A Starfox Tribute That Flies Too Close
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, if so, Fox McCloud’s furry cheeks must be blushing. Wild Blue Skies is described as a tribute to 90’s on-rails shooters, but make no mistake, this is a Starfox game by another name. Everything that one might expect from Nintendo’s classic series is here: the gameplay, anthropomorphic characters and the branching levels that Starfox is known for.
Does Wild Blue Skies live up to the franchise it pays homage to? Well, the answer to that is quite complicated.
A Sight To Behold
To begin with, visually speaking, Wild Blue Skies is a beautiful game. Now, let me be clear, the graphics are nothing spectacular, they won’t blow you away, but the cartoony style very much works in the game’s favour. Much in the way that the now decades old Starfox 64 can still instill a sense of whimsy in those that play it, the anthropomorphic pilots and the colourful terrain through which they fly, lends a lot of good will towards Wild Blue Skies.
These are not AAA graphics, but they do not need to be, it is the right style for the game. Nintendo figured that much out two decades ago, Wild Blue Skies developers wisely chose to stick to the formulae.
The adherence to formulae is a consistent theme for Wild Blue Skies, to such an extent that it becomes a crutch, on which the game is far too reliant. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from another game, Starfox 64 in this case, but Wild Blue Skies takes this inspiration too far, arguably crossing over into being derivative. It’s not just the gameplay or even the animal protagonists, pretty much everything here is ripped from Starfox. The plot and the branching level progression have both been pulled out of mothballs, dusted off and repurposed for use in Wild Blue Skies.
A Genre Unable To Move On
The level of similarity would have been obvious anyway, but it is made all the more egregious by the fact that Nintendo themselves have recently remade Starfox yet again. Starfox, in a sense, is in limbo, the latest Nintendo entry marks the fourth time Fox McCloud’s debut adventure has been made. The series appears to be unable to move on from the glory years of the nineties, and Wild Blue Skies slavish adherence to its style may be a sign that the entire genre is similarly stuck in a creative rut.
It’s not all doom and gloom however, gameplay wise, things are pretty good actually. Again, it is nothing we have not seen before, but if you’re going to ape something, then you should ape the best, and in this regard, Wild Blue Skies does a decent job. The gameplay is smooth, fast paced and easy to control and does not get bogged down in making anything more complicated then it needs to be. There are two standard attack buttons as well as a limited number of bombs, in addition, the levels are well laid out and easy to navigate. The bulk of the action is an on-rails shooter, with the occasional sections venturing into a 3D plane similar to later Starfox titles or the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series.
For the most part, the levels are seamless if unspectacular. However, there is the occasional technical hiccup, particularly with the sequences in the 3D space. This issue is most notable in the drill level, which sees our squad of heroes doing battle with a team of enemies in a stage that is focused around a large central drill. Time and again, enemy planes will phase through the drill and come out the other side, similarly, our foes will disappear into the sandy terrain on the floor of the level and pop back up a second later.
In isolation, these kinds of glitches aren’t a particularly big deal, as gamers, we are all used to seeing them on occasion, but they happen far too often on this particular stage. Whilst the rest of the game is nowhere near as compromised, unfortunately, that drill level is a bit of a mess.
Surprisingly Challenging
If the Starfox similarities make the game all too predictable, the most shocking thing about Wild Blue Skies is that it is not quite the walk in the park that one might expect of such a cutesy looking adventure. Before anybody is misled, allow me to clarify, this is no Dark Souls. Wild Blue Skies is very much beatable, especially for those that have experience in the genre, but it is no joyride. Lives are limited, health does not fully replenish between levels and a game over really is the end of the line. If you lose all your lives, then you are forced to begin again from the beginning, there are no second chances.
Confusingly, in the event of a game over, the player is invited to continue, but this does not mean what you might think. Continuing simply means that the scores you have amassed on each level carries over into your next save, any story progression is lost and it is back to square one.
The challenge is welcome, but occasionally frustrating. In moments, it feels like a cynical attempt to artificially elongate a very short game. To my mind, that is a pointless endeavour, gamers are already conditioned to expect the on-rails shooter to be short and sweet, there is no need for the padding.
Get Good Or Die Trying
On the upside, this rather harsh game over mechanic does encourage a player to get good. Loops and situations you may have bungled your way through in early playthroughs will become old hat once you go through them for the umpteenth time. This development can outline for a player just how much they have learnt in their time with Wild Blue Skies. However, it is a risky strategy. There can be no doubt that some will be rubbed the wrong way by this, and having to start from the beginning multiple on multiple occasions will be too much for them.
Ultimately, Wild Blue Skies is a well made game; it looks good and plays better, but it is far too derivative for its own good and this level of imitation prevents it from standing out as its own thing.
Important Links
Wild Blue Skies Wants You To Chase High Scores In The Sky – https://www.thexboxhub.com/wild-blue-skies-wants-you-to-chase-high-scores-in-the-sky/
Wild Blue Skies Channels Classic Star Fox Energy As August Release Date Locked In – https://www.thexboxhub.com/wild-blue-skies-channels-classic-star-fox-energy-as-august-release-date-locked-in/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/wild-blue-skies/9plvs5p1zsrx
