STAR FOX GUARD (WIIU)
At E3 2014, Nintendo would unveil two Wii U tech demos, both of which would languish in development strife for a couple of years. Project Guard showcased tower defence using cameras to fend off waves of robots, while Project Giant Robot saw the player creating a fighting robot to duel with another. While the latter would sadly be scrapped by around 2017, the former would end up becoming Star Fox Guard. Bundled with first-print editions of Star Fox Zero, it would see another game adopt the space-shooter IP outside of the comfort of the cockpit, not unlike how Dinosaur Planet became Star Fox Adventures. This spin-off proves an enjoyable experience, even if the novelty of the concept and the controls grow stale towards the end.
Grippy Toad, uncle of Star Fox team member Slippy, is the owner of Corneria Precious Metals, a series of mining bases for valuable resources. As a new employee, your first day goes pear-shaped as the base is overrun by robots, but a timely save from Slippy and the team helps you avoid unemployment and more tutoring ensues. This setup sees you progressing through 50 stages as you hop to different planets and defend bases on each. As you progress, you encounter more robot types and a couple of boss encounters to cap off each planet. The Star Fox links are a touch tenuous, as outside of brief story sequences and some hints at a returning villain, this game lacks the personality and charm the series grew known for.
Players will need to keep their wits about them, learning to switch their attentions between the TV and the Gamepad
The gameplay is admittedly quite novel, however. Whereas Star Fox Zero’s stubborn adherence to gimmicks came at the detriment of its gameplay, Guard makes nifty use of the Wii U’s Gamepad for its Tower Defence action. Each stage sees you manning twelve cameras armed with laser defences as robots spawn in. Combat Class bots will aim for the core and result in failure, while Chaos Class robots distract such as downing cameras. You can swap between cameras, drag cameras to move them and flip them using the touchscreen, and it works rather well. Camera vision is steered with the analogue sticks on your TV. Meanwhile, you can use any of the Gamepad’s buttons to fire: so, whether you prefer triggers or face buttons to fire, either is an option. Shooting down machines feels snappy and accurate, even when some can move with speed. Initially, it takes a bit of practice juggling looking at the Gamepad and then the TV, but it functions intuitively as you acclimatise without feeling like as though it’s a cheap gimmick.
Sadly, the game does grow somewhat rote as you progress. The main problem is the level design, with bland stages that lack the room for experimentation and variety despite the growing roster of robots to defend against. They might change shape between sub-stages, but it grows stale before you reach the end. 50 bonus stages can be unlocked, but they prove less enticing for two reasons. Firstly, they often follow a small handful of mission templates: survival endurance, limited ammo sharpshooting or taking down parachuting robots. Secondly, the path to unlocking them feels like a grind. As you complete missions, downed robots reward scrap which contribute towards your Rank. Initially rewards come in quite fast, but as you reach the midpoint of around Level 25, the progress really slows and even after completing the game, you’d be lucky to break Level 30. Considering Level 50 is needed to unlock every bonus stage, the repetition isn’t worth it.
Sadly, the game does grow somewhat rote as you progress. The main problem is the level design, with bland stages that lack the room for experimentation and variety despite the growing roster of robots to defend against. They might change shape between sub-stages, but it grows stale before you reach the end. 50 bonus stages can be unlocked, but they prove less enticing for two reasons. Firstly, they often follow a small handful of mission templates: survival endurance, limited ammo sharpshooting or taking down parachuting robots. Secondly, the path to unlocking them feels like a grind. As you complete missions, downed robots reward scrap which contribute towards your Rank. Initially rewards come in quite fast, but as you reach the midpoint of around Level 25, the progress really slows and even after completing the game, you’d be lucky to break Level 30. Considering Level 50 is needed to unlock every bonus stage, the repetition isn’t worth it.
There are still some bright spots here. The variety of robots is great, with a slew of varied machines with different tactics. Abductrons will hover over cameras to try and abduct them, Boo ghost bots require quick reflexes before they knock out your feed and Shielded Combat drones require jumping between cameras to get the advantage. As you progress, new camera types become available such as one which slows down time, and these can be very fun to utilise. Previously, everything you earned could be used in the online mode, an asynchronous affair which saw one player setting up a raft of robot invaders and their attack patterns while others could defend against them. It’s just a shame this feature has been lost to time due to the closure of the Wii U online. However, with 100 stages to complete, Star Fox Guard still represents decent value (prior to becoming repetitive, anyway).
It's not helped that the presentation is rather bland. Environments surrounding each base are painfully sterile, with little in the way of flair despite taking iconic planets from the series, while the bases themselves are incredibly dull looking. Robot models stand out at least, with cute animations and varied styles, and performance is steady too. But it looks very middling, and lacks personality. The sound struggles too. There are some witty lines from key characters, but none of it is voiced and feels dispensable. The music is pretty forgettable, though handily it does start to ramp up as Combat bots get close to the core. At least the laser guns and explosions of robots sound decent enough. It just all lacks the charm the Star Fox games are known for.
It's not helped that the presentation is rather bland. Environments surrounding each base are painfully sterile, with little in the way of flair despite taking iconic planets from the series, while the bases themselves are incredibly dull looking. Robot models stand out at least, with cute animations and varied styles, and performance is steady too. But it looks very middling, and lacks personality. The sound struggles too. There are some witty lines from key characters, but none of it is voiced and feels dispensable. The music is pretty forgettable, though handily it does start to ramp up as Combat bots get close to the core. At least the laser guns and explosions of robots sound decent enough. It just all lacks the charm the Star Fox games are known for.
Despite these complaints (some minor, some more significant), Star Fox Guard is a decent spin-off with a cool console-specific gimmick and a decent concept which somewhat outstays its welcome. The Gamepad controls and defence gameplay start off promisingly, but never quite evolve enough to keep the game interesting throughout. A lack of presentational charisma certainly doesn’t help. Still, for those wanting a dose of solid tower defence gameplay, with a small helping of Star Fox on the side, it’s not a bad effort at all.
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VERDICT
"Despite not quite evolving enough to remain interesting throughout, Star Fox Guard is still a decent tower defence spin-off that makes good use of the Gamepad." OVERALL: 6/10 |
OTHER STAR FOX GAMES COVERED ON THE SITE