Remember Star Fox? Nintendo’s once-great series that featured lots of rail shooting, lovable characters, and was generally a fun time?
Yeah, Nintendo doesn’t, but that’s fine as there’s an upcoming indie title called “EX-Zodiac” that looks to fill that void. At first glance, you would even mistake this game as being the first Star Fox that debuted on the Super Nintendo and that’s for a good reason. This entire game is emulating that formula, complete with low-poly graphics.
I’ve seen this title floating around on Twitter for a while, but there was never a definitive answer as to if this game would be more than a concept. Now I’m happy to report that only has it progressed past that, but now the game is currently on Kickstarter! Yep, now you have the opportunity to help get this cool-looking game developed.
If you’ve ever wondered what Star Fox would be like if Nintendo had never created the N64 or any other platforms and we still lived in the 16-bit era, then this is what it would be like. I can’t get past that this had Star Fox vibes all over it. Yet, the gameplay is a lot better. How so? The combat feels just as good, but smoother for obvious reasons.
There’s also an upgrade system where your ship can pick up lasers or missiles, which will provide extra firepower. Constantly picking up the same upgrades will simply increase the number of times you can use those upgrades. With those extra weapons, you’re also able to lock on to an enemy, it’s an extra layer that didn’t exist in a Star Fox game; or at least the Super Nintendo version.
This game is a lot of fun.
As of right now, the game has been completely funded, as the initial goal was set to $25,000. Update: Thanks to internet issues, I wasn’t able to finish this article until much later and now the funding is up to $30,000! And there are still 28 days left to go! While there aren’t any stretch goals, the developer has stated that the extra funding will go towards making the game as good as it can be.
There’s also a demo available to play right now on Steam. If you’re not sure about helping out with the Kickstarter or you’ve been burnt one too many times (we’ve all been there) then give this demo a try. Trust me when I say, this demo is worth trying out. While you’re downloading the demo, be sure to wishlist the game on Steam as well.
Currently, there’s no release window, outside of the gaming on track for a 2021 launch.