Area 6 is an area of space over Venom occupied by a massive fleet and several defense stations. It provides an air defense zone to prevent direct assaults on Andross's home base. Cruisers, frigates, space stations, and space mines create a gauntlet never before challenged until the Star Fox Team arrives from Sector Z or Macbeth. As part of the hard route to Venom, this stage has one of the highest enemy counts in the game, leading to high scores for a player with a quick trigger finger. Large enemies like frigates and cruisers are backed up by a non-stop parade of fighters that swoop in from all directions. It makes for a frantic stage punctuated by laser fire and missiles flying all over the place. The only support is a unique one, as the Great Fox can provide covering fire to destroy a few frigates blocking the way. The end of Area 6 brings players to Gorgon, one of the harder bosses of the game. Defeating it will take players directly to Venom.
Enemy chatter in Area 6 is also noteworthy. The beginning of this stage introduces an enemy pilot named Caiman. He is joined later on by the unnamed commander of Area 6. Caiman calls out each defensive line as its breached while the commander tries to coordinate his forces. They provide commentary on the Star Fox Team's progress and become increasingly panicked as the stage goes on. By the end of the stage they've completely lost their cool and the commander sees no way around deploying one of Andross's most powerful weapons. The two of them never show up again, but they provide an unusual level of characterization for the forces of Area 6. It's one of the only moments in the game where any sort of banter within the Venom Army takes place.
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