5 ★ (20)
4 ★ (27)
3 ★ (7)
2 ★ (0)
1 ★ (0)
Star Fox 64
Return to the cockpit of the Arwing fighter craft and save the Lylat system from conquest in this re-telling of the original Star Fox.
Overview
Star Fox 64, known in Europe as Lylat Wars, is a 3D sci-fi on-rails shooter and flight combat game developed by Nintendo EAD (Company) and published by Nintendo (Company) for the Nintendo 64 (Platform) on April 27, 1997 in Japan, on July 1, 1997 in North America, and on October 20, 1997 in Europe.
A remake of the 1993 SNES game Star Fox (Game), Star Fox 64 re-tells the story of an elite team of mercenary Arwing (Object) pilots known as "Star Fox" as they venture through the star system Lylat to counter-attack the invading forces of the mad scientist Andross (Character). As team lead Fox McCloud (Character), players must make their way from Corneria (Location) to Andross's home base of Venom (Location) while dealing with various threats (such as the rival "Star Wolf" team, led by Wolf O'Donnell). Aiding Fox is his wingmen (cocky Falco Lombardi (Character), mentor Peppy Hare (Character), and inexperienced Slippy Toad (Character)) and the squad's mothership (the Great Fox (Object), piloted by robot R.O.B. 64).
Sporting a brand new engine, Star Fox 64 includes a variety of new gameplay mechanics from its predecessor, including special "All-Range Mode" stages (where players can move freely around a designated battlefield), stages with unique new vehicles (including the Landmaster tank and Blue Marine (Object) submarine), new maneuvers (a Somersault in normal mode and a U-Turn in All-Range mode), a campaign with branching paths (which get easier or harder depending on how well the player completes objectives), and four-player competitive split-screen multiplayer.
Star Fox 64 is the first console game in history to support force feedback, due to being the first game to use the Nintendo 64's Rumble Pak accessory. The accessory itself was initially released as a bundle with the game, with the initial North American release of the game only sold with the bundle. Later Player's Choice re-releases exclude the Rumble Pak.
The game was later remade for the Nintendo 3DS (Platform) (as Star Fox 64 3D (Game)) on September 9, 2011. Along with updated graphics, sounds, and control schemes, the remake also includes a "Gyro Controls" mode (allowing the player to use the 3DS's gyroscope for motion control) and multiplayer via Download Play (Concept). The original game was also digitally released as a Virtual Console (Concept) title for the Wii (Platform) (on April 2007) and Wii U (Platform) (in 2016-2017) and was included in the platform's Nintendo Switch Online service for the Nintendo Switch (Platform) on October 26, 2021.
Gameplay
In Star Fox 64 you play as Fox McCloud, leader of a group of mercenaries for hire named Star Fox. In most stages you pilot a ship called an Arwing, though in some stages you pilot a submarine called the Blue Marine or a tank called the Land Master. You move Fox McCloud's vehicle using the analog stick to maneuver around the screen and using the A button to shoot incoming enemies with lasers.
Throughout the game, various power ups are available to help you accomplish each level. Silver rings would increase your health by a small increment. Gold rings, on the other hand, boosted your max heal by a significant portion if you managed to collect 3 of them on one stage, and if you collected an additional 3 after that, you would gain 1 extra life. Silver stars are the most valuable recovery item, since it recovers your health much more quickly.
The Smart Bomb (Object) is another power up that is used to blow up numerous amounts of enemies in a single shot. These are used with the B button. Laser upgrades are also available that increase the power of your laser. However, once you've upgraded your laser twice, it is fully powered up and cannot be further upgraded.
The game features a variety of alternate paths and endings depending on your choices made during the course of the game. Depending on if you accomplished a certain task on a mission, you will be given an option to take an alternate route to Venom. The game has 2 distinct endings, one where you enter Venom via the satellite Bolse, and the other where you enter Venom by attacking Area 6 directly.
The Star Fox
Pilots
Fox McCloud
Fox McCloud
The leader of the Star Fox, Fox McCloud (Character) is the game's playable protagonist and the son of the original Star Fox squad's leader (the legendary pilot James McCloud, who was betrayed by one of his own wingmen under orders from the mad scientist Andross (Character)). Like his father, he is skilled in piloting a variety of vehicles, including the Arwing (Object) starfighter, the Landmaster tank, and the experimental Blue-Marine submarine.
When encountering the Star Wolf, his main rival is its leader, Wolf O'Donnell.
Peppy Hare
Peppy Hare
A long-time friend of Fox's father and a part of the original Star Fox team, Peppy Hare (Character) is the team's advisor and has the experience and wisdom to guide Fox throughout the adventure, providing advice on special maneuvers (such as the memeable "Do a barrel roll!") while giving tactical (such as the main objective and the weak points of certain enemies).
