Krystal (Star Fox)

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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 .  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. Nintendo decided to have Rare, Dinosaur Planet's developer, 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 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.

At this point, General Pepper summons the Star Fox team to investigate the disaster on Sauria, which has Fox McCloud going down to the surface, where he finds Krystal's staff. 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), 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 to a fox, and aged a few years [link]; though she still has the blue fur of Dinosaur Planet's Krystal, and is still several years younger than Fox.

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. Krystal and Fox behave affectionately toward each other, and Krystal herself is mildly flirtatious.

Star Fox Command

According to Nintendo Power (issue 206), sometime between Assault and Command, Fox broke up with Krystal because he was concerned for her safety, and didn't want her flying on dangerous missions. Whatever her role, Krystal is confirmed to appear in the game. She also appears on the difficulty select screen for the 'Easy Mode', though whether players will play as her, or if Krystal merely represents that mode is unknown. She has switched her blue Assault outfit for a pink and purple one with white gloves and boots. [link]

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 and needs saving.

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.

 

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