No Man’s StarFox.
When Starlink was announced it was a game that no one thought we needed. Yet another toys to life title full of plastic items to collect. It sounds like too little, too late. Fast forward to launch and I am sitting here digging into yet another world as Fox McCloud, upgrading my ship, and having a marvelous time. Yes, Starlink is incredibly fun. It also helps that Ubisoft was smart enough to not require players to purchase the toys physically to get everything within the game.
Let’s start with the toys themselves. They are high quality and definitely designed well. I adore the Arwing and all of its accessories. I have it displayed on my entertainment center. Attaching them to the controller though is cumbersome. I found it novel at first and annoying after about 30 minutes of play time. Switching between weapons is neat, but that can also be done within the game, especially for those with the digital deluxe version.
MSRP: $59.99 (standard) $79.99 (digital deluxe) $74.99 (physical starter kit)
Platforms: Switch (reviewed), Xb1, PS4
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
See, the entire game and all the toy add-ons can be purchased with the digital deluxe edition of Starlink. This means no cumbersome toys, and it is quite a bit cheaper than buying all the separate plastic add-ons. I would recommend going that route as it avoids taking up space, keeps my controller from being cumbersome, and it is more convenient. Except the Arwing, buy that. It is awesome.
When I first jumped into Starlink on Switch I was floored. This game felt like a StarFox game with his integration into the story. Fox McCloud and his band of co-pilots fold seamlessly into the narrative. So much so that I had to boot up the Xbox One version just to see how different it was. There are cut scenes and missions with those characters woven right in. It is amazing. Yes the PS4 and XB1 versions might have better frame rate and sharper visuals, but if you have the option, get the Switch version of this game. The StarFox content is more than worth the trade-off of visual quality.
Starlink is one part exploration and equal parts action. Think of it as a simplified No Man’s Sky as far as exploration goes. I could venture from one planet to the next, accomplishing missions, collecting pilots, and earning new upgrades for my starships. It feels great, and each planet has a unique look and feel. Combat is done all from within the ship, you never leave it, and it plays out much like a standard third-person shooter. After some upgrades I could finally rocket the ship into orbit, which is when the game really starts to take shape.
The story is intriguing. Even without Fox the characters are fun and likeable. There is a lot of character tossed into them. I found myself enjoying the simple plotlines along the way, enough to keep trudging forward and actually paying attention to cut scenes. It isn’t a remarkable tale, but it is interesting.
While this is all promising there are a few pitfalls. While this game looks and feels like No Man’s Sky at times, it is not nearly as in-depth. A lot of the planets are small in scale and repeat a lot of the same designs and layouts. Mission design also starts to repeat after a while. The core campaign runs about 20 hours, but feels like it could have wrapped up even sooner than that. There just isn’t as much content diversity here as I would have liked. It feels like a game that took an idea and focused on that, then repeated some of those ideas to pad play time. Still, co-op with friends is a blast.
Starlink is a game I expected to groan and roll my eyes at. Instead I found myself enjoying it on multiple levels. The StarFox content makes it a must-own on Switch though. It feels like a chapter in his journey. Nintendo has done well to partner with Ubisoft on their projects, and it is paying off. While the toys are unnecessary this game is heaps better than it has any right to be.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