When encountering the Star Wolf, his main rival is Pigma Dengar (Character), another member of the original Star Fox team who ended up betraying them for money.
Slippy Toad
Slippy Toad
The team's young chief engineer, Slippy Toad (Character) can use his mechanical expertise to reveal how much energy certain enemies (bosses) have. However, his inexperienced piloting can put himself in dangerous situations too easily.
When encountering the Star Wolf, his main rival is Andrew Oikonny (Character), nephew of Andross.
Falco Lombardi
Falco Lombardi
Cocky and hot-headed, Falco Lombardi (Character) is the team's ace pilot who is the most skilled at helping Fox shoot down enemies (despite making brash and sarcastic remarks at every chance he gets).
When encountering the Star Wolf, his main rival is the cunning Leon Powalski,.
Vehicles
| Description | Vehicle |
|---|---|
| ===Great Fox===
The team's mothership and staging area, piloted by the robot R.O.B. 64. The player never controls Great Fox (Object), but each mission ends with the team returning to the ship.||
Great Fox
| |
| ===Arwing===
The Arwing (Object) is the main vehicle of choice the characters pilot, with its upgradable lasers, Smart Bombs and Barrel Rolls. In Star Fox 64 it also has the ability to fire a homing shot by centering the trigger on a target and holding down A until the targeting reticule flashes red of the target. The plane also gains the ability to do a somersault and a full 180 degree corkscrew-turn when fighting in "All-Range Mode", which usually referred to boss fights.||
Arwing
| |
| ===Landmaster===
The Landmaster is a tank that debuts in Star Fox 64. Only used on the planets Macbeth and Titania, the Landmaster is a powerful land vehicle. Like the Arwing, it is able to do a barrel roll, fire smart bombs, and lock on to its targets. In addition, it can hover for a moment and boost.||
Landmaster
| |
| ===Blue-Marine===
The Blue-Marine is a submarine that Star Fox has used only in Star Fox 64, and even then only on Aquas. The Blue Marine is unique among the other vehicles because it's B-Bomb equivalent, torpedoes, have unlimited ammunition. This is mainly because the sea floor is extremely dark and the torpedoes provide light for a few seconds after they explode. The blue marine has slight resemblance to Great Fox, although it is much smaller.||
Blue Marine
|
Missions
There are 15 missions in total (16 if counting the Red Path version of Venom), with players progressing through seven of them in each playthrough due to branching paths. There are three total difficulty "paths" (blue for Easy, yellow for Medium, and red for Hard), with players able to deviate between them at certain points in the game by either completing or failing bonus objectives (with the stage ending at either "Mission Complete" or the more coveted "Mission Accomplished"). Players can also choose to progress to an easier path as an option, or attempt the previous mission again.
Certain missions are altered depending on how they were arrived at, such as certain allies returning to assist the team if they were encountered then.
Mission 1
Corneria (Location), Former Army Base
Corneria
Enter Star Fox
The Star Fox scramble to assist the Cornerian Army with defending their peaceful planet from Andross's forces, making their strike against the bulk of their forces near an old army base close to its capital city.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails)
- Complete (Blue) - Proceed as normal, ending with an All-Ranged battle against a bipedal mech piloted by one of Andross's most trusted lieutenants.
- Accomplished (Red) - After a certain checkpoint, Falco needs to be rescued and seven natural archways need to be flown through, at which point Falco guides Fox through a waterfall towards a much more powerful ship (the Attack Carrier (Object), returning from the original Star Fox).
Mission 2
Meteo (Location), Asteroid Field (Blue)
Meteo
Into the Asteroid Field
Andross's army is planning on using a planetoid crusher to clear a way through an asteroid belt for their fleet to pass through. The Star Fox can navigate through the rocky field and take it out.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails, Space)
- Complete (Blue) - Proceed as normal, ending with a boss battle against a planetoid crusher.
- Accomplished (Yellow, secret warp) - Find and fly through all seven warp gates to enter the Warp Zone, then survive all obstacles.
Sector Y (Location) Combat Zone (Red)
Sector Y
Fierce Melee
A huge space battle between the Cornerian battle fleet and Andross's forces is happening in Sector Y, and Andross's forces seem to have the upper hand with a trio of mechanized soldiers, leaving Star Fox to deal with its lieutenant.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails, Space)
- Complete (Yellow) - Defeat Shogun in an All-Ranged fight.
- Accomplished (Red) - Shoot down 100 enemies and defeat Shogun in an All-Ranged fight.
Mission 3
Fichina, Former Defense Post (Blue)
Fichina
Enter Star Wolf
An old Cornerian defense post in the icy planet of Fichina is taken over by Andross's forces, but when the Star Fox begins to clear them out, the place has been rigged to blow. To complicate things further, the rival squad Star Wolf enters the fray in attempt to take down Star Fox themselves.
