My first experience with the Star Fox series was through its inclusion in Nintendo’s multiplayer crossover party series, Super Smash Bros. Fox McCloud, the main character of Star Fox, has been in the Smash Bros. series since the first game, and has appeared in every game afterwards. He is characterized by his fast movement in both the ground and in the air. He’s extremely fun to play as, weaving in and out of the opponent’s attacks and counter-attacking with his fast hits and combos. I had so much fun playing him in Smash, but had never played any of his main series games before now. I was excited to see how much of the original game was preserved in smash, and if the core mechanics of the game had somehow been translated into Smash Bros.
The first Star Fox game was published for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It was developed by Nintendo and Argonaut games, a company that created the Super FX chip. The Super FX chip was an extremely important part of Star Fox, as it allowed the SNES to display true 3D graphics, along with other graphical upgrades. This chip was what allowed for the player to really feel like they were flying through outer space, using 3D backgrounds, obstacles, player models, and enemy types. This was revolutionary for its time, and was advertised on the box and everything! While the 3D did make me a little motion sick at first, before long, I was soaring through the Lylat Solar System like a pro.
Now you may be wondering, how does Fox McCloud fly through space? The answer is with his trusty Arwing, an extremely powerful fighter aircraft developed by the Cornerian Government. General Pepper, the leader of the Cornerian Military, hired Fox and the rest of his mercenary team to use these prototype vehicles to take down the nefarious evil scientist Andross, who is trying to take over the entire Lylat Solar System. Fox’s team consists of Falco Lombardi, a falcon with a large ego but a lot of talent, Slippy Toad, a nervous toad who doubles as the team’s mechanic, Peppy O’Hare, an old rabbit with a lot of experience under his belt, and Fox himself. Each member flies in their own Arwing alongside Fox, and helps the player out during their journey to Andross’ base in Venom.
The game is an on-rails shooter, with the player always moving forward on the z-axis through the level. They can move left, right, up, and down, and can rotate their ship to navigate through tight obstacles or enemy fire. This type of gameplay was only possible with the super FX chip and the 3D graphics it offered. The arwing’s main offense consists of its blaster, which can be temporarily upgraded to deal more damage or shoot twice as many shots. It also has a limited amount of smart bombs, which deal massive damage and can clear out an entire section on its own. The ship itself is super maneuverable, and can pretty much change directions at will. Dodging laser shots and missiles feels extremely fun especially with the high speed of the Arwing. This translated well into Fox’s inclusion in smash. He is extremely fast, and can use that speed to outpace and dodge his opponents. It felt like I already had a good idea of how to play Star Fox simply by playing Fox in Smash. The bosses at the end of each stage are extremely large and typically throw a lot of assorted projectiles at the player, from missiles to lasers. Weaving around these massive machines in the Arwing feels super fun, and a core part of what Star Fox’s design is about.
Considering the Arwing is such an integral part of the Star Fox series, I was surprised to learn that they weren’t even originally owned by the members of StarFox themselves. The Arwings themselves are referenced a lot more than necessary in game as well. When fighting Andross, he specifies “Your arwings have no chance against me.” No comments on Fox’s skill as an ace pilot, more on the tools he’s offered. General Pepper is no different, saying things like “How are the Arwings handling” or “Be careful with my Arwings.” You’d think that the general who hired the team would have some sort of connection with them. A “how are you doing Fox?” would definitely be appreciated. But no, Fox and his team are simply seen as tools for the military to take out their enemies. This isn’t Andross apologism. He is a very evil monkey who needs to be stopped. However, the tone of General Pepper definitely tells a lot about how the government views the Star Fox team: as tools themselves that can be used.
Am I reading into this a little too much? Maybe. I don’t think the developers were really intending on developing furry-anti-military-industrialization propaganda. What they did intend to make was a space odyssey with slick controls and incredible music, and they passed with flying colors.
