Star Fox
Super Nintendo
Nostalgia Factor:
When Star Fox came out in 1993, I remember being thoroughly unimpressed. Everyone at the time was going nuts for its groundbreaking 3D polygonal graphics, but to me I thought the game looked like crap. I remember playing it for a couple of minutes when it was on display at a local Target store. Those few minutes were enough to convince me that I never needed to play the game again.
Well, shortly thereafter my stepbrother Kyle ended up getting Star Fox. He brought it over to our house to show it off to everyone during one of his biweekly visits. I was still relatively unimpressed, but being a Genesis kid growing up, I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to play the Super Nintendo for a few hours. And wouldn't you know it, I ended up really liking Star Fox.
I never owned the game myself, since I didn't have a Super Nintendo, but I would end up purchasing it later on in life. Over the years I have come to love and appreciate Star Fox. I haven't played through it since I began writing this blog back in 2015. How would I feel about this game after such an extended absence from it? Let's find out.
Story:
Unlike some later entries to the Star Fox series, there isn't much depth to this game's story. You play as Fox, leader of an Arwing squadron. Your goal is to take down Andross, the evil villain who has declared war on the Lylat system. You fly and fight through a series of levels before arriving at Venom - Andross's home base.
Gameplay:
Star Fox is considered a rail shooter. What this means is that the game takes you on a predetermined route while you have limited control of the matter. You can fly your ship around, do barrel rolls, speed up or slow down - that kind of thing. But you are basically stuck on the same path that the game has set out for you. This was the first rail shooter I can remember playing as a kid. To this day, whenever I play a game that follows a similar formula (like Panzer Dragoon or Solar Eclipse for the Sega Saturn), my first instinct is to always compare the game to Star Fox. You never forget your first, amiright?
The game mostly takes place from a behind-the-ship perspective, but you can switch to first person mode if you'd like. In fact, some of the stages that take place in outer space automatically place you into first person mode. While you'd think this would be my preferred method of playing since first person mode gives you an aiming reticule for higher accuracy, I actually prefer the behind-the-ship view. I don't know if it is all in my head or what, but every time I try first person mode I feel as if my ship has no mobility. I can't avoid enemies, I can't react fast enough to pick up items, I can't get around obstacles. So I always, ALWAYS play in third person mode - despite the increased inaccuracy of my ship's weapons.
Each stage is about ten minutes or so long. You shoot down enemies, you fly through arches, you avoid obstacles like buildings, ships, or giant enemy crafts. Along the way you can pick up health items to replenish any damage you have taken, missiles which pretty much destroy everything onscreen, and weapon upgrades that turn your simple pea shooter into a dual blasting cannon that rips through your enemies. If you aren't careful your ship can take damage and lose a wing. This is a major pain in the butt. Not only does it decrease your mobility, you can't pick up any weapon upgrades (and are stuck with the pea shooter) until you either die or find a rare ship repairing item.
When you first start playing this game, there are three separate paths you can select from the main menu: easy, medium, or hard. Each path starts at Corneria and ends at Venom, but takes you on a different route to get you to your destination. This gives the game some added replay value, as each difficulty level allows you to see stages you can't see if you select another difficulty level. So it is like three different single player modes - each with its own unique set of levels. Be warned, however - the hard difficulty is very, very hard. I struggled immensely to make it through this one. It is doable, but just barely. Some of the levels throw constant obstacles at you that completely batter your ship to and fro. And the bosses are just plain savage. I'd suggest tackling easy and medium first, at least a couple of times, before taking on the hard route.
Graphics:
I am a little torn on this game's graphics. Even in 1993 I thought this game looked ugly, and honestly it hasn't held up particularly well over the years. That said, I know that this is one of gaming's first forays into full 3D, so I can forgive it. Kind of.
What this game does well is in its small atmospheric effects. Explosions, giant bosses going down, the streaking light effects that you see in outer space. This game does an excellent job of filling you with that sci-fi "sense of wonder" that is hard to put into words. Despite this title's graphical limitations, I experienced many moments as I played this where I just had to nod my head and be like: "yeah, this is cool."
Sound:
This game's graphics may not have aged well, but its sound sure has. Star Fox has such an iconic soundtrack. The title screen music, the music that plays when you launch your Arwing the first time, the stage select music, heck - the stage music in general: it's all awesome. The music for the very first stage of the game, Corneria, is epic and is on all of my video game music playlists. It is great.
The sound effects are perfect as well. Everything from the way it sounds when you fire your weapons to the sound of explosions to the sound it makes when you accelerate: it is all spot on. The only thing some people might frown upon is the "voice acting", if you can call it that. If you've ever heard the sound of the teacher talking over the phone in the Peanuts cartoon, that is the way the characters sound here. Maybe not quite as obnoxious, but still very strange. I like it though. I'd often find myself repeating their gibberish phrases back to them.
"Deh deh deh, deh deh deh."
"Gripping and grabbing!"
Overall:
I've listened to a few retro gaming podcasts lately where the reviewers revisited Star Fox, absolutely trashing the game. "It doesn't hold up. It sucks! A product of its time."
While maybe I can see where these people are coming from, I don't agree with them. On the surface this may not be the most aesthetically pleasing game, but graphics aren't everything. The game handles just fine, despite the way it looks. The levels are diverse and creative. The enemies are unique. The bosses are big, intense battles that put you on the edge of your seat. I like the way you can take three different routes to get through this game. It gives you a different gameplay experience each time. Oh, and the music is fantastic too.
In addition to this. Star Fox hits all the warm and fuzzy nostalgic spots for me as well. I still remember how much I had dismissed this game when it first came out, and how I'd oh so quickly changed my opinion on it.
When it comes to rail shooters, Star Fox is one of the absolute best. This game doesn't come anywhere close to matching the greatness of its follow up, Star Fox 64, but then again few games can. Check this game out if you have the means. You might be pleasantly surprised by how it's held up.
Final Score:
B
If you liked this review, check out some of my other game reviews:
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