"Star Fox" fans can rejoice as Fox McCloud has once again stepped into the Arwing and is ready for adventure; though not exactly how they might have expected. Ubisoft is aiming to blend the toys-to-life, flight simulator, and open world genres in "Starlink: Battle for Atlas" for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Of course, the familiar Lylat pilot will be an exclusive character for the Switch version. I recently got the chance to take this craft for a spin and talk to some representatives from Ubisoft.

All aircraft report

In the demo presented to me, I got to choose my pilot, what ship I'd be using, and what weapons I'd have equipped.

Each of these took the form of a figure, that when combined together and placed on the Switch pad, formed a fighting craft that struck fear in the hearts of any hostile creatures and outlaws it came across.

After building my ship and recruiting my pilot, I was thrust into the demo, where I received a distress signal from a nearby planet. I immediately hit the hyperdrive and landed on the planet with a seamless transition devoid of any loading screens. Your ship can operate in the air or on the ground. It has access to primary and secondary weapons such as rapid-fire bullets, a close range flame thrower, ice missiles, and time-powered missiles that can freeze your enemies and slow them down. Picking the proper elements against certain enemies can give you an advantage in combat.

In addition, the pilot you control has special moves as well. The pilot I picked, Razor, weaponizes music, and her special move features a "Guitar Hero"-esque mini game that, if performed successfully, damages any surrounding enemies.

Each planet has missions that you can embark on which include hunting wildlife or rescuing allies from danger.

Outside of these planets is an organic galaxy that features many worlds to explore and outlaws that'll ambush you. Performing barrel rolls, loop de loops, and shooting at hostiles is a blast thanks to responsive controls and colorful visuals.

Packs sold separately

One concern I have about the game is the pricing. Previous toys-to-life franchises such as "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity" came with basic packs that included all the characters that players needed to beat the game, with additional packs sold separately.

A representative from Ubisoft informed me that this would also be the case with this game, but that Switch owners would also have Fox McCloud and the Arwing in the basic pack as well.

Look for the game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch this October.
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