Star Fox Adventures
The Krystal fakeout
So, you boot up the first Star Fox game on GameCube, expecting a new iteration of your favorite series with an adventuring twist. The titles roll and you take control of a courageous fox. Wait, this isn’t Fox McCloud! Yes, Star Fox Adventures had you play as Krystal for the first 30 minutes or so of the game, setting the stage for the entire adventure. Before hearing anything of Star Fox, you must navigate Krystal through the Krazoa Palace and begin to uncover the mystery behind the decay of Sauria. The level serves as a tutorial of sorts, and was only the first of many unconventional spins on the Star Fox brand we’d see in Adventures. Yeah, it’s not really as much of a fakeout as the legendary Raiden bait-and-switch in Metal Gear Solid 2, but it made you question just what sort of game you were about to play, if even for a moment.
The Return of Andross
When Fox finally gets all of the Spellstones and returns to get the final Krazoa spirit to save Sauria, a throwdown with General Scales is at hand. Scales taunts Fox and a battle begins. But suddenly, an unknown entity forcibly stops Scales and hands the Spirit to Fox. The great general is unceremoniously cast away, and Fox shrugs and restores the Palace to rescue Krystal. But then, the great mastermind behind this whole ordeal is revealed at last: Andross! The mad scientist had spent the last eight years in limbo before figuring out how to harness the Krazoa spirit to regain his physical form. A classic Arwing fight ensues, and Falco returns to the fray once more. This moment was unexpected and awesome.