Wild Blue Skies

Do you want to spend all the $ for a Switch 2 and the same game you've had since childhood, or would you like to spend a little bit less, help a small studio, and get a new story, mission paths, bosses, etc.? That's about it. I say it's *more* than worth it for $15.

It breaks my heart to admit that I refunded Wild Blue Skies. I so desperately wanted to love it having been a massive fan of Star Fox 64. There are things that are done well that leave you optimistic, but conversely, glaring problems that leave a deep feeling of dissatisfaction. At its best, Wild Blue Skies is a loving tribute; at its worst, a shallow carbon copy. Everything from the vibrant colors, beautiful character design, and voice actors capture the charm of a Saturday morning cartoon. The cel-shading art direction feels fresh and frankly fits the tone. I truly felt as if I could walk down a toy aisle and see an action figure of Bowie hanging on a peg next to the others. I wanted more! I wanted banter, I wanted cutscenes in between each level, and I wanted some personal stakes in the adventure. It just all felt very shallow. The ship handling was serviceable but with questionable decisions. Separate buttons for firing your laser and locking on feel counterintuitive which naturally forces players to lean into one or the other but not both. Bombs feel completely unnecessary and I found myself not using them at all. A lack of classic loops and u-turns feel weird and stripped down. It just felt like Star Fox but less. The level design can be simple and beautiful, but uninspired. Many of them are simple beat-for-beat reskins of previous Star Fox levels. Stages feel strangely balanced. Some boss battles are simply easy to the point of feeling broken while your teammates have such small health pools that all three companions can be wiped out within minutes of a stage. It may be nostalgia talking, but Wild Blue Skies made me feel cynical… as if someone copied my best friend’s homework. I was left questioning myself. Was I the problem? Was it that this was a game for children and I had simply grew up? I had far more fun with Whisker Squadron Survivor and would argue that game had less to offer than this one. I think I just wanted a spiritual successor with its own identity, but was left with an uninspired replica of something I once loved.

Imagine Star Fox 64 but worse. That's it. No? Need more info? Let's break it down. I'm struggling to find a mission that is unique. Archipelago? Hi, Corneria, but that's probably alright, if a bit dry. What else do we have? The Glacier level? Nope, this is actually Zoness. Fortuna is there too. Even Bolse was copied. No? Don't believe me? It's a spinning platform that doesn't open up the center until you hit the targets on the perimeter. Then, the center of it opens up with several targets, and your rivals show up to attack you. No. It is JUST BOLSE. Katina gets a mission as well, sorta. The plane's shooting no longer rewards fast fingers, and has a maximum attack speed which will make the single lasers basically useless. The damage at which the lasers fall off feels really bad, and the barrel roll will push you abruptly to one side, to the point that I don't even use it. The POV needs to be slightly higher, because the ass of your ship will get in the way of targeting. No U-Turn or Somersault. Charge and normal lasers on on two different buttons. The initial burst from the laser button feels awkward to chain compared to SF64. The art direction is fine, but that's about it. Dogfighting feels slow and awkward. I'd skip it. Go play SF64.

good fun for a starfox-nostalgia feel. There's a decent challenge and achievements to work for. The art style is also great!

Great love letter to StarFox 64. I enjoyed it! It's going to be hard not to compare it to it's predecessor, but as long as you give it some leeway you will come out enjoying the experience.

Disclaimers: I have bought then refunded the game because I felt like the demo didn't reflect the game pretty well with its grey looking level. This is yet another example of a game that was meant to be a spiritual successor of another franchise made with one of the original developper that ended up being a damp squib... This game had the potential to be an actual "Star Fox 3" in the vein of the first two SNES games with an arcade-like fast paced gameplay, a high octane OST and challenging but fair bosses. Instead you have something that couldn't manage to replicate the game. The characters don't have charisma (except the protagonist because he's basically Fox as a dog). The not-Star Wolf team members aren't memorable (Wolf was a good antagonist because he was cool and refined while being skilled and recognising his enemy's strength), the gameplay lacks the "oomph" (slowing down made your ship fall because they felt the need to make it realistic for some reason), the sound effects are dry (especially the regular blaster) and the bosses could've been better designed. The worst thing is that this indie game could've been a canvas for wilder ideas (pun intended) alongside things the series it was inspired by wouldn't do and yet they played safe (which gives it even less excuses than the remake of that other series that at least replicated the gameplay almost perfectly). I'll probably get it during sales but in the meantime I'd rather run Starship (since I own the original game) or play Ex-Zodiac (which is in Early Access yet got a better feeling and had unique ideas for the gameplay).

I wanted starfox 64 and that's what I got. Purchase if you want a hit of nostalgia.