Developer: Argonaut/Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Released: 03/23/93 Genre: Rail Shooter
I’m not ashamed to admit that I scoffed at Star Fox initially. In 1993 16-bit continued the stride started in 1992 with beautiful 2d games appearing left and right. Games like Shinobi III, Actraiser 2, and Rondo of Blood were really pushing the limits of their respective platforms to say nothing of the Neo Geo stuff in the arcade. So you can’t blame me for wondering why there was such a big deal about this crude 3d game causing a stir. My impressions were further tainted by in store demos that had broken controllers. But once I actually sat down to play in the comfort of my own home I realized how truly great it was and became excited for the future. While rough by today’s standards Star Fox still holds up in terms of gameplay and atmosphere.
As the first Super FX game Star Fox had a lot to prove and did so wonderfully back in 1993. Both the SNES and Genesis were only capable of basic polygonal graphics and so Argonaut’s FX chip provided the extra grunt. Everything is made of simple flat shaded polygons with only slight texture mapping here and there. Yet in spite of that the games look works extremely well within its limitations. The various planets are very imaginative and distinct and I love the way the artists use varying shades of flat colors to convey shadows and depth. The game is very cinematic in its use of camera angles, almost as though the designers were showing off. Whether that is true or not it looks great. The stylish intro sequence still has a cool factor that I love and the ending was way too cool for my 13-year old mind.
The one area that has aged badly is the framerate. Even back then the low fps was noticeable and by today’s standards most would consider it unplayable. I feel as though that was taken into account considering the game’s pacing and it rarely affects the action. The low draw distance too is a relic of the past, one that I think was unavoidable. It is easy to harp on these flaws but remember it was the first 3d game for the team. I think they did a brilliant job, all things considered.
The soundtrack is equally impressive, a booming space opera that really underscores the space combat. There is a considerable amount of chatter from your teammates, some of it relating to the current situation and others just for fun. These moments give the character’s personality: Falco is generally arrogant and rarely grateful for help. Peppy will offer helpful hints while Slippy is……..special. Full voice acting would not come until the sequel. There’s a fair amount of sampled speech, especially in the intro and ending. It was pretty impressive outside of CD games and the occasional sports game. Crystal clear speech too.
Star Fox is single player but you are not alone. The Star Fox crew are present in every mission unless shot down, at which point they are gone for 1 level. Radio chatter is constant as they’ll alert you to events or offer subtle hints. The majority of the time they are off-screen although occasionally they’ll fly by and hit a random enemy. Your primary interaction with the crew will be bailing them out of trouble. Mostly it will be god damn Slippy. In most cases these situations break up the flow of the level and add an additional challenge to hitting that 100% kill rate. It does get annoying when they occur three times back to back though. While you may not see it directly they are killing enemies off-screen and if they are missing for a level you will definitely notice it, especially in the later levels.
The FX chip allows for impressive visuals for the time and the game excels at really showing off in 3d but that would have meant nothing without good level design. It is in this respect that Star Fox truly shines. Nearly every level plays out like an epic space battle out of a sci-fi movie or TV show. Corneria is the perfect introductory level and is followed up by a trip through an asteroid field. It is stage three’s attack on Andross Space Armada that really sells the game. Here you are destroying capital ships and actually flying inside some of them to destroy their reactor cores. And this is just the initial route! Other routes will see you change the weather on Titania, battle sea creatures in Sector Y and finally attack the planet Venom.
Most rail shooters are incredibly short thrill rides yet Star Fox has considerable replay value in comparison. There are three paths to Venom through the Lylat system that correspond to easy, normal, and hard difficulty. These do not simply affect the challenge but have entirely separate levels, offering plenty of replay value. There are also a few hidden surprises on the map as well. While a bonus ending for achieving a perfect 100% run could have been cool the three paths are reason enough to play Star Fox more than once.
In Closing
Star Fox was a significant release during the 16-bit era and one that gave a glimpse of the future. Many of its elements have aged poorly (the framerate which was always simply OK) but in terms of gameplay it holds up beautifully. This is still a good game and a nice way to kill a weekend.
