Star Faux
After having just played through the Star Fox Remake on Nintendo Switch 2, it allowed me to realize just how much Wild Blue Skies followed in its footsteps, becoming a bit more than just a homage. Regardless, if anyone was allowed to directly pull from the classic, it would be Chuhai Labs, as Giles Goddard, a former programmer on the original Star Fox, is leading this team, to the aforementioned blue skies and beyond.
It's impossible to not compare the two games given the genre Star Fox pioneered. The similarities go beyond the feel of the game, as entire level aesthetics, scenarios, and encounters are pulled directly from the original Star Fox. While comparing one game to the next isn’t exactly my favorite way to handle a review, in this case, it’s completely unavoidable.
Remember that level in Star Fox 64/Remake where you need to disarm a bomb and are ambushed by Wolf? Well, that happens here, in the exact same manner. And when they return for revenge in a similar scenario? Yah, that happens here too. Star Fox’s opening level is a cliffside oasis, complete with a well-known waterfall, well, Wild Blue Skies starts with the same location. Oh, and remember that spinning boss with clock-like weak points? Well, I think you get the picture. If it was in Star Fox, it's here too. While I still have a few levels to unlock here, I’ve yet to see a train, but who knows, it could be here as well.
Now, having these identical elements is not a bad thing, but the failure to expand upon them and make them their own is where homage becomes a bit more than just being inspiration. I can easily see people let down by the direct similarities, hoping Wild Blue Skies would advance the formula in ways Nintendo has failed to. Doing what Ninten-don’t is often what people want in a comparable product, so direct copying can feel less impressive, regardless of your resume.
Wild Blue Skies has you behind the cockpit as Bowie Stray, leader of the Blue Bombers as they attempt to thwart the evil Grimclaw. Bowie, a German Shepherd, is basically molded from the Fox McCloud template, with the same go-to attitude. You then have Thorne, a reptile pilot who is fairly cautious, but eager to prove himself to Bowie. Roe, a deer, a deer, a female deer, which is a nice touch, given the lack of a female presence across “most” of the Star Fox games. Lastly, is Chuck, a bull who rounds out the team.
While the opening of the game has a flashy animated cutscene, and the talking heads found in Star Fox, the game does absolutely nothing to flesh out its cast. Now, I don't mean a small amount or bits here and there, I mean absolutely nothing. They check in when role calls are in check, to peacing out when they have been shot down and miss out on the next mission. It's a shame that nothing is done here to get us attached to this cast as they certainly have promise. There are no mid-mission cutscenes, or anything to deepen who they are. The opening cutscene is badass and perfect for setting the tone, but the game itself lets down that initial hype. I want to love this cast, but they, as of right now, are just a bunch of talking jpegs.
If you are familiar with Star Fox’s gameplay, that is exactly what you are getting here. Your ship will constantly move forward, with a breaking system and boost that can help you navigate obstacles. You have lasers, a charged shot, and bombs to round out your arsenal, with spinning left or right to avoid incoming fire. While you don't have the Somersault, Star Fox’s “All-Range Mode” is here in plenty of scenarios.
From a gameplay perspective, that's pretty much it for combat and flying, as Wild Blue Skies doesn't look to branch out more to define its own identity. This game isn't trying to be a Star Fox experience, it's trying to be Star Fox, which prevents it from feeling like its own game. That is either disappointing or exciting, it just depends on what you're wanting from it. While the Star Fox Remake is quite good, it is just a remake and not a new game. While there are a lot of similarities here, Wild Blue Skies does feel like a new game, as a few locations are fairly original, complete with some nicely designed bosses.
Like Star Fox, certain encounters and ways you push through each stage will change your progressional path, meaning the order of levels changes with you. Some instances will allow you to change your path manually, but that isn't always the case. As of this writing, I still haven't figured out how to take the first initial fork and head north. While it could be tied to the racing moment with Thorne, I am not sure yet. Still, it allows for some decent replayability, given that, like Star Fox, Wild Blue Skies can be beaten in a relatively short time. Still, you're likely looking at around 8-10 hours to explore all locations.
Levels range from bright cliffside towns, seas ravaged by poor weather, the interior of a volcano, to deserts, and more. The variety and visuals are solid here, with a nice approach to make most stages feel unique. There are two stages that don't feel too different from one another, but the bosses and formation of the stages are thankfully very different.
The presentation of the game has its moments, with great character designs, menus, and the general feel of the game. Missions start with a pretty low effort briefing with some animated jpegs, but that's about it. It's a shame more of those animated cutscenes weren’t made to flesh out the team between each mission. One thing that the Star Fox Remake benefited from was the inclusion of more story segments to give more depth to the characters, so it’s a shame that of all the things this game didn’t borrow from the original and the remake, that this wasn’t one of them.
As Wild Blue Skies is a fairly challenging game, there is little to really get back in the fight after taking a lot of damage. Health pickups barely refill your missing health, and while other pickups are out there, such as laser upgrades, letter tokens, and more, they don't contribute to survivability, apart from the laser upgrades killing enemies faster. Oh, and if you take damage, those upgrades go away, so be careful.
That said, dying has one extremely annoying issue that I hope is patched at launch. The opening story segment that details your whole mission to take down Grimclaw, cannot be skipped. This means on each subsequent attempt, you need to sit through the entire thing over and over again. It makes zero sense for this, and would ruin the pacing of just wanting to get back in there, destroying any flow I had going.
Secondly, Wild Blue Skies does not indicate well that the current life of your ship is the number of ships left. So, if your life indicator says you have two ships, you actually only have one in reserve. The indication of two means you are on your second to last ship, not how many you have in reserve. So, yah, when it says X1 and you die, there is no extra ship and no X0. While some games have done the same thing, this simply doesn't make sense.
You also don't heal from mission to mission. This goes for your teammates as well. While you will find the occasional health pick up, they are pretty rare. Still, I could usually get the first two levels done without taking much damage at all. However, some of the later levels have so many things going on, you're bound to take some off-camera shots or collide into a falling pillar or fireball as you dive in for one of the collectible letters.
I know the bulk of this review is Star Fox this and Star Fox that, but it's for a good reason. This game is literally Star Fox. It doesn't look to change the formula, the encounters, or add anything to combat or flying that hasn’t been done before. As mentioned, this is either a huge selling point for you, or frustration that there is no innovation here.
Despite the vast similarities, I really enjoyed Wild Blue Skies. Visually, it has that Nintendo charm, and the colors and simplicity of each environment help without making stages become too busy. It does suffer from a few bizarre design choices, but ultimately, it is what it sets out to be.
Wild Blue Skies is the spiritual successor to Star Fox, but doesn't innovate to be distinct enough to have its own identity. From Bowie to his BlueBombers, and his own arch rival, nearly everything Wild Blue Skies does is a direct copy of Star Fox 64. While there is a ton of enjoyment to have here, as it is a very good game regardless, you're generally enjoying most of it due to what's been lifted from Star Fox, and not from the game itself. If Wild Blue Skies wants to make any sort of impact with a follow-up, then it needs to barrel-roll into something unique, or risk living in Star Fox’s shadow.
Developer - Chuhai Labs. Publisher - Balor Games. Released - August 13th, 2026. Available On - PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 2 (TBA) Rated - (E 10+) Fantasy Violence, Mild Language. Platform Reviewed - PC - Steam / Steam Deck. Review Access - A review code for Wild Blue Skies was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.