Star Fox Guard Reviews
Star Fox Guard is a decent game, but exciting? Definitely not. It's hard to recommend because although it's not bad, it's hardly exciting when you're alone. Great for groups, sucks for loners!
Ultimately, Star Fox Guard's relationship to the adventures of Fox McCloud is skin deep. As spin-offs go, it's not a compelling addition to the series, so much as it is a substantially unconnected, but inventive take on the tower defense genre that is lucky to be riding on the coattails of an established franchise.
Star Fox Guard is a smart use of the GamePad controller, by using the touch-screen as a radar to add another layer of what's happening on the TV screen. A simple concept that has an arcade, frantic feel whilst slotting into the Star Fox universe with a handful of cheesy (though unfortunately voiceless) dialogue. The game perhaps could have done with more tower defence elements to extend the idea further, but as a standalone package it's a compelling little gem that does well in framing the GamePad's benefits and is worth a try.
Star Fox: Guard is a fine diversion, but I couldn’t imagine wanting to play it for more than a couple of hours. Again, that’s why it’s a great bonus for getting Star Fox Zero. It’s like a free game, and not an awful one. But when you judge on its own, it’s novelty quickly becomes tedious.
Nintendo set out to build an experience centered around the GamePad with Star Fox Guard, and the result is a great little experiment — if a wee bit overwhelming. How much you get out of Star Fox Guard will ultimately depend on your tolerance for its particular brand of gameplay. Some may take to the tense onslaught like an Italian plumber to a mushroom, whereas others might play a few rounds and get completely exhausted. There isn't a whole lot of diversity in gameplay here, and in many ways what you see is what you get.What we see is a terrifying game wrapped in a charming coating with lots to do if you're so inclined. The main game is satisfying on its own, and throw in the excellent My Squad online mode and you've got yourself a party. Player beware; you're in for a scare.
Here is where it’s a little harder to justify. As a party game it’s a great experience to have with your friends, and one that can only be accomplished on Wii U. As a single player offering it may not keep you entertained.
Star Fox Guard’s mechanically sound gameplay is frantic and fun, but its two-screen display adds to its chaos and brings down the experience.
Star Fox Guard is really a pleasant surprise. It’s a simple concept that is well executed and makes perfect use of the Wii U’s unique control options. Hundreds of levels and the ability to create and share your own give this one some serious legs.
Star Fox Guard is smart and funny. A clever way to set up a different kind of tower defense game, at a reasonable price.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Fox Guard is a fun action-tower defense game about managing different perspectives to put out fires as you use your resources to grow an awesome arsenal of robot-busting turrets. Its graphics are plain considering Nintendo’s artistic pedigree, but it’s still an elegant little game that can get a whole room of friends working together.
I want more games like this from Nintendo. The visuals, music, story, and characters are all relatively bare-bones, but the gameplay is so fun and creative, I just don’t care. This is an experience that shows what amazing stuff Nintendo can do when they really try something new and crazy with unique hardware.
Despite its low profile and low price, Star Fox Zero is a blast to play.