As if to show just how seriously Nintendo is taking the upcoming release of their new title, Star Fox Zero, Mr. Miyamoto opened the latest Nintendo Direct with not one, but two Star Fox demonstrations. The first was a more in-depth look at the aforementioned Star Fox Zero, which will be launching next month. The second was… a little less expected.
The news about Star Fox Zero was encouraging, if not exactly ground-breaking. The trailer, which can be viewed below, shows off some new locations, including Fortuna, which was first seen in Star Fox 64. We can also briefly see Zoness on the stage select screen, as well as a new area called Sector Alpha. One can only assume this area will function similarly to Sectors X, Y and Z from the original Star Fox 64, which featured space bases as opposed to actual planets.
Mr. Miyamoto seemed to imply that this title will feature a large variety of branching paths, as he revealed to us that a common theme of Star Fox Zero will be teleport-rifts created by Andross, the series’ villain. Just how these teleporters will feature in the storyline is unclear, but we do know they will be used to transport the player to certain otherwise off-limits areas. These branching paths were a staple in the Nintendo 64 title, so it’s nice to see them make a return.
Speaking of Star Fox 64, watching the trailer, it’s difficult not to notice the similarities to the earlier game. Even the voice clips, while obviously re-recorded, are eerily similar to the lines from the 1997 title. There’s a lot in this trailer that could make one think this game’s success might be depending in part on nostalgia felt by those who played Star Fox 64. Luckily, the interesting new vehicle transformations and aiming system seem to provide some new experiences amidst the nostalgia-fueled joy ride.
One last tidbit regarding Star Fox Zero: there will be some limited amiibo functionality for those who own the Fox McCloud amiibo. Using this amiibo in-game will change the arwing Fox pilots into the arwing from the original Star Fox title for the SNES. It’s a nice call-back to the game that started it all, despite its inclusion being a rather odd choice.
After the Star Fox Zero announcement, Mr. Miyamoto dropped another interesting tidbit our way. If you tuned into E3 back in 2014, you might remember the two side projects he was working on. One of these games was called Project Guard. This tech-demo has gone on to become Star Fox Guard, a spin-off game of sorts that has the player operating a series of cameras, all facing different directions. The goal is to protect your base from incoming invaders, and it stars none other than fan “favorite” character Slippy Toad (irony entirely intended), who’ll be working with his uncle Grippy (I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to) in this unique title.
The games will be available separately as download titles, or can be purchased bundled together upon release. Nintendo of America seemed to imply that if you’re buying the games physically, you’ll need to pick up the bundle, but Nintendo of Europe seems to have a different system in place. It appears our friends across the pond will have a variety of buying options, either being able to purchase the games together or separately. Take a look at this snazzy 30-second promo to see for yourself:
