Star Fox Adventures Review – Definitive 50 GameCube Game #41

The series so far: The Definitive 50 GameCube Games.

Definitive 50 GameCube Game #41 is Star Fox Adventures. Despite successful outings late in the SNES’s life, and early on for the N64, Fox McCloud and his crew took an extended break from the video game world, one which would last all the way to the GameCube’s launch.

When the furry crew finally returned it would be in a form far different from what fans remembered, to much controversy.

Star Fox Adventures began life as an N64 game entitled Dinosaur Planet, with no ties to the Star Fox franchise. It was Nintendo maestro Shigeru Miyamoto who pushed Rare to re-brand the game, which was later moved to GameCube.

This game is also notable as Rare’s last release for a Nintendo home console before the company was bought out by Microsoft.

Of course, with this game not having been conceived as a Star Fox title, it has little in common with the rest of that series. Sure, you play as Fox, and familiar faces like Slippy and Peppy do pop up, but rather than commanding futuristic ships through on-rails space levels, you explore the world of Dinosaur Planet on foot, with little more than a magic staff to back you up.

That’s right, Star Fox Adventures is actually a Zelda-esque action adventure game. There are rail-shooter segments, but they are limited and feel rather tacked-on.

As Fox, you’ll spend most of your time navigating the caves and dungeons of the dinosaur-filled “Dinosaur Planet” in search of Spellstones and Krazoa Spirits to save the world and rescue the mysterious blue-furred Krystal.

Truthfully, the game doesn’t live up to the high standards set by the Zelda series which inspired it. Adventures‘ heavy reliance on collecting, and uninspired level designs definitely hold it back. Still, the title’s rich graphics and sound, Rare’s trademarks, shine through.