In the video game industry there are countless different sagas that in some cases have ended up becoming historical for the number of games that are part of them or the good times they have made us live. For example, Nintendo can boast of having a good handful of franchises in which this example is applied perfectly.
We have previously talked about some of them, such as F-Zero or Golden Sun, without forgetting characters like Wario, who after so many years have disappeared without a trace with their own titles, but if there is another that, unfortunately, has followed by the same example is Star Fox. In fact, in this particular case it is even more striking, because this week he turned 30 years old and the big N has done nothing to celebrate this event.
For all this we wanted to look at the past of the series and thus ask ourselves, what happened to star fox?
The birth of one of the best space combat sagas
Super Nintendo was the starting point for certain sagas that over time have become key for Nintendo. It was in 1993 when he was born Star Foxalthough in reality here in Europe it was originally known by the name of Starwing. However, one of the main reasons why it became so special was due to the fact that it was the first video game to bet on 3D graphics.
Reaching that section with the power of Nintendo’s 16-bit console was something amazing, something that was possible thanks to the Super FX chip that was included inside the cartridge so that the machine would be able to render polygons. Naturally it has nothing to do with what was seen later in more up-to-date video games on Nintendo 64 or the first PlayStation, but for that time it was something impressive.
Star Fox left us with a shooter in which we piloted the Arwing, a spaceship to go through a few scenarios in order to finish off Andross, an evil scientist who planned to take over the Lylat system. Throughout each phase the ship moved automatically, being able to accelerate or brake or make turns to avoid the shots of the enemies or the obstacles that were appearing on the stage.
In all levels there were a multitude of enemies and at the end of these a final boss awaited to defeat. In addition, something that characterized the adventure was the fact of being able to choose different routes, which affected the difficulty, modifying the available lives, enemies and other details. Even so, something that has also made the saga special has been its cast of characters, made up of anthropomorphic animals: the protagonist Fox, a fox, and his companions Peppy, Falco and Slippy, a rabbit, a pheasant and a toadrespectively.
In fact, the companions would lend a hand from time to time, but mainly they were there to get in the way, because suddenly they were chased by another enemy and it was necessary to save their skins so that their ship was not destroyed, in which case the rest would not appear again. of the game. Instead, helping them served to get more points by reaching the end of each screen.
The proposal was so successful that a few years later Nintendo decided to develop Star Fox 64, known in Europe as Lylat Warsfor Nintendo 64. For many it is considered as The best installment of all those that have been created to datedespite the fact that the gameplay was very similar, but the leap in graphic quality was brutal, including new features such as dubbing in the dialogues, new vehicles to drive, villains to face and also a multiplayer mode.
Again the system of the different routes was applied, with the difference that here there was no pre-established one that depended on the difficulty. Instead it was possible to choose different paths on the fly, which entailed having to meet certain objectives in the middle of levels to unlock those other alternative routes. On the other hand, its launch was accompanied by the Rumble Pack, a device to make the controller vibrate.
What’s more, to give you a better idea, its acceptance was so good that in 2011 Star Fox 64 3D was developed, a remake for Nintendo 3DS, which maintained the same strengths that made the original game so special. What was added as a novelty was a control that used the console’s gyroscope along with a new multiplayer mode in which up to four people could join simultaneously through a local connection.
The jump to other systems with a big change in their proposals
Before the launch of this last title, many other Star Fox games were published in which various changes were applied to their gameplay with other companies in charge of their respective developments. For example, third by release date was Star Fox Adventuresfor GameCube, and in this case with Rare At the front, his combat with spaceships was mainly put aside to offer an action adventure and third-person platforms in which you took control of Fox equipped with a magical staff.
This was probably the Star Fox most different of all by looking more like a The Legend of Zelda in many ways. Of course, he was not the only one who followed this example, because a few years later he arrived Star Fox: Assault by the hand of Bandai Namcowhich mixed phases with combat with spaceships and others in which Fox had to move on foot through the scenarios shooting randomly at everything that moved.
After that, in 2006, the saga tried its luck on portable consoles with Star Fox Commanda title by Q-Games in which the action took place entirely at the controls of an Arwing. The difference is that here you had to travel the map freely looking for enemies with touches of strategy. Likewise, the different ships that could be piloted had different characteristics that directly affected the controls and the way of playing.
It was not until ten years had passed that a completely new chapter developed and in this case it was PlatinumGames the one that took the reins with Star Fox Zero, for Wii U, a great game that also became one of the best in the saga. Once again the gameplay opted for levels focused on the control of the Arwing, but something that was special is that the copies of the game included Star Fox Guarda spin-off in the form of tower defense.
In principle this was the last Star Fox that came to see the light, although a year later thanks to the Super Nintendo Mini Star Fox 2 was brought to life, which was originally developed for the 16-bit console, but never came to life. be completely finished by then. Therefore, the excuse was used to complete it and thus allow us to enjoy this installment in which some elements already present in Star Fox 64such as the appearance of the Star Wolf team or the free mode when moving around the stage.
A missed opportunity for its 30th anniversary
It’s not every day you turn 30 and On February 21, three decades passed since Star Fox began his walk. With a Nintendo Direct that took place this month, it could be considered a missed opportunity for Nintendo to have announced absolutely nothing related to the franchise, be it a new game, a remaster, a compilation, or whatever.
The truth is that it is a case similar to the one we already expressed with F-Zero related to the sales of Nintendo Switch, because since the hybrid console has become one of the most successful in all history with million-dollar sales in the star titles of the big N, why then not develop a new Star Fox? Maybe due to lack of ideas? No company has been encouraged to work on it?
It is curious that the last time we actually saw the team led by Fox McCloud was in Starlink: Battle for Atlas, a video game that was not even related to the saga, although Ubisoft wanted to create exclusive missions starring these characters in its version for Nintendo Switch. Beyond that, they have only been seen in the Super Smash Bros. series and little else.
So, if the saga has not even been given relevance for its 30th anniversary, will we see anything new in the future? Because let’s be honest a congratulatory message on Twitter is not at all enough. At least Takaya Imamura, the artist who designed Fox McCloud, among others, worked a bit more with some special illustrations.