Mission Type: Arwing (All-Ranged)
- Complete (Blue) - Fail to shoot down all Star Wolf fighters in time.
- Accomplished (Yellow) - Defeat Star Wolf.
In the original English translation, the world was mistakenly called "Fortuna", in reference to the original game's Fortuna.
Katina (Location), Frontline Base (Yellow)
Katina
Reunion
One of the Cornerian Army's front-line defense posts is being overrun by a swarm of Andross's invaders, leading the Star Fox to help the defending squadrons (led by Fox's academy classmate Bill Grey (Character)) prevent its annihilation by the enemy mother ship (the Saucerer (Object)).
Mission Type: Arwing (All-Ranged)
- Complete (Blue) - Fail to destroy the Saucerer in time.
- Accomplished (Yellow) - Destroy the Saucerer.
This stage is known for being a thinly-veiled reference to the 1996 film Independence Day.
Aquas (Location) Ocean (Red)
Terror of the Deep
Aquas
Cornerian spies has detected that Andross's forces have polluted the oceans of Aquas to turn its wildlife into bio-weapons, and the Star Fox decides to test Slippy's experimental submarine to destroy its main threat.
Mission Type: Blue-Marine (On-Rails)
- Accomplished (Red) - Destroy the bio-weapon Bacoon (Character).
Mission 4
Sector X (Location) Combat Zone (Blue)
Sector X
Mystery of the Space Base
Cornerian spies have detected that Andross is building a secret weapon somewhere in Sector X, and Star Fox must investigate a cluster of heavily-guarded space debris to find out if it's true.
If the Star Fox arrives from Katina, Bill aids them.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails, Space)
- Complete (Blue) - Proceed as normal and defeat the incomplete robot guardian Spyborg (Object) (which strongly resembles another Nintendo robot), but fail to protect Slippy from being knocked out of commission.
- Accomplished (Yellow) - Proceed as normal and defeat Spyborg while protecting Slippy.
- Accomplished (Red, secret warp) - Find and fly through all four warp gates to enter the Warp Zone, then survive all obstacles.
Solar (Location) (Yellow)
Solar
Out of the Frying Pan...
Andross is developing a bio-weapon in the Lylat System's star, and the Star Fox must risk their Arwings through the unbearable heat and lava to find and destroy it.
If the Star Fox arrives from Katina, Bill aids them.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails)
- Accomplished (Yellow) - Destroy the bio-weapon Vulcain (Character).
Zoness (Location), Toxic Waste Area (Red)
Zoness
Invasion Aftermath
Andross has turned the once lush oceans of Zoness into a toxic waste dump, and the Star Fox must perform stealthy reconnaissance to find out what's going on. Katt Monroe (Character), an old friend of Falco, is there to assist.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails)
- Complete (Yellow) - Fail to destroy all searchlights or become detected, then destroy the giant submarine mech Sarumarine (Object).
- Accomplished (Red) - Destroy all searchlights without being spotted, then destroy Sarumarine.
Mission 5
Titania (Location), Arid Desert (Blue)
Titania
The Search for Slippy
When Slippy's Arwing gets knocked down into the desert planet Titania, the rest of the Star Fox must detour down onto the planet in order to find him.
Mission Type: Landmaster (On-Rails)
- Accomplished (Blue) - Destroy the ancient bio-weapon Goras (Character).
Macbeth (Location), Venom Army Supply Base (Yellow)
Macbeth
The Forever Train
A critical transport train has been detected in one of Andross's supply bases, and the Star Fox decides to destroy it to halt Andross's war effort.
If the Star Fox arrives from Zoness, Katt aids them.
Mission Type: Landmaster (On-Rails)
- Complete (Blue) - Proceed as normal, destroying the flying mechanized robot Mechbeth (Object).
- Accomplished (Red) - Shoot all eight switches to derail the train into the weapons factory, prematurely ending the boss fight.
Sector Z (Location) Combat Zone (Red)
The Ambush of Great Fox
Sector Z
The Great Fox is being ambushed by Andross's forces at Sector Z, and the Star Fox scrambles to defend it. Making it complicated is a barrage of large missiles that is making its way towards the ship.
If the Star Fox arrives from Zoness, Katt aids them.
Mission Type: Arwing (All-Ranged, Space)
- Complete (Blue) - Have at least one missile hit the Great Fox.
- Accomplished (Red) - Destroy all six missiles before any reach the Great Fox.
