A long time ago, I was able to contact a few people who worked on Star Fox Adventures at RARE. I’ve asked them several questions about Krystal and Star Fox Adventures which they agreed to answer so long as I didn’t reveal their identity. Below are the questions I asked and their answers (edited, of course, to remove identifying information).

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Could you tell us a little bit about the differences between Dinosaur Planet and Star Fox Adventures?

We ported DP from the N64, cut about 1/3 of the levels, and then changed the main character to make SFA. The biggest difference was that Krystal was intended to be as prominent as the male character Sabre. The game was divided equally between them. 1/2 the game was Krystal, 1/2 the game Sabre. But when it became Star Fox, all Krystal’s levels were either switched to Fox or cut. There was a beautiful level called “Discovery Falls.” I was very sad to see it go. There were originally two Swapstones “Rocky and Rubble” (not Warpstones) and you swapped between the two characters. The very earliest pitch for the game was for an adventure/racing game. Each level was intended to have a race track. You can still see this on the ice level track and the mines race track. The last project the director had worked on was “Diddy Kong Racing” so its not that surprising really.

What was the transition (from Dinosaur Planet to Star Fox Adventures) like?

Hard… as it would be for any project you’ve commited years to and you suddenly have to turn into something completely different. But it was a smart move and I don’t think any of the team would look back and say it was a bad thing for the project.

What was Krystal like in Dinosaur Planet?

Krystal was a little more plump and cutesy on the N64, and fitting with the more cutesy style of DP. The model was made by the head of art for the company. (I seem to remember there were some alternative texture modes on the N64 that had her in lingerie.) Artists do that kind of thing when they get bored. But the Gamecube model was made by the SFA lead artist. It was all together more sexy and mature, she grew up, and filled out! The style of SFA was a little less cute. I liked both models in their own way.

Who was responsible for the idea of Krystal?

No definitive answer.

Who modeled her?

N64 – Kevin Bayliss
GC – Jonni Christensen

What was it like working at RARE on Star Fox Adventures?

It was a real challenge. We all worked long and hard, and when it was done I was a little burned out. But now with the benefit of hindsight, I can see how much I was able to learn and experience. The atmosphere at RARE was creative, but tough. They were always pushing for the next level.

What did you, the developers of the game, think of the character Krystal?

Contact 1: All the team members liked Krystal a lot. At one point during the transition to SFA we were told she was being completely cut. Many of us voiced our disappointment. But when you’re working what the boss says goes. Eventually she was given a reprieve at the 11th hour by a request from Nintendo. What the boss says goes! :)
Contact 2: It was a big shame when her involvement was seriously curtailed. She’s the biggest link we all have with the original Dinosaur Planet so naturally she hold’s a fond part in our hearts.

Could you put this debate to rest once and for all? Who pushes Krystal into that beam at the beginning of the game? There is a large percentage of people who say it’s Andross since the video effect is identical to that of Andross’ perspective. However, there are some inherent problems with that, namely, Andross is way too big to fit in there.

No definitive answer.

You said in response to an earlier question that the manager decided to, at one point, cut Krystal, then Nintendo requested that she be uncut. Could you give us some of the reasoning involved in those two decisions?

No definitive answer.

With several websites, forums, and almost 2000 fanarts, did you or anyone else on the team expect Krystal to be so popular?

Its always nice when something you were involved in is well received.

I know the Dino Language (Saurian as I call it), wasn’t in the game until the transition. Could you tell us why it was included and what you think about it?

No definitive answer.

After the transition to Star Fox Adventures, how many versions of Krystal did you go through before deciding on the final look? What did she look like earlier?

Nah that was it, just the one.

Are you or your past coworkers generally interested in looking at fanart or fanfiction from fans of the game?

No I don’t, but I think its really nice that kids might be inspired to make their own art.

Could you talk about some scenarios in the story that were dropped and for what reasons?

Unfortately no. Suffice to say there were many changes and there was a lot of good work lost by a great many talented artists. But that’s what the realities of production require.