When Star Fox Adventures came out for the GameCube in 2002, it was already unusual. It was an action-adventure game, but it came from a series known for fast-paced, on-rails shooting, and the studio making it, Rare, was about to be bought by Microsoft. What’s even more surprising is that the game didn’t start out as Star Fox Adventures at all. Before Fox McCloud was involved, Rare was actually creating a large-scale dinosaur role-playing game for the Nintendo 64.
The story of Star Fox Adventures is a remarkable turning point in gaming. It began as a completely original RPG from Rare, but underwent a massive transformation, blending different game styles and moving to a new platform. This ultimately became the last game Rare and Nintendo created together. Here’s how it all happened, from the initial concept to the final product.
What was Rare’s Dinosaur RPG, Dinosaur Planet?
I remember hearing that Rare originally started working on Dinosaur Planet completely separate from Star Fox! It was meant to be its own thing for the Nintendo 64. After Diddy Kong Racing came out, the team at Rare split up, and one group started brainstorming this big new adventure towards the end of the N64’s life. They tried out a bunch of different game ideas, but eventually landed on something really cool – a story-focused adventure game in a prehistoric world with characters that were part human, part dinosaur! It was heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which made sense, since that game was amazing.
An RPG Built Around Dual Protagonists
The game featured two main characters: Sabre, a wolf warrior, and Krystal, a fox adventurer. Their stories were connected and players were meant to switch between them using a special item called the “SwapStone.” Each character also had an animal companion – Tricky and Kyte – who remained in the final version of the game. Originally, Rare had planned a detailed family history where Randorn, a wizard, would be Sabre’s father and Krystal’s adoptive father, but this character didn’t make it into the final game. By all indications, Dinosaur Planet was set to be Rare’s biggest and most ambitious Nintendo 64 game, but a sudden event just before E3 2000 completely altered its course.
A Timeline of the Dinosaur Planet-to-Star Fox Transformation
- 1999: Development on Dinosaur Planet begins shortly after Rare finished Diddy Kong Racing. During the early conception phase, Timber (from Diddy Kong Racing) is pitched as the lead character before being replaced by Sabre and Krystal. Rare shapes Dinosaur Planet into an open-world action-adventure with two protagonists and N64 Expansion Pak support.
- 1999–2000: Nintendo begins early work on a separate Star Fox Adventures concept, originally planned for N64.
- E3 2000: Rare was preparing a Dinosaur Planet presentation for the now-defunct E3 convention. Nintendo proposes merging Star Fox and Dinosaur Planet.
- 2000–2001: Development shifts from N64 to GameCube as the teams integrate Fox, redesign Krystal, and restructure the story.
- 2002: Star Fox Adventures launches as Rare’s first and final GameCube title. In September, Rare was acquired by Microsoft.
- 2021: A near-final N64 build of Dinosaur Planet leaks online, revealing that Fox McCloud was already inserted before the platform switch.
- 2025: A version of the leaked build gets the recompilation treatment.
How Nintendo’s Interest and Internal Projects Redirected Development
As Rare worked on Dinosaur Planet, Nintendo began a new Star Fox project for the Nintendo 64 – an action-adventure game. Takaya Imamura, who created Star Fox, specifically asked to lead the sequel. Initially, Star Fox Adventures was designed to move away from the series’ traditional on-rails shooting and focus on exploring environments on foot, with guidance from Shigeru Miyamoto. However, development slowed down because team members were needed for other games like Mario and The Legend of Zelda on the GameCube.
The E3 Demo That Changed Everything
The key moment happened when Miyamoto saw a demo of Rare’s Dinosaur Planet. This led to discussions about whether to use characters from Nintendo’s Star Fox in the game. Before the E3 gaming show in 2000, Nintendo asked Rare to be discreet and scheduled meetings to consider combining the two ideas. Both teams realized there was a potential win-win. Dinosaur Planet offered a well-developed world and interesting characters, while Star Fox was a known franchise that needed a fresh, innovative direction. Combining them could create something truly special.
Merging Universes and Reworking Characters
The deal resulted in a new Star Fox game called Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet. Developers from Rare visited Japan to collaborate with Nintendo, refining the characters, art style, and story. While Sabre was originally the main character, Fox McCloud took his place, and Krystal and Tricky were kept. Although Sabre was removed from the game, some of his original design elements were briefly visible in Fox’s early character model.
Nintendo didn’t just include the story in the game; they also heavily influenced the character design. Shigeru Imamura worked with Rare to redesign Krystal, giving her a more adult and alluring look, taking inspiration from the comic book character Vampirella. This redesign was part of a broader effort by Shigeru Miyamoto to give the Star Fox series a more mature feel.
The Platform Jump
Originally, the game was planned for the Nintendo 64, but that became difficult as the console was nearing the end of its life and the GameCube was quickly becoming more popular. Because the game was ambitious and could really boost the GameCube’s initial game selection, the development teams decided to switch to the newer system.
Star Fox Adventures Ultimately Grew Out of Rare’s RPG
As development moved to the GameCube, the project transformed into a proper Star Fox game. The original title, Dinosaur Planet, was dropped, and the story was rewritten to focus on Fox’s point of view. However, much of the original game remained, with its characters, locations, and overall feel still present, even as the plot became more connected to the Star Fox universe. The music also underwent changes; composer David Wise began incorporating familiar Star Fox themes into the soundtrack later in development, highlighting how long the project had existed independently.
Released in 2002, Star Fox Adventures was Rare’s sole game for the GameCube and marked the end of their long partnership with Nintendo. Shortly after its release, Rare was acquired by Microsoft, effectively closing a significant chapter in gaming history. The game itself was a unique blend of two large-scale projects and represented the culmination of a very successful creative relationship between the two companies, ultimately becoming a defining end to an era for the Star Fox franchise.
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2025-11-24 20:06