A bit over a month ago, Nintendo finally decided it was time to bring the Star Fox franchise back from the dead… by remaking Star Fox 64 (itself a reimagining of the original Star Fox on the Super Nintendo) all over again. It was gorgeous, it played like a dream, but it was yet another remake of a game that had already been remade for the Nintendo 3DS, and it all felt a little soulless. The cheesy dialogue, the arcadey vibes, something just didn’t click. We wanted a brand new Star Fox game, and whilst we technically got a new SKU, it was still the exact same game from 1997 wearing a much prettier coat of paint.

Funnily enough, another game that is basically Star Fox in everything but its name launched right alongside Nintendo’s remake. And before you dismiss it as yet another indie love letter to a dormant franchise, made by well-meaning fans with more passion than budget, you’re in for a surprise. Wild Blue Skies isn’t just a spiritual successor made by a bunch of nobodies; it’s a game from one of the people who actually CREATED Star Fox in the first place…

We’re entering Legally Distinct City, now!

Yep, you read that right. One of the developers behind Wild Blue Skies is none other than Giles Goddard, one of the lead programmers behind the original Star Fox. If that name rings a bell, it’s because he also created the bendable Mario face in Super Mario 64, and later worked on titles like 1080° Snowboarding and Steel Diver.

In other words, this isn’t a case of fans trying to recreate a childhood classic from memory. This is someone who helped shape the franchise itself, from its gameplay loop to its controls and mechanics. We’re talking about a game crafted by one of the people who knows Star Fox better than almost anyone else. As previously mentioned, Wild Blue Skies is Star Fox in everything but its name. It actually borders on copyright infringement at times.

That’s not the friendly dog general I grew up with…

Instead of Fox, you play as a dog named Bowie. You’re part of a squadron of anthropomorphic furry starfighters tasked with saving your home planet from the evil Andr… I mean, Grimclaw. The premise is almost identical: an older general calls on your services, the opening stage has you defending your planet’s capital city during an invasion, there’s an All Range Mode, and one mission even has you squaring off against a rival squadron of ace pilots. It isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel.

Instead, Wild Blue Skies gives you exactly what you grew up with, just with the serial numbers filed off. Or, if you prefer, with the world’s most efficient find and replace function.

You have a separate button for your normal shots and your charged shot. You can hold down the normal shot button for continuous fire.

It also plays the same as Star Fox 64. Well, almost. The only main difference is that you have two laser buttons: one is dedicated to firing shots as usual, and another one is dedicated to performing the charge shot attack. There is an option to unlock constant firing if you hold down the basic fire mode, which is basically the only main quality of life difference / addition I could find in the game. Well, that and the fact there are four hidden letters in each level, spelling the word WILD, in what I can only imagine being an homage to another Nintendo franchise, Donkey Kong Country. A bit out of place, but a reason to make you revisit previously beaten levels, as collecting these letters grants you an additional medal.

Of course, that means that the gameplay is still excellent, and that the controls are responsive. Furthermore, due to the fact we’re not talking about a game from 1997 running on archaic hardware, Wild Blue Skies achieves a 60fps framerate, or even higher, with ease. And that’s with all visual trinkets turned on; the game isn’t exactly the most visually complex shooter in the market, especially after the release of the Switch 2 remake of Star Fox 64, but it’s still quite colorful, full of lighting effects, and some cutscenes.

Sadly, the little clumsy lizard companion doesn’t say “enemy shield analyzed” at the beginning of a boss battle.

There is one thing that Wild Blue Skies does better than the Star Fox 64 remake, and that’s being cheesy. As mentioned, the Switch 2 remake is incredibly competent and well-put, but it lacked the cheesy charm and iconic voice acting from the 1997 original. Wild Blue Skies is better in this regard, as most of its dialogue is comprised of one-liners, which are, more often than not, very tacky.

A good chunk of the dialogue, in fact, is actually made of the same classic lines from Star Fox 64, with just enough story elements and names changed to avoid a fierce lawsuit from Nintendo. Yes, it feels a bit derivative at times. It’s as the game just can’t let go of its main source of influence. That said, the intentionally tacky dialogue still holds up to this day. It’s a game about flying a spaceship manned by a dog… there’s no need to be serious about it.

Wild Blue Skies has some remarkable vistas, despite the actually simple visuals.

I’ll admit, Wild Blue Skies would’ve been a more interesting release had it launched before the Switch 2 remake of Star Fox 64, or if that game had never existed. Yes, it feels like Star Fox 64 with the world’s most elaborate find-and-replace function applied to it. A few names have changed, a few details have been swapped around. It is also less visually impressive than its “competitor,” but it has one thing that game lacks: cheesy charm. Wild Blue Skies embraces the corny one-liners, the arcade-first approach, and the unserious tone that made the Star Fox series so beloved in the first place. Even if you’ve already picked up and played Nintendo’s remake, Wild Blue Skies is still a stupidly easy recommendation. It does a few things its peer doesn’t, and vice versa. Rather than replacing one another, the two games complement each other.

Wild Blue Skies is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Wild Blue Skies was provided by the publisher.