Released in 2016 by Nintendo and PlatinumGames, Star Fox Guard is the weird little side project that showed up next to Star Fox Zero and said “what if Star Fox, but security cameras?” Instead of flying an Arwing, you’re babysitting a mining facility and desperately trying to stop waves of robots from wrecking your stuff.

Gameplay is tower defense with a very Nintendo twist. You jump between security cameras, track enemies, and blast them before they reach the core. It sounds simple, and it mostly is, but the pressure ramps up fast as enemies get faster, sneakier, and way more annoying. Multitasking is mandatory, and missing one camera switch is usually how everything falls apart.

Visually, it’s clean, colorful, and functional. The Wii U GamePad does the heavy lifting here, letting you control cameras and fire weapons while the main screen shows the action. It’s clearly built around the hardware, and whether that feels clever or gimmicky depends entirely on your tolerance for asymmetrical controls.

Star Fox Guard is a single-player experience with optional online features for sharing and downloading custom missions. This is not a traditional Star Fox game, and it makes zero effort to pretend otherwise. If you want something different, oddly tense, and very Wii U–specific, you can buy retro games on Retro Games eXchange and grab this knowing it exists entirely because Nintendo felt like experimenting.

1. Tower defense gameplay built around security camera management.
2. Designed specifically for Wii U GamePad dual-screen controls.
3. Fast-paced enemy waves that demand constant attention.
4. Optional community-created missions add replay value.
5. A strange but memorable Star Fox spin-off that breaks tradition.