is a 3D
rail shooter video game developed by
Nintendo and
PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames Inc. is a Japanese video game developer that was founded in October 2007 as result of a merger between two companies, Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc. Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya founded Seeds Inc. after the closure of ...
for the
Wii U.
It is the sixth installment in the ''
Star Fox
is an arcade style rail shooter and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, produced and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagoni ...
'' series. Formally announced at
E3 2015, the game was released in April 2016 to mixed critical reception, with the most polarizing aspect of the game being its control scheme. A standalone
tower defense
Tower defense (TD) is a subgenre of strategy games where the goal is to defend a player's territories or possessions by obstructing the enemy attackers or by stopping enemies from reaching the exits, usually achieved by placing defensive struc ...
game, titled ''
Star Fox Guard
is a tower defense video game co-developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames for the Wii U. The game was bundled as a separate disc for the first print edition of ''Star Fox Zero'' during its release in April 2016, and as a digital download code on ...
'', was bundled with the game.
Gameplay
''Star Fox Zero'' is a 3D
rail shooter that largely follows the gameplay of its predecessors, predominantly ''
Star Fox 64
known as ''Lylat Wars'' in the PAL regions, is a 3D rail shooter video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second installment in the ''Star Fox'' series and a reboot of the original ''Star Fox'' for the Super Nintendo Enter ...
'', in which the player controls
Fox McCloud as he pilots his Arwing craft through various levels. The game is controlled using the
Wii U GamePad
The Wii U GamePad is the standard game controller for Nintendo's Wii U home video game console. Incorporating traits from tablet computers, the GamePad has traditional input methods (such as buttons, dual analog sticks, and a D-pad), touchs ...
, with the left control stick used to maneuver the craft while gyroscopic controls can be used to aim weapons. A cockpit view is displayed on the second screen to assist with aiming.
The minus button on the GamePad can be used to swap the two displays at any time.
Some of the game's vehicles can transform in certain situations.
For example, the Arwing can transform into a bipedal Walker (which originated in the cancelled
Super NES game ''
Star Fox 2
is a shooter game developed by Nintendo and Argonaut Software for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was completed in 1995 but did not see an official release until 2017 on the Super NES Classic Edition.
Like the original ''St ...
'') that lets the player freely walk around on platforms and in enclosed spaces. The Landmaster tank can transform into the Gravmaster, which can perform extended aerial maneuvers for a short time. A new vehicle introduced to the series is the Gyrowing, a dronelike helicopter which can lower a small robot called Direct-i that can enter small spaces, hack into computers, or latch onto explosive cubes that can then be dropped on enemies.
Players can also add laser upgrades and smart bombs to their ships. Special techniques such as the charge shot, barrel roll, somersaults, and U-Turns can be performed.
Two gameplay modes are featured in the game: the on-rails sections put the player in a predetermined path, while All-Range Mode allows the player to move freely in a closed-off space. If players lose all their ships (which serve as extra lives) in a mission, they must restart the entire mission in order to proceed.
Various elements return from previous games, including Fox's teammates,
Falco Lombardi
is a fictional anthropomorphic bird from the ''Star Fox'' series of video games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. Falco acts as the wingman and best friend of the titular Fox McCloud for the majority of the ser ...
,
Peppy Hare
''Star Fox'' is a series of spaceship shooter games published by Nintendo. The main protagonist and player character of the series is Fox McCloud, the leader of a team of anthropomorphic animals in the Lylat planetary system called Star Fox. Game ...
, and
Slippy Toad
is a fictional character from the ''Star Fox'' series of video games published by Nintendo. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto along with Takaya Imamura, who also designed the character, and was based on the assistant director of the original ''S ...
, who can assist the player if they protect them from enemy attacks, as well as the rival team Star Wolf members
Wolf O'Donnell
is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Star Fox'' video game series. He was created by both Shigeru Miyamoto and Takaya Imamura. In the ''Star Fox'' series, Wolf O'Donnell is an anthropomorphic wolf who is both the leader of the Star Wolf ...
, Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar, and Andrew Oikonny. Several level locations have also returned, including Corneria, Zoness, Titania, Fichina, and Fortuna, while five new locations, Sector Alpha, Area 3, Sector Beta, Sector Gamma, and Sector Omega, have been added. The game is also compatible with
Amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo ...
figures; players can scan the Fox and Falco Amiibo to respectively unlock the Retro Arwing, which is based on the model used in the
original SNES game and cannot lock on but has a larger blast radius, and the Black Arwing, which sports a black and red color scheme and is stronger and faster but takes more damage. Both Arwings can also be unlocked by acquiring enough gold medals in the campaign.
Development
The game's development began with experimentation on leftover assets from a never-released ''Star Fox'' game for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
that had been worked on by a small group since about 2008.
The game's existence was confirmed in a press sheet on June 8, two days before
E3 2014
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014 (E3 2014) was the 20th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 10, 2014, and ended on June 12, 2014, with 48,900 total attendees.
Ma ...
began.
During the
Electronic Entertainment Expo
E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publishe ...
on June 10, ''Time'' leaked information about the game in the morning, then Nintendo announced the title publicly,
and Nintendo's E3 presentation again hinted at its further details later. During an interview with ''
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
'', Miyamoto expressed his desire to work with external developers for faster completion of the project.
In an interview with ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'', Miyamoto revealed that both ''Project Guard'' and ''Project Giant Robot'' were connected to ''Star Fox'' for Wii U in some fashion. During a
Nintendo Direct
Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentation or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began i ...
presentation in March 2016, ''Project Guard'' was formally revealed as ''
Star Fox Guard
is a tower defense video game co-developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames for the Wii U. The game was bundled as a separate disc for the first print edition of ''Star Fox Zero'' during its release in April 2016, and as a digital download code on ...
'', and bundled both digitally and as a physical copy alongside ''Star Fox Zero''. ''Project Giant Robot'' was never released and was canceled in 2017.
Miyamoto stated that the game's main storyline and overall presentation were structured episodically, taking inspiration from the 1960s television series ''
Thunderbirds'', with the main missions featuring traditional ''Star Fox'' gameplay acting as "primetime programming", while side-missions featuring more quirky, experimental gameplay mechanics (such as those found in ''Project Guard'' and ''Project Giant Robot'') act as "late-night programming". Yusuke Hashimoto of
PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames Inc. is a Japanese video game developer that was founded in October 2007 as result of a merger between two companies, Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc. Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya founded Seeds Inc. after the closure of ...
said they were approached by Nintendo about co-developing the game after requesting to add an Arwing-themed bonus level to ''
Bayonetta 2
is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo. It is the sequel to the 2009 game ''Bayonetta'', and was directed by Yusuke Hashimoto and produced by Atsushi Inaba, Akiko Kuroda, and Hitoshi Yamagami, und ...
''.
Hideki Kamiya
is a Japanese video game designer and director who is the vice-president of PlatinumGames. He began his career in 1994 with Capcom, where he directed ''Resident Evil 2'' (1998), ''Devil May Cry'' (2001), ''Viewtiful Joe'' (2003), and ''Ōkami' ...
of PlatinumGames had also previously expressed his desire for Nintendo to approach them about developing a new ''Star Fox'' game. According to Nintendo, the story of ''Zero'' is neither a prequel or a sequel to previous ''Star Fox'' games.
Release
In December 2014, Miyamoto stated that ''Star Fox Zero'' would be released before the
new installment of ''
The Legend of Zelda'' series in 2016. He also confirmed that the game would be compatible with
Amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo ...
, but did not specify in what way. ''Star Fox'' was playable at
E3 2015, and Miyamoto reiterated of the GamePad/monitor gameplay method, which would "allow for cinematic moments to blend with continuous gameplay". The planned release date was announced by Nintendo for November 20, 2015, but the game was subsequently delayed to the first quarter of 2016.
The game was released in North America and Europe on April 22, 2016, and in Australia the next day.
Prior to the game's release,
Nintendo of America began a contest called the "Star Fox Zero Intergalactic Art Event" that month. Entrants needed to create ''Star Fox Zero''
fan art and post it on the game's
Miiverse
Miiverse was a social network for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, created by Nintendo System Development and Hatena, and powered by the Nintendo Network. Integrated into many games, Miiverse allowed players to interact and share their experiences by w ...
page, with the best 40 entries winning
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...
credit. A ''Star Fox Zero'' home menu theme for the
Nintendo 3DS was also released two days before the game's launch. An
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
short based on the game, titled ''Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins'', was released online on April 20. The short was produced by Japanese animation studio
Wit Studio, with assistance from
Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
and Nintendo. The 3D CGI animation work was provided by
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
. In July, a free demo of the game was released on the Wii U
eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...
. The demo includes the training mode from the full game, as well as the ''Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins'' animated short.
The game's credits hold a small tribute to former Nintendo president
Satoru Iwata
was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer, video game designer, and producer. He was the fourth president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo from 2002 until his death in 2015. He was a major contributor in broadening the app ...
, who had passed away during the game's development. When asked if ''Star Fox Zero'' could potentially be ported to the
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
,
Atsushi Inaba
is a Japanese video game producer and businessman. He was the former CEO and producer of the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio, who developed the games ''Viewtiful Joe'', ''Ōkami'', and '' God Hand''. He is currently the head producer at the deve ...
of PlatinumGames stated that they did not know if it could happen, and he also said that they have not been approached by Nintendo about it. However when asked again in a later interview, he said that if there was chance, they would to think about porting it to Switch.
Reception
''Star Fox Zero'' received mixed to positive reception, according to the
review aggregator Metacritic.
Common points of discussion include the control scheme, the short length of the campaign, and the structural similarities to earlier entries in the series.
Jose Otero from ''IGN'' praised the levels and bosses, commenting that ''Star Fox Zero'' reimagines a classic Nintendo 64 game, but was critical to its awkward controls.
Similarly, Damien McFerran from ''
Nintendo Life'' observed that the players need to be patient to master its problematic controls before becoming attuned to them, comparing them to ''
Splatoon
is a third-person shooter video game franchise created by Hisashi Nogami, and developed and owned by Nintendo. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine animals, the series centers around fictional cephalopods known a ...
''.
Peter Brown of ''GameSpot''s primary fault with the controls was that it forces the player to divide attention back and forth from the TV to the GamePad. However, Brown did conclude that the second run was more enjoyable than the first, praising the branching paths and level design.
Other reviewers, conversely, found the mandatory motion-based controls frustrating or actively detrimental to the experience.
David Roberts of ''GamesRadar'' felt that the game was undermined by a slavish devotion to wrapping the core design around every feature of the Wii U's GamePad, regardless of whether it makes sense or feels good to play.
Jim Sterling heavily criticized the game's controls and Nintendo's use of hollow gimmicks in order to sell their games, calling the game a bare-bones space shooter.
Arthur Gies of ''
Polygon'' declined to assign a final score because he found that it was too miserable to finish the game on account of its controls.
Reviewers were also divided about the game's length and high similarity to its predecessor, ''
Star Fox 64
known as ''Lylat Wars'' in the PAL regions, is a 3D rail shooter video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second installment in the ''Star Fox'' series and a reboot of the original ''Star Fox'' for the Super Nintendo Enter ...
''. Some were not bothered by it; McFerran called it a retread of ''Star Fox 64'' and its original game ''
Star Fox
is an arcade style rail shooter and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, produced and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagoni ...
'', but found this aspect of the game "reassuringly familiar".
On the other hand, Ray Carsillo of ''EGM'' said that the game failed to build on ''Star Fox 64'' in new and exciting ways. He was disappointed by the choice to re-imagine an older game instead of creating a brand new installment.
Steve Watts of ''Shacknews'' found the alternate vehicle missions, where the game sets itself apart from earlier titles, ultimately distracted from the core Arwing gameplay.
McFerran concluded that ''Star Fox Zero'' is "easily on-par with the excellent N64 entry from which it draws so much inspiration".
Dan Ryckert of ''Giant Bomb'' was more critical, considering the game a relic of 2002.
Sales
The game was the highest-selling game on
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
on April 19, 2016 based on its preorders, a position it held for two days. Days after its launch in Japan, both the standalone and ''Star Fox Guard'' Double Pack sold 8,135 and 17,114 units respectively, individually placing fifth and eighth for that sales week. Sales of both combined was 25,249 units, making it the fourth best-selling game that week overall. During the same time frame, it was also the sixth best-selling game in the
United Kingdom, the third best-selling in
France and the fifth in
Australia. According to the
NPD Group, which tracks physical sales data, ''Star Fox Zero'' was the fifth best-selling video game on any platform during the month of April. However, sales were not nearly as strong in Japan, as it became the single worst-selling game in the franchise in the country.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2016 video games
Cancelled Wii games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development games
PlatinumGames games
Rail shooters
Shooter video games
Star Fox video games
Video game reboots
Video game remakes
Video games developed in Japan
Video games produced by Shigeru Miyamoto
Video games that use Amiibo figurines
Wii U eShop games
Wii U games
Wii U-only games