Pixar's very first feature film, Toy Story, was a groundbreaking smash-hit, spawning a slew of sequels and spin-offs that continue to be released today. While the whole Toy Story franchise has had its fair share of video games over the years, there's one character in particular who lends himself to the video game medium better than the rest of the cast: Buzz Lightyear.
The coolest toy on the block, Buzz Lightyear's cosmic backstory poses the perfect background for a video game. Although a few Buzz-centric titles have explored this in the past, none have realized the character's full potential. With the new Lightyear movie coming out in just a few months, there's never been a better time for a Buzz Lightyear video game.
The Perfect Sci-Fi Setting for a Video Game
Teased in the exhilarating opening to Toy Story 2, and fleshed out a little more in the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command animated show, Buzz Lightyear's sci-fi origins are heavily inspired by Star Wars, with tongue-in-cheek references being placed throughout the franchise. These Star Wars-like roots form a pretty great basis for an action-adventure game.
The Space Ranger technology briefly shown off throughout the Toy Story franchise has the potential to make for some great gameplay sections. For instance, the new XL-15 ship shown in the Lightyear trailers and its hyperspace-like rings could be easily implemented in a video game, taking inspiration from titles like No Man's Sky or Elite Dangerous.
The general premise and setting of a Buzz Lightyear game is also already in place, and ready to be used for a video game. Emperor Zurg makes for the perfect villain alongside his army of robotic minions and alien henchmen. The player's role in the galaxy is also already determined, with Buzz being part of the galactic peacekeeping organization known as the Star Command. In his role as Space Ranger, Buzz protects the galaxy against Zurg's forces, visiting new planets and alien civilizations along the way.
With Lightyear coming out in just a few months, it seems as though the Buzz Lightyear character, and the backstory surrounding him, will get even more fleshed out. Soon enough, there'll be a whole animated TV show, a standalone movie set in the universe, and a plethora of references in a franchise to use as inspiration for a potential Buzz Lightyear video game.
Drawing Inspiration From Past Pixar Games
Buzz Lightyear is no stranger to taking center stage in a Pixar video game. Over the last few decades, Buzz has appeared as a playable character in a good handful of Toy Story games, and while some are undoubtedly better than others, most of them seem to nail Buzz's abilities, laying the groundwork for a potential Buzz Lightyear game.
One of the biggest examples of this is the beloved 1999 game Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. In this open-ended action-platformer, players take control of the titular Space Ranger as he runs around a variety of iconic Toy Story locations, ranging from Andy's Room to Al's Toy Barn. As players progress through the game, they unlock new abilities for Buzz, which have since become a staple of his subsequent video game appearances. By pressing and holding the "X" button, players can double jump, extending Buzz's wings, and gliding (falling with style) for a brief moment.
Buzz also has a number of attacks in Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, including a spin attack, mimicking the "karate chop action" referenced in the movie, and a ranged attack where Buzz uses his wrist laser. A potential Buzz Lightyear game would just need to take these gameplay concepts and expand on them, bringing new abilities like a jetpack to flesh out the experience and make it more modern.