Do a barrel roll! — Star Fox Zero preview

As I soared through the battle-worn skies of Corneria, enemy fighters continued to close in with their lasers directed right at me. I continued to dodge enemy fire, my furry animal companions not always faring so well, calling out to their leader for assistance before being shot down. I quickly swooped in and made short work of their pursuers, while enduring the snide comments of a certain feathered teammate, and soon had returned to formation with my squad in an attempt to stop the takeover of the metropolitan planet.

The Star Fox that I knew and loved had returned.

Star Fox Zero feels like a welcome return to the franchise’s best days. Very reminiscent of Star Fox 64, the core focus in Zero is on simple, mostly-linear air combat, without the less favorable on-foot missions and story-focus of some of Fox’s later adventures. The emphasis here is on straightforward dogfighting through fun sci-fi environments, with the only real goal of shooting down any enemy ship that poses a threat. It’s delightfully campy and such mindless fun to play.

Star Fox Zero not only takes its aesthetic from Star Fox 64 – even the HUD is laid out pretty much as you’ve remembered it – it looks like a natural progression for the series. The ship models look just as charmingly basic as they always have, but there’s a noticeable amount of polish added to each one. The same blue and silver ship designs are present here, but really pop thanks to the increased power of Wii U. The buildings and elevated highways of Corneria, littered with familiar red robots throwing girders, fill its detailed valleys. It would not be unusual to look at Star Fox Zero and think it was a remaster as it all feels familiar, but new again thanks to a fresh coat of paint. Thankfully, this is more than just a rehash as there’s some exciting new Wii U enhancements as well.

Chief among the new features is how the GamePad is used. While the action on the TV screen follows closely behind Fox’s Arwing, the GamePad screen shows the view from the cockpit, giving players a better angle at some of the game’s environments. The controller then uses motion to get Fox to look around, with the targeting reticle still visible, opening up the possibility of pulling off some tighter shots. This was a cool feature and might become convenient for finding hidden power-ups, if only a bit impractical due to needing to look back and forth between the TV and GamePad. Thankfully it’s never required by the on-rails shooting sections, implying that this second screen may just be more of a novelty than a driving force behind gameplay.

One of the biggest additions comes from the Arwing’s ability to transform into a land-based vehicle at any time. All it takes is the press of a button and the Arwing will change shape, forming a chicken-walker style vehicle that retains the same firepower as when airborne. The classic Landmaster tank was not present in the demo but will also be available in the final game so this is not meant as a substitute, but being able to switch on-the-fly is a neat addition (although I don’t recommend changing form when flying above water – I can tell you that from experience).

The demo also featured the return of all-range mode, where Fox can pilot his ship with full directional control, rather than just the straightforward path of most levels. More specifically, it falls upon Fox to rescue General Pepper, who is stuck in a large building that is under attack by mechanical spiders. Fox must circle the building to shoot down all of the spiders before they reach the top of the building. Accomplishing this then leads to an attack by a mothership, a huge saucer that could level the entire area. At this point, the game triggers a mode where the game is controlled entirely from the cockpit view, with the TV becoming more of a cinematic view of the action. This was the only point in the demo where gameplay was controlled entirely from the GamePad view, and admittedly I found it a little difficult. Using motion to find the right angle to fire upon the mothership’s weak points didn’t feel entirely intuitive, as it was more of a fight with the controls compared to the smooth shooting from the control stick. That said, I was still able to take down the ship and accomplish my mission, albeit with a minor amount of control difficulty.

With that being my only real complaint, Star Fox Zero is shaping up to be an awesome return to form for the franchise. Platinum Games has done an exceptional job at making the game feel just like Fox’s best days, while also polishing everything for modern audiences. If the rest of the game’s levels turn out just as great as this one does, Star Fox Zero could return to being one of Nintendo’s most beloved series.

Star Fox Zero launches this fall, exclusively on Wii U. For more on Star Fox Zero, as well as the rest of our E3 coverage, stay tuned to Gaming Trend.