Indie Devs Take Matters into Their Own Hands with a New Star Fox-Inspired Game

Nostalgia is a powerful motivator in gaming. Reflecting on a late-’90s childhood spent soaring through the skies of Corneria while shouting “cocky little freaks!” alongside a monkey in a Gundam suit, I find myself reminiscing about playing Star Fox 64 back in 1997 and now streaming it through Nintendo Switch Online.

While the franchise has seen a flashy remake on the Switch 2, it’s been quite a while since we’ve had a brand-new entry, with the last being Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. However, the void left by Nintendo’s relative silence on the series has been partially filled by indie developers. Titles like Ex-Zodiac and Whisker Squadron: Survivor have drawn inspiration from Star Fox, and now two upcoming games—Huskrafts’ Rogue Eclipse and Wild Blue Skies from Chuhai Labs, founded by former Star Fox programmer Giles Goddard—offer a glimmer of hope for the revival of this beloved genre.

Describing Star Fox’s absence as neglect might be a bit harsh. “It’s just that times have moved on,” Goddard explains. “Each iteration was a great game for its time,” but he believes their lasting appeal may stem from their rarity. “I think people are starved of originality more than any particular style or genre of game.”

For indie developers eager to keep the spirit of Star Fox alive, the challenge often lies in convincing cautious publishers to take a chance. “When I was pitching Rogue Eclipse, the feedback I got from most labels was that the genre is dead,” shares Huskrafts’ Husban “Mcdoogleh” Siddiqi. This sentiment is echoed by others in the industry, including Flippfly’s creative director Aaron San Filippo, who noted that many publishers felt there wasn’t a large enough market to justify the budget for Whisker Squadron: Survivor.

With traditional funding avenues proving difficult, developers like Flippfly are turning to crowdfunding to breathe life into Star Fox-inspired games. This follows the success of titles like Hollow Knight, Pillars of Eternity, Shovel Knight, and Undertale, which have similarly revitalized neglected genres.

Siddiqi remains unconvinced by claims that the audience for Star Fox-style games, or arcade flight shooters in general, is limited. He points to the success of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown as evidence of a thriving market (with a sequel announced at The Game Awards 2025). However, having an existing audience doesn’t guarantee success; in February 2025, Flippfly had to let its development team go due to funding issues, halting a more ambitious sequel to Whisker Squadron: Survivor.

Reviving Star Fox requires capturing what Siddiqi describes as the “push-forward, fast, frenetic, and kinetic approach to combat” that defines the genre, while also appealing to modern gamers. This challenge extends to Nintendo with its Star Fox 64 remake on the Switch 2.

“Not everyone wants a low-resolution game,” says Ben Hickling, developer of Ex-Zodiac, noting that some may not appreciate a 240fps reimagining of their childhood favorites either. Striking a balance between honoring the essence of past games and avoiding the pitfalls of nostalgia is crucial.

“I think people are quite happy with me making Ex-Zodiac more responsive and snappier, as I think that’s how people remembered the original being, despite that not being the case,” Hickling adds. “To be honest, the whole game is kinda my version of how I imagine Star Fox in my head.”

Another approach is to draw inspiration from multiple sources. Rogue Eclipse takes cues from Star Fox, but also from Armored Core, Mobile Suit Gundam, Returnal, and Battlestar Galactica, among others.

Chuhai Labs’ Wild Blue Skies aims to capture a broader sense of nostalgia from the 1990s, encompassing games, cartoons, and more, rather than simply being a Star Fox clone. “I guess we only really know how to make one kind of on-rails shooter!” Goddard jokes.

However, nostalgia is only beneficial if it enhances gameplay. “My blind affection for the past could mean we’re inadvertently bringing in baggage or inheriting systems which could be unnecessary for the experience,” he admits. “I viewed this as an opportunity to see if we could solve some of the issues that individuals may have come up against in the past with flight games in general.”

Developers are focusing on refining the core mechanics that made games like Star Fox so enjoyable, particularly the natural feel of flight. “What immediately comes to mind is just how effortless and responsive the flight controls were,” Siddiqi recalls of 2001’s Star Wars: Rogue Leader. “I can still remember playing the Death Star Run mission for the first time. I imagine it’s one of the reasons why Rogue Eclipse has manifested.”

There’s a strong desire among developers to share their personal experiences through engaging and interactive gameplay. Gamers of a certain age will resonate with these stories, recalling a time when games were more scarce and impactful.

“When I was a kid living in rural Wisconsin, we didn’t have any gaming consoles, but you could rent them from the video store,” San Filippo reminisces. “So we’d get them as a birthday treat, and we’d play Star Fox.”

Goddard suggests this growing interest in Star Fox-style games is a reflection of a generation that grew up during the 3D era, now stepping into game development themselves.

While the longing for Star Fox-inspired games may feel like a trip down memory lane, it’s not solely about nostalgia. The gaming industry has become more risk-averse, leading to a trend of chasing familiar formulas and homogenization. As a result, we often find ourselves looking back to periods of genuine innovation to uncover creativity and originality. In revisiting Star Fox, we’re not just reliving the past; we’re seeking out fresh and unique experiences in a gaming landscape that often feels stagnant.

“Ultimately,” Siddiqi concludes, “arcade flight experiences still offer a more playful, exaggerated fantasy gameplay fulfillment that players simply may not be able to get elsewhere.”