2026 has brought the classic style of Star Fox and Star Fox 64 back from the grave. I got my hands on a great version of that arcade action style (now genre?) with Fur Squadron Phoenix and really enjoyed what it had to offer. At the time, I wrote, “It feels like Nintendo has no idea what to do with Star Fox. Luckily, we have talented indie developers willing to pick up the slack.” And while that has since changed, the newest game from Chuhai Labs actually does even more with the formula.
Wild Blue Skies provides a fantastic cartoon-style arcade adventure with familiar tropes and ideas, but ramps up the difficulty a notch and understands why these games worked 25 years ago and why they can and should still exist today. I just hope that the release of the latest Star Fox game doesn’t pull this game too far out of the limelight because it is a lot of fun to play.
A New Crew in a Familiar Setting
There isn’t a whole lot in terms of story or world-building here. But I will say this: if you’ve played Star Fox 64 or the recent remake, you’ve been there, done that. A world (not a galaxy) is being ravaged by an evil doer, and it’s up to your squad to put a stop to it. At the end of the day, it’s not a big issue, but I would’ve liked a little bit more context and backstory.
You’re thrust into the game pretty seamlessly as well. An optional tutorial that only takes about 5 minutes to complete is immediately available, and then it’s time to head into the action.
You’ll lead a team of anthropomorphic animals as Bowie. The rest of your crew consists of encouraging and sometimes snarky Thorne, Roe, and Chuck. Each character has a great personality and is fully voiced by a cast of actors. There are a few nitpicks about how the crew is handled throughout the story, but a bit more on that later.
The core mechanics in Wild Blue Skies are familiar and tight. If you’re used to games like this, there are subtle differences, but your ship will largely be handling and capable of manoeuvring the way you’d expect. I actually preferred some of the control variations Chuhai made compared to the all-time Star Fox 64.
Wild Blue Skies is divided into small missions that often culminate in a big boss fight. Each mission will take you from one location to another, with a branching path depending on what you may accomplish on said mission (sound familiar?). Flying down bright and colourful areas inside and out is a joy to see. There are giant waterfalls, massive oceans, deserts, caves of ice and crystals, and large space structures to navigate; each with its own distinct feel and often new enemies to shoot down.
Flying Through Wild Blue Skies In Style
Equipped with a laser, charged shot, bomb, and swift manoeuvrability, the 90s-style action feels right at home in this game. Every venture into enemy territory is well designed, even if some levels feel shorter than what I would have liked. Also, just be aware that boss fights are (at least in my playthrough) a lot harder than I expected. As expected, there are patterns to learn and anticipate, but there were more than a few times I was crushed in the opening sequence of a boss encounter.
Open-ended missions and dogfights are also present and mixed in with the on-rails action you might be expecting. These free-roaming areas are also well-designed and feel distinct, with new objectives. There’s at least one that plays very similarly to what Fox McCloud and his crew encountered in 1997, but otherwise it’s fun to tackle a new style of gameplay and defeat the enemy star fighters.
These missions, though, bring me to my frustration with Bowie’s teammates. As I mentioned, they’re a blast to hang out with and are well realized before, during, and after missions. Sadly, that doesn’t translate to any help while defeating enemy ships, and they have a hard time communicating when they might need your help.
I hate to bring up Nintendo’s classic from the N64 yet again, but in comparison, Peppy, Falco, and Slippy at least ask for help when they need it. In Wild Blue Skies, I can count on one hand how many times my crew pleaded for help. Say what you will about Slippy, but at least he provided a boss health bar and didn’t pipe in only when he had to retreat.
One of the main areas Wild Blue Skies succeeds is its overall design. I’ve said this before about some other games, but this really, truly could be a Saturday morning cartoon. Not only would it give me more of that backstory I’ve already talked about, but it would just be a great way to have more adventures with this crew. The art design is really great and landed for me the entire time I played the game. Back that up with some great sound effects, solid voice acting, and a rocking score, and you have the perfect recipe for success in my mind.
Verdict
Wild Blue Skies has done a great job of recreating and innovating on classic 90s on-rails space shooters. The design throughout is excellent, and the gameplay feels tight while balancing a tougher challenge than some previous games in the genre.
Maybe you feel like you’ve played this game before, but I think that, especially if you can’t get your hands on the Star Fox remake and want a similar adventure with a fresh style, this is the game for you.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC/Steam Deck
