Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins

Andross, an ape exiled from the Lylat Planetary System by General Pepper seeks revenge by attacking the planet Corneria and its innocence, kidnapping Pepper in the process. Meanwhile, it's another usual day for Team Star Fox, a gang of space mercenaries: Lazing around, getting angry at video games, and being lectured by their mentors. But all of that changes once they receive a distress call from a familiar face.

Meet Fox McCloud, son of the deceased James McCloud, as he and his top-notch crew—Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi and Peppy Hare—fight back against Andross's robotic army in style, and attempt to save Corneria from the skies.

McCloud, Fox Main

Ohara, Takashi Japanese

Lombardi, Falco Main

Takaguchi, Kousuke Japanese

Toad, Slippy Main

Hayami, Kei Japanese

Hare, Peppy Main

Sakamoto, Kunpei Japanese

Wada, Jouji Producer

Nakatake, Tetsuya Producer

Asano, Kyouji Director, Storyboard

Iwanami, Yoshikazu Sound Director

Reviews

Apr 21, 2016

Seba20_90

Recommended

While I was watching Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins, I had many memories of the game Star Fox 64. Some expressions of the characters are similar to that game, or had been directly taken from there (and we can't forget the classic "do a barrel roll"). It caused me a nostalgic feel. Some songs were also compositions extracted from there. Although the type of humor is somewhat bland and the plot is simple, the action scenes are well worked and are very enjoyable.

In summary, it's not just a very-long teaser trailer for the game Star Fox Zero, but it can be a great piece ... of animation and the base for a possible Star Fox anime series.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Seba20_90 (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

May 21, 2021

ktulu007

Recommended

Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins is a short ONA based off of the Wii U game. It was handled by Wit studio and designed to advertise the game. Which was a kind of pointless move given that it was on a system very few people bought. Don't get me wrong, the Wii U was a solid system with some really good games. It just flopped. Either way, let's check out the animation.

Story:

We open with Andross planning revenge against General Pepper. This is quickly followed by our introduction to the Starfox team aboard the Great Fox and enjoying some leisure. This is ... interrupted when Corneria is attacked and they have to sortie to stop the invaders, protect General Pepper & "accidentally" shoot Slippy's Arwing. Just kidding about that last part. They aren't every gamer who played basically any game in the franchise ever.

The biggest problem with the ONA is simply that it has a lot of set up that doesn't get explored or otherwise extrapolated on because they're trying to sell the game and they probably figured giving viewers some intrigue would draw them in. The problem is no one buys Star Fox games for the story. You buy it to pilot an Arwing, shoot hordes of enemies and find secret routes.

I will give the ONA credit for a few things. First of all, it is nice to see Fox and his team just hang out and interact as friends. You normally only see them banter during battle. The ONA also has some legitimately funny moments. And a lot of the battlefield banter strikes the right balance between game faithful dialogue and more character-driven banter.

Characters:

The cast is enjoyable. At least, if you're a fan of the Star Fox franchise and you already like these characters. There's not really enough of the ONA that you're going to get attached to them from it alone. But for those of us who already know and like them, it's a solid little look at them.

Art:

The characters can look a little odd when they talk, but the ONA looks really nice, overall. The Arwing combat looks good. The establishing shot where you see the solar system is very cool. The characters are nicely drawn overall.

Sound:

Ohara Takashi, Takaguchi Kousuke, Sakamoto Kunpei and Hayama Kei all deliver strong performances as the Starfox team. I also like the music. It sounds nice.

Ho-yay:

There is none.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The ONA could have benefited a lot from being closer to the thirty minute mark. More time for some nice character interactions. More time to flesh out some details. More time for some quick japes.

2. Don't try to sell the game on plot intrigue. If you really want to get your viewers interested in the game, spend more time showcasing some really good aerial combat. Ultimately, that's what the audience for the game is looking for.

3. A bit more characterisation. Like I said, the characters are enjoyable if you already have an attachment to them. But if this is going to be someone's first Star Fox game, I don't think the character portrayals in this are going to cut it.

Final Thoughts:

Truth be told, I rather enjoyed this ONA. I've been playing this game franchise since '95 and, for me, it's an enjoyable little teaser. I like seeing the characters in a context that I don't normally see them in. And I can appreciate the effort that went into the animation. That being said, it's not very effective as an advertising tool. If you aren't a fan of the franchise already, it's not going to be compelling enough to get you to give it a try and it's probably not going to be that interesting of a watch in and of itself. For myself, I'll give it a 7/10 but I don't recommend it unless you're already a Star Fox fan,

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by ktulu007 (661)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Oct 4, 2017

Sidewinder51

Mixed Feelings

Rate a 5
English Dubbed

Story
Sigh... i have been taught to take the good with bad. Which i have used in life. Which lead me to out with the old and in with the new. Which most Americans live their life on. Whether it is ordering the latest i phone or modernized home feature appliance. To some extent it is great but the rest is pathetic. Maybe, this is why i am having a hard time giving this a higher or lower rating.

Plot wise stayed true to the game. That dedication is not as often as one would think. Ending was a nice tease given the fact ... it was designed as a trailer or pilot. Although, plot is one thing art is another.

art
How would you grade a show that in game form was just fine but given the demand for modern outlook completely altered the outlook of not only the characters but setting as well? Sure, it is nice to hear some old phrases to remind one self of the game. Although, to keep one interested they have to like what one sees. With C.G.(computer generated art) it is simple and has no problem showing how simple it is that it comes off as trashy in outlook. Think of it this way. Suppose you were fortunate enough to have a Picasso painting. What nice lovely painting. Not only is the art famous but it is an original. Now suppose you were told it wasn't the original but a copy. I bet you would be pissed. Sure the art looks the same but having something unique is far more pleasing than something common. The same logic or thinking is applied on C.G. art. While the art is different the idea of having an original piece morphed into another modernized piece is quite sad.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Sidewinder51 (613)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Kemono Anime

by LamiaNymph

50 Entries · 52 Restacks

Nintendo video games

by jacobnorman86

49 Entries · 41 Restacks

Poll: Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins Episode 1 Discussion PowerCaller - Apr 21, 2016

18 replies

by passing_through »» Aug 10, 2023 6:08 PM