The case for an open-air Star Fox game.

One of my fondest memories about the Nintendo 64 was the first game I got for it: Star Fox 64. The charm of the lovable cast, the great ambient music, the tight controls… everything about this small, but dense package was appealing to me. It was a series that I did not know anything about, and when I went back to try the original SNES game, and then ventured onto Star Fox 2, I was surprised at how forward thinking this series used to be. With the newer entries, I was starting to feel that the series was losing its identity; as if they wanted to innovate for the sake of innovation at the detriment of the game’s inherent quality. I initially felt very confident in Platinum game’s ability to make a good Star Fox experience, as the secret Star Fox easter egg in Bayonetta 2 was the most fun I have had in a Star Fox style arcade shooter since Star Fox 64. Nevertheless, Star Fox Zero may have had the assistance of Platinum Games, but with Shigueru Miyamoto at its helm, certain decisions were made to try and legitimize the use of the Wii U Gamepad. This made the game nigh unplayable for all, even if some did state that they had no issues at all, whilst footage of their gameplay showed them clumsily crashing into buildings.

 

The average response to Star Fox Zero

Still, after having fully played through Star Fox 2’s more open progression system, I have been thinking about how someone could rejuvenate the franchise in an important manner. The first thing that came to mind was to think about what people love about the series. The characters are one of them, but we seldom ever see them outside of missions. We do not get to see how they interact with people when they aren’t locked in intergalactic ship combat. Yet, I see all of these creative-looking planets, but we don’t exactly get to explore them at all. We don’t know all that much about their culture, politics, or just… day to day lives.

 

I am proposing an open-air style Star Fox game that blends the classic arcade gameplay into an explorative experience. Imagine a classic scenario where all of the Lylat system was taken over and Corneria remains as the last bastion of resistance against the attack. You begin the game pushing away an invading force, and the Cornerian army hires you as a strike force to attack from behind enemy lines as the bulk of the Cornerian army fights to defend their ground. You are literally sent to liberate planets because they just can’t spare the troops to do anything other than that.

 

As you start flying to different planets, you might stumble upon military checkpoints, bases, secrets, creatures, raiders, etc… As you perform various side missions, you can get paid for your work, and spend said credits on upgrades. These would be “different” as opposed to better. For example, maybe you can replace you default laser with a weaker, but rapid-fire kind of laser, or perhaps you could replace your charged shot with a weaker one that targets multiple enemies at once. Perhaps your charged shot could take a little longer to charge, but have a wider area of effect, or maybe you could invest in a quicker boost that doesn’t have quite as much charge. This would be an interesting way of encouraging exploration without making it mandatory.

 

As you reach an actual level, you shift into a more traditional on rails mode, and play as a classic Star Fox experience. As you begin to liberate there areas, the Cornerian army will gain some ground, and their influence will grow. These zones will become a little safer, and you will then be able to visit some of these planet’s cities and bases to go grab quests, upgrades, and interact with a colourful cast of characters. Quests could as wide as reconnaissance, battles, or assisting characters like Katt, Bill, or new faces in missions. You could even spend time in the Great Fox or in hub cities to get to know your crew a little better. in other words, progression is marked by the front-line moving farther into enemy lines. 

Star Fox in Starlink

The idea is to simulate a war where you make a difference through your direct actions. This is essentially a more… up to date interpretation of Star Fox 2’s gameplay, at a grander scale. Of course, Star Fox lives and dies by its gameplay, and this is why the transition to a rail shooter type of gameplay during regular missions is necessary. It is the bread and butter of the series for a reason; nothing beats a fully tailored on rails experience done well if you want full-fledged cinematic action.

 

A piece of history revisited thanks to the SNES Classic

Of course, I am aware that this level of risk might not be something Nintendo would like to take on. As a series, Star Fox is not exactly the highest-grossing. Still, it is fun to imagine what could be. After all, passion is a beautiful thing.