When I saw Star Fox Zero a couple of weeks ago, Nintendo was eager to show off one of the two Amiibo unlocks. What I also found out is a special figure was almost released for this new game.

Right now, it’s just Falco and Fox from the Super Smash Bros. line that work with Star Fox Zero. We only know right know that Fox unlocks the classic SNES-style Arwing, complete with themed lasers, bombs, and Corneria music from the original game.

We almost got something very cool, though: an Amiibo that transforms between an Arwing and walker. Unfortunately, it simply wouldn’t work at the Super Smash Bros. or Mario Party 10 scale.

“We were working on a couple of ideas for the game for well over a year,” says Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto. “There was one point where we had an Arwing Amiibo that would transform into the walker. But it was really tough to execute that in the normal Amiibo size and in a way that met with product-safety standards. We had to give up on it. For now, it’s only going to work with Fox and Falco from the Super Smash Bros. series.”

In Star Fox Zero, players earn the ability to transform the Arwing into a two-legged land vehicle. Given all the angular pieces, it’s understandable why this was a challenge.

All hope is not lost though, as Miyamoto seems interested in making this a reality. “At some point, if we don’t have to do it at Amiibo size, it might be nice to have that Arwing that can transform into a walker,” he told me.

If this is something you want, it can’t hurt to let Nintendo know. For more on Star Fox Zero, check out our in-depth preview.

Our Take

My reaction when Miyamoto shared this with me is likely the same as many of yours: I told him, "I'd buy that." Hopefully that's enough encouragement to make this happen, because a transforming Amiibo sounds pretty nifty.