Star Fox and general Nintendo fans won’t have to wait much longer for StarFox Zero to hit store shelves as the release date approaches faster than Slippy can say “Help me Fox!”. While there has been a handful of delays, and rumors of a future one, the game is finally going to land in the hands of players on April 22nd.
Part of Nintendo’s fan-dubbed space series, Star Fox has always been a bit of a niche title. While not nearly as popular as Metroid, Fox McCloud and his team of anthropomorphic animal pilots have gained quite the reputation with Nintendo fans, especially those who play the Super Smash Bros. series. Star Fox Zero will see the Star Fox team set out once more to defend the Lylat System from the clutches of the evil Andross, with the game acting as a re-imagining of Star Fox 64.
While the idea of buying yet another version of Lylat Wars may seem a bit much at this point, fans do have quite a few new features to look forward to in Star Fox Zero.
First, and foremost, is the introduction of the new Wii U Gamepad controls. Players will be able to fly using the TV screen while aiming in directions not possible in previous games. The Gamepad will open up new ways to attack enemies and can even be used in a brand new cooperative mode where one player can aim the Arwing, Landmaster, or Gyrowing’s weapons.
Second, there’s the brand new Walker-Mode for the Arwing. This feature – which was originally created for the scrapped SNES title Star Fox 2 – allows players to fight from the ground while piloting an Arwing. This may seem like a strange addition to the Arwing, but it completely changes gameplay by allowing players to get out of enemy anti-air fire, as well as crawl into areas inaccessible by the Arwing. What other uses this new feature will have in-game remains to be seen.
Lastly, players should expect a bunch of new missions thanks to the strange portals that have been added to a number of classic worlds. These portals lead to strange new worlds and missions that haven’t been seen before. While their purpose is not yet known, we can be sure that it won’t take long for players to find out the true nature behind these strange rifts in time and space.
Remember, physical copies of the game will be bundled together with Star Fox Guard, the new side-game inspired by Miyamoto’s Project Guard game that was shown several E3s ago. However, this will only apply to the first run of prints, so if you want to get both physical copies then be sure to grab a pre-order sooner than later. Both games will also be available individually on the Nintendo e-shop for a lower price.
What do you think of Star Fox Zero so far? Are you convinced to buy it? Would you have preferred to see a game with similar gameplay to Star Fox Assault or Star Fox Adventures more? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
