the real feeling of flying a space ship. The gamepad screen displays a cockpit view, assisting you with aiming precisely.
Every level has different goals, you have to make it to the end of the track, take down enemy spaceships, get control of an objective or fight epic bosses. Most levels feature side mission that influences the course of the level. It is possible that your allies are chased by enemies, it is up to you to save them or not but if they die they won’t be able to support you during the further course of the level.
During the game, you control 3 different vehicles that all give a different feeling and this makes the levels very versatile.
Arwing: Super-high performance combat ship that can be transformed into Walker upon touching the ground using its wings as “feet” to explore smaller areas. This will be your main vehicle.
Landmaster: Primarily a ground-based assault weapon, the Landmaster can also hover for a short time, and can roll from side to side to help avoid enemy attacks. The Landmaster can transform into the Gravmaster, a heavy jet that improves mobility and can rain down targeting missiles from above.
Gyrowing & Direct-i: Slow-flying but agile hovercraft ship that can deploy a tethered robot, Direct-i, to gather items and hack into computer systems.
New in this game is the addition of a co-op mode where one player is responsible for the flying with Wii U control and the other for the shooting with the Wii U gamepad. It takes some time to get the hang of it but it is so much fun and new experience to replay all the levels.
If you own a Star Fox amiibo you can unlock bonus content in the game. Scanning a Fox amiibo swaps Fox and his teammates over to Retro Arwings, fun throwback models based on the original Arwing featured on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Scanning a Falco amiibo swaps Fox over to the Black Arwing. This sleek starship has increased firepower and can lock on to two targets at once, but receives more damage than the normal Arwing when hit. If you don’t have an amiibo you can unlock the content by getting 70 medals.
Conclusion:
Star Fox Zero a nostalgic game that feels very similar to other games from the franchise but feels very fresh with the new advanced controls and amazing graphics. People who know and love the Star Fox series will love this game but I recommend this game to everyone who wants to try a new game. Although the campaign is pretty short; being able to play the same stage using different vehicles and finding different paths even after completion is quite enjoying. Furthermore, there is an Arcade Mode which is a route-focused mode for advanced users. Star Fox Zero feels so different from other games and it is just so much fun.
