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Star Fox Guard (Wii U) Hands-on Preview

by Daan Koopman - April 12, 2016, 8:00 am EDT
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Keep your head cool while frantically checking a whole bunch of cameras.

When I first tried Project Guard at E3 2014, I always had the feeling that we could see it again. The concept presented showed a lot of potential and it used the second screen of the Wii U in a novel way. Switching between various viewpoints, destroying enemies and protecting a base seemed like something I could get behind. Flash forward to almost two years later where it becomes its own standalone product, which will release together with Star Fox Zero. Star Fox Guard is exactly what I expected it to be, and you know what? I am quite alright with that!

While the war against Andross' troops rages on, there is a company that is seeing continuous success. Corneria Precious Metals, run by Grippy Toad, has placed bases all over the place to pump the goodness right out of the ground. This business needs your help with something of a pest problem. Robots have been spotted attacking bases on more than one occasion, which doesn't do CPM any favors. It is your task to eliminate any threats before they reach the Central Tower in a base. When that gets blown up into pieces, it is all over. The story doesn't have much in the way of cinematics, but the dialogue of Slippy and Grippy is good enough to keep you invested. The world of Star Fox Zero is more used as a backdrop here and it plays second fiddle to the gameplay.

That gameplay can best be described as a tower defense game. Your enemies, the robots, march towards the goal with the intention of taking you down. That is easier said than done, because every base comes equipped with a high tech security system. Okay, so maybe cameras aren't the latest of the latest, but they are impressive tools nonetheless. They can shoot at your opponents, move around 360 degrees and their location can be changed at will by dragging it on the Wii U GamePad. You use the controller to not only drag the cameras, but also select them, which is more important than it seems at first sight.

The robots will come from many sides of the base, so switching your attention constantly is your key to success. You get a broad overview of all the cameras on the television, then you select the one you need on the GamePad and that one will be your primary view in the middle of the big screen. The task is then to take down the enemy and then move swiftly on to the next one. There is more planning and reacting involved than strategizing over every move you make. Star Fox Guard lets the level continue without interruption, not even when you have to take your eyes away from the television. This creates a frantic experience, which is something that I don't usually encounter with a tower defense game.

Another thing that messes with your expectations is the win state in the levels. You see, there are two types of bots that will attack your base. The Chaos Class bots are simply there to mess with your security systems and they will try to disable one of your twelve cameras. The Dishruptor will send beams that disables the signal of a camera, while the Green Tank simply shoots at them. Either way, they are there to create a distraction for the Combat Class robots, who only have the goal in mind. Not only do they take multiple hits to destroy, they are also a lot smarter about how they move around. By eliminating a set number of Combat bots, you can claim the victory yours and be the hero that Grippy's company needs!

Your goal is to complete all of the missions in the game. Each planet that you will visit has nine main missions, ten extra missions and a boss battle to wrap it up. The main levels don't change up the format too much and just become increasingly more difficult over time. It introduces you to new concepts and enemies, which are more expanded upon in the extra missions. These will toy with your expectations as the developers clearly wanted to make them unique. There will be missions where you can only use a certain amount of shots or where enemies will drop from the sky into the base. These are all incredibly fun and add a new layer of challenge.

The big problem, however, is that you will have to upgrade your rank to unlock most extra missions. By completing levels, your performance will be measured by the amount of metals you collect. These metals will increase your overall level standing and this will unlock the missions and additional camera types to toy around with. While I appreciate that I am getting rewarded for playing the game, it would have been nicer to bring in that variety as part of your progression through Star Fox Guard. This will be more irritating in the opening moments, because in my opinion the game gets off to a really slow start. The early stages move at a glacial pace, while the action is what drives the experience forward.

Graphically, Star Fox Zero looks fine. There is nothing overly stunning about it, but it is colorful enough . The same can be said about the music. The tunes I am hearing are all good enough, but nothing overly mindblowing. What is fun though, is using the Fox or Falco amiibo to power up your Guard experience once a day. With the amiibo active, you can call upon the Star Fox team in your time of need, who will promptly destroy every robot on the playing field. Nothing grand, but it is lovely to see Slippy supporting his uncle!

Overall, I enjoyed Star Fox Guard more than I thought I would. I went in expecting a tower defense game with all the tropes that goes along with it, but that is so far from the truth. You constantly have to be on your toes and pay attention to what is happening on both of the screens. This makes it fun to play through, even if the opening moments are somewhat too slow in my opinion. The presentation didn't blow me away, but the gameplay is the most important factor and they have that nailed down to an impressive degree!

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WiiU

Game Profile

Star Fox Guard Box Art

Genre Action
Developer Nintendo
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Star Fox Guard
Release Apr 22, 2016
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone 10+
jpn: Star Fox Guard
Release Apr 21, 2016
PublisherNintendo
RatingAll Ages
eu: Star Fox Guard
Release Apr 22, 2016
PublisherNintendo
Rating7+
aus: Star Fox Guard
Release Apr 23, 2016
PublisherNintendo
RatingParental Guidance

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