Krystal (Star Fox)
| Krystal | |
|---|---|
| Star Fox series character | |
| File:Krystalsfas.jpg Krystal in Star Fox: Assault. | |
| First game | Star Fox Adventures |
Krystal is a fictional anthropomorphic vixen from the Star Fox series of video games. She first appeared in Star Fox Adventures as a playable character at the beginning of the game, and shortly thereafter got reduced to a damsel in distress. She is now the newest member of the Star Fox team, and is also a playable character in the multiplayer mode of Star Fox: Assault. Her voice is provided by Aya Hara in the Japanese version of Star Fox: Assault. In the English versions, she was voiced by Estelle Ellis in Star Fox Adventures, and Alesia Glidewell in Assault.
History
Dinosaur Planet
In the original concept of Dinosaur Planet, before it became Star Fox Adventures, Krystal was a feline, only 16 years old, and meant to be playable throughout the game; she was also an orphan, raised by a wizard named Randorn, but no further details were released, and any planned back story was changed to make her fit in the Star Fox universe. While Dinosaur Planet was in development, Nintendo was working on a new Star Fox game set on an unspecified planet in the Lylat System (the setting of the Star Fox series). Progress on this new game was behind schedule (Nintendo wanted to have it ready as a launch title for the GameCube), and the company began searching for other, more complete projects that could be adapted to the Star Fox universe. Through a mutual agreement, it was decided that the two projects would be combined into one project, and so it was decided that Rare, Dinosaur Planet's developer, would convert their game into a Star Fox title. Large parts of the game had to be rewritten to accommodate Fox McCloud and the new Arwing-based levels, which resulted in Krystal's status being reduced from a central character to a damsel in distress.
Star Fox Adventures
Krystal's home planet of Cerinia was destroyed, and her parents as well as everyone else on the planet were killed; though when and how this happened have not been revealed, there is a hint that (since it's now a Star Fox title) Andross was responsible. While on her quest to find answers, she picks up a distress call and lands on Sauria, where she teams up with a Cloudrunner named Kyte. After an encounter with General Scales and his airship, which results in Krystal losing her staff, Kyte takes her to the Krazoa Palace where she finds several wounded Earthwalkers. By their instruction, Krystal went into the palace and after completing the test of observation, took a Krazoa spirit into her body, and brought it to the spirit platform. When Krystal released it, a stranger snuck up behind her and trapped her in a giant crystal and sent her atop Krazoa Palace, someone Krystal has apparently seen before. This person (again, now that it is a Star Fox title) is believed to be Andross since the same blurred and discolored vision perspective is shown at the end of the game when Andross pretends to be a Krazoa god and confronts Fox and the newly saved Krystal.
At this point, General Pepper summons the Star Fox team to investigate the disaster on Sauria (which actually wasn't called such until Star Fox: Assault; in this game, it is known simply as the Dinosaur Planet), which has Fox McCloud going down to the surface, where he finds Krystal's staff (he couldn't bring his blaster, because the mission was about saving the planet, not destroying it). When he picks it up, Krystal telepathically calls out to him, teaching him how to use her staff, and pleading for his help by bringing the Krazoa spirits back to the Krazoa palace. For the rest of the game, Krystal is left frozen in the gem, until Fox retrieves the last Krazoa Spirit and releases it, shattering the crystal, and freeing her. When she sees Fox, her first instinct is to take her staff back. Overhead, a large Krazoa head is seen floating up, but Krystal believes the head is evil and starts firing at it. Fox takes off in his Arwing to challenge him, and discovers the Krazoa head is really Andross; after defeating Andross, Fox heads back to the palace, only to find Krystal is not there. Back on the Great Fox, Krystal sends Fox a thank you message, and then arrives in person. As ROB sensed, Fox and Krystal started to fall in love, which marks the very end of the story of Star Fox Adventures. Shortly after the events of Star Fox Adventures, she joins the Star Fox team.
Some evidence suggests that the relationship between Fox and Krystal was originally intended to be deeper, and more expressly romantic. Star Fox fan Dwight House discovered several clips of unused audio that were cut from the final version of the game. These clips include Krystal's instructions on how to wield her staff (given in English instead of the Saurian language, which is actually a "code" based on the English language), Fox's refusal to leave Sauria without rescuing Krystal first, and several lines spoken by Krystal and directed toward Fox. Of these, the most compelling is a line she speaks after Fox asks her to join the Star Fox team: "I'll only join... if you'll kiss me." The words spoken by Krystal before he releases her were originally spoken in English, but in the final version, they were spoken in the Saurian language.
As noted above, the transition from Dinosaur Planet to Star Fox Adventures resulted in Krystal's role in the game being severely reduced; Krystal herself is only playable for a short time before being imprisoned by Andross, and remains captive until Fox releases her in the endgame. Also, being recast as Fox's love interest resulted in Krystal's redesign: she was changed from a cat-like being to a fox-like being, and aged a few years though she still has the blue fur of Dinosaur Planet's Krystal, and is still several years younger than Fox (Age 19 vs. 26 years for Fox). [1].
Star Fox: Assault
In Star Fox: Assault, Krystal doesn't play as large a role as she did in Star Fox Adventures. She now flies an Arwing and uses her telepathy trait to sense an enemy's presence and weak point, although this telepathy is seldom used and is usually only mentioned in passing (for example, she detects that the enemy is afraid of them during the final boss battle). Krystal and Fox behave affectionately toward each other, and Krystal herself is mildly flirtatious. Here, she is now 20 years old.
Star Fox Command
According to Nintendo Power (issue 206), sometime between Assault and Command, Fox broke up with Krystal after they made love and had babies because he was concerned that he would be a father, and didn't want her to nag, so he beat her. Nonetheless, it has recently been confirmed that Krystal will be a playable character. She will be piloting a ship called the CloudRunner (named after one of the tribes on Sauria, the Dinosaur Planet), which is equipped with 1 bomb, twin lasers, and has above average shields. [1].
She also appears on the difficulty select screen for the 'Easy Mode'. It is also possible that the characters representing difficulty levels is a feature solely for the E3 demo. She has switched her blue Assault outfit for a pink and purple one with white gloves and boots. [2]
Abilities
Krystal has a few abilities, but they are generally downplayed in the Star Fox games, and the origins of these abilities are still a mystery. She is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and uses a magical staff to help her fight; but only gets to demonstrate this briefly at the beginning of Star Fox Adventures. She also has various psychic powers, including extra-sensory perception and telepathy, but this is not actively used in any games, merely as a minor plot point. In Star Fox: Assault, she can detect enemy weaknesses, provided she is not removed from battle. Lastly, she is also a pilot, and is seen flying a ship in Star Fox Adventures, then takes up an Arwing in Star Fox Assault; overall, her piloting skills seem to be on par with Slippy's: skilled, but she often gets into trouble (although not as much as the others) and needs saving (all "trouble" scenes are predetermined; Falco has 8 such instances, Slippy has 9, and Krystal has 6). She also appears reasonably skilled with firearms, as two levels in Assault feature her on the ground, effectively destroying enemies within a small area (for storyline purposes she is invincible, though her health bar appears to drop as she takes damage, it will not fully deplete).
Games Featuring Krystal
- Star Fox Adventures (Adventure game, 2002, GCN)
- Star Fox: Assault (Action/adventure game, Action, 2005, GCN)
- Star Fox Command (Scrolling shooter, 2006, Nintendo DS)
External links
- The Krystal Archive - Contains comprehensive information on everything Krystal-related, including biography, Dinosaur Planet info, audio clips, and video cutscenes from both Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox: Assault.
- Star Fox official site
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