Nintendo has released tantalizing new details about upcoming Wii U titles, Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard, both of which launch later this month.
Star Fox Zero is an action shooter in the vein of the original Star Fox. The GamePad puts you in the gunner’s seat of the Arwing, with the TV displaying a cinematic view from behind the ship. As you shoot your way through levels, you’ll be presented with alternate paths and missions of varying difficulty. You’ll be able to return to previous missions to play out these alternate routes and challenges, or find hidden collectibles.
Amiibos can be used (naturally), with the Falco amiibo unlocking a Black Arwing to add a new level of challenge. This ship has more powerful weapons but weaker defenses – a potent but fragile weapon. The Fox amiibo unlocks a retro Arwing styled after the original SNES Star Fox game, complete with retro music.
Companion game Star Fox Guard is a completely different experience. This tactical, tower defense type of game requires a keen sense of awareness and multitasking as you defend mining sites against waves of robot invaders by using surveillance cameras. The TV screen provides access to a bank of 12 camera feeds and you’ll have to blast sneaky intruders before they reach the central tower.
Amiibos play a part in this game too, with Fox and Falco giving you the ability to call in team Star Fox once each day for a powerful air strike that destroys attacking robots.
Clearing missions earns rare metals that unlock additional missions and cameras with special abilities, like slowing enemies down or freezing them. Another mode called My Squad lets you create and upload your own enemy attack patterns to challenge other players around the world. There are also daily challenges offered via a Star Strategists feature.
If you’re not completely convinced about Star Fox Guard, Star Fox Zero comes with an exclusive downloadable demo for the tactical defense game so you can try it out first.
Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard will be released on April 22 in both the US and Europe (April 21 in Japan and April 23 in Australia). Are you looking forward to piloting the Arwing again? How do you feel about Star Fox Guard? Let us know your thoughts below.
Here’s the full press release:
6th April, 2016 – Nintendo reveals new details today about the next two games in its fan-favourite Star Fox series: action shooter Star Fox Zero and companion strategy title Star Fox Guard, both launching on April 23 exclusively for Wii U.
In the action-packed universe of Star Fox Zero, the TV displays a cinematic view from behind the Arwing while the Wii U GamePad puts players straight into the gunner’s seat, complete with immersive audio and intuitive motion controls for pinpoint aiming. A range of training missions help new recruits to master the game’s unique two-screen gameplay, and as their skills improve, players can return to these training missions to rack up better scores, then take what they’ve learned into the main game to discover new areas and beat their previous best performances.
As players progress through the game they’ll be able to return to earlier missions to find hidden collectibles and alternative routes that offer brand new challenges. For instance, the standard route through the bioweapon-filled planet Fortuna ends with a climactic battle against the imposing Monarch Dodora, but after clearing a certain story mission, confident pilots can return to Fortuna and choose to branch off in pursuit of Star Wolf instead. With multiple paths through the game bringing new challenges and surprises, there’s one to suit every skill level and play style. The Star Fox Zero Squadron trailer on YouTube gives a new look at the action of both Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard.
Pilots up for an even fiercer challenge can tap in their Falco amiibo to unlock the Black Arwing, which has more powerful weapons but weaker defences, making it a potent but fragile weapon. Tapping the Fox amiibo unlocks a retro Arwing styled after the original Super NES Star Fox game, complete with retro music, to be used in the first Corneria stage.
Launching alongside Star Fox Zero is the companion game Star Fox Guard, which puts players in the ultimate security guard job – defending mining sites against waves of robot invaders. The TV screen displays a bank of 12 surveillance camera feeds, each monitoring a different part of the mining site, and it’s up to players to switch between cameras to spot enemies and blast them before they reach the central tower. It’ll take supreme awareness and multi-tasking skills to fend off the relentless robot approach, so it helps to have friends on-hand to call out camera numbers that show approaching enemies. Help is also on hand via the Fox and Falco amiibo, which can each be tapped once per day to call in team Star Fox for a powerful air strike that destroys attacking robots.
Successfully clearing missions bestows rare metals, which count towards unlocking additional missions and cameras with special abilities, like slowing enemies down or freezing them in place, adding another layer of strategy to the action. My Squad mode also lets keen tacticians create and upload their own enemy attack patterns to challenge others around the world, or take on other players’ best efforts. Meanwhile, the Star Strategists feature is updated every day to offer a popular challenge from across the globe.
Fans who purchase Star Fox Zero can get a taste of Star Fox Guard’s strategic action with an exclusive downloadable demo, only accessible though the main menu of Star Fox Zero. Save data can be carried over to the full version, so tacticians can pick up where they left off.
Anyone who wants to get into training can pick up the Nintendo 64 game Star Fox 64, available now in Nintendo eShop.