Mission 6
Bolse (Location) Defense Outpost (Blue)
Bolse
The Last Hurrah
The Star Fox must assault a satellite outpost orbiting Venom and find a way to destroy it in order to proceed down onto the planet from a safe distance. If the rival squad Star Wolf is not defeated or encountered in Fichina, they arrive to complicate things further.
Mission Type: Arwing (All-Ranged)
- Accomplished (Blue) - Destroy the satellite's core, also shooting down all Star Wolf fighters if they are encountered.
Area 6 (Location), Defense Station (Red)
Area 6
Through the Middle
Rather than deal with Venom's planet-side defenses from a safer distance, the Star Fox decides to perform a quick strike through the most heavily defended sector of Venom's orbital defense force.
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails)
- Accomplished (Red) - Destroy the superweapon Gorgon (Object).
Mission 7
Venom (Location), Andross' Homeworld
Planet Venom
Batle with Andross (Blue)
If the Star Fox enters Venom from a distance after destroying Bolse, they must fly through various hostile forces to reach a temple guarded by the mechanical guardian Golemech (Object). From there, the team arrives at Andross's base and Fox alone must infiltrate it to battle Andross (Character) himself (in a fight reminiscent to the original game).
Mission Type: Arwing (On-Rails)
The Final Battle (Red)
If the Star Fox enters Venom by cutting through the Area 6 defenses, they arrive at Andross's base before being challenged by rival squad Star Wolf (who have been given cybernetic upgrades for a tougher challenge). After defeating Star Wolf, Fox infiltrates the base alone to battle Andross (in a fight similar to the Blue Path version), only to find that this version of Andross is not a robotic doppelganger.
If Fox manages to destroy Andross's true form, he must escape the base's self-destruction with the help of a mysterious Arwing.
Mission Type: Arwing (All-Ranged)
Unlockable Content
On each stage, there is a high score that must be beaten in order to earn a medal for that specific course. If all of the medals were obtained, it would unlock a new expert difficulty mode to the main storyline. This mode is identical to the original game, except the difficulty has been increased significantly. If all of the medals were obtained in the expert mode of the game, a new title screen would be unlocked.
In addition, you can unlock different multiplayer options by obtaining medals. If you obtain the Venom medal in normal mode, you can unlock the ability to play as a Landmaster. Likewise, if you obtain the Venom medal in expert mode, you unlock the ability to play on foot in the multiplayer mode.
Multiplayer
Star Fox 64 contains a 4-player multiplayer mode that feature all-range mode. Players have to eliminate other players in order to win. Unlike the main game, there is only one Smart Bomb and one Laser Upgrade available for each course. Players use an Arwing to fight, but later can get the option of choosing to go in a Land Master or on foot once they unlock medals in the main game.
There are three different matches available to play:
Point Match- Where the first one to five kills wins
Battle Royal- Last one standing wins
Time Trial- To see how many enemy fighters you can shoot down within a time limit
Plot
Years before, strange activity is spotted on the planet Venom, where the mad scientist Andross had been exiled. The original Star Fox, made up of James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar, is sent to investigate. However, once they arrived, Pigma betrays the team and allows James and Peppy to be captured by Andross. Peppy manages to barely escape by himself and returns to Corneria, the governing planet of the Lylat system, to tell James's son Fox his father's fate. Years later, Andross unleashes an attack across the Lylat system prompting Corneria to send the new Star Fox team, made up of Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, original member Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad, to repel and investigate the attacks.
Along the way to Venom, the team will face their rivals, Star Wolf, which at the time consisted of Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar, and Andrew Oikonny, and must defeat them at least once. After completing six stages, Star Fox can now go to Venom and strike back at Andross. Depending on the route taken to Venom, the battle against Andross will vary. If the previous stage was Bolse (Easy), a false robotic Andross serves as the final boss. However, after the credits, Andross is heard laughing, implying that he is still alive. However, if the team went through Area 6 (Hard), Andross will reveal his true form after a fight with his head and hands: a floating brain and two eyes. After defeating the brain, James McCloud (It is debated whether or not it is a ghost) leads his son out the the imploding base. Returning to Cornelia as heroes, Star Fox is offered membership into the Cornerian army but refuse, saying that they prefer "doing things our own way." After the credits roll, the Great Fox and Star Fox are shown flying off into the skies.
After the credits, there is a bill from Star Fox to General Pepper which shows the number of enemies killed in the campaign multiplied by 64 resulting in the money due. If the price is under $70,000 (1093 enemies or fewer) General Pepper remarks, "This is one steep bill....but it's worth it." If the price is over $70,000 (1094 enemies or more) the general yells in shock "Whaaat?"
Soundtrack
Star Fox 64 CD Cover Art
The soundtrack has 39 tracks featured on one CD that is 64 minutes and 49 seconds long, and it was released on October 17, 1997 in Japan. This CD is composed by Koji