Starfox Adventures was a mistake. Not that it shouldn’t have been made, but the circumstances of its existence caused the legacy of Starfox to be misshapen. This tale is now common knowledge among Nintendo fans, Starfox Adventures wasn’t always Starfox’s adventure. It was an in-house developed IP at RARE titled Dinosaur Planet, featuring a tiger named Sabre and the now beloved Krystal. As the story goes, when Miyamoto noticed the striking resemblance to his own Fox McCloud, and the planetary nature of the game, he requested that the project be re-worked into a Starfox game.
Freedom is a double-edged sword… Or staff in this case. Freeing Fox McCloud from this Arwing and thrusting him into a Zelda-like adventure is intriguing! But shoehorning him into RARE’s new in-house developed project probably wasn’t the best choice. I was awe-struck by the atmosphere, sound design, and graphics that the Gamecube was able to pull off. And I found myself with a cheeky smile every time I was offered a new mechanic or upgrade. What fresh hell could I inflict on the SharpClaws who blocked my path? There’s a lot of fun to be had here.
Unfortunately, by forcing Starfox lore, I was left annoyed and unsatisfied by the ending. An often opaque path forward, and a frustrating aiming mechanic show the unpolished underbelly of the beast. StarFox Adventures is a dinosaur skeleton. An adventurous spirit, a fascinating spectacle, fun for all ages, but missing some critical parts for a truly authentic adventure.
