Nintendo kicked off their E3 press conference with the world premiere of Star Fox Zero. “We’ve rebuilt the game using a lot of ideas from the past, but it’s not a [game] four or five, and it’s not a remake,” said Shigeru Miyamoto. They decided to give it the subtitleZero because of how the character looks in Kanji calligraphy, which looks a lot like a fox tail.
Miyamoto details his inspirations for the game, which he largely credits to the Fushimi Inari shrine near his home, and the television show Thunderbirds that he watched as a child. He’d been to the temple since he was young, so he felt that foxes, the messengers found at the shrine, were his guardian angels. As a schoolboy, he would often draw caricaturized humanoid animals, and this led to his decision to have a game featuring animals as the main characters.
He credits Thunderbirds as his inspiration for having cinematic elements in-game, along with the characters having distinct personalities. The game world draws inspiration from real-life, as the Fushimi Inari shrine is known for its row of arches. “When you see an arch, you want to go under it, right? That’s the kind of game I wanted to make,” said Miyamoto. They ran with this idea and created a game world where the player would have to go under different arches.
Controls-wise, there is so much more that you can do with Star Fox Zero. The controls are not necessarily less complex, but there are dedicated buttons now. Players will operate the game on two screens; the TV will show the game world, while the Gamepad screen will provide a cockpit view and be used for aiming. The game makes use of the gyro on the Gamepad to let you look around, providing a more immersive experience. The sticks can be used for speeding up and flipping, while the buttons are dedicated to firing all the weapons, transforming the R-wing, flipping, and U-turning.
The R-wing’s transformation into a Walker was included in Star Fox 2, but that game didn’t make it out, so it was brought into this iteration. The R-wing also has other forms, such as the Landmaster and the gyro wing. Miyamoto expresses hope that the players would enjoy trying out the other courses with different vehicles even after they’ve cleared the game.
Later today, Platinum Games will be on #NintendoLive to talk more about #StarFox Zero. pic.twitter.com/sDn2NSH3ee
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 16, 2015
Star Fox Zero looks like it’s bringing the same fun that Star Fox games are known for, with a lot of features that offer replayability. The game will be co-developed by Platinum Games, so it’s definitely in good hands. Star Fox Zero will be released Holiday 2015 for the Wii U.
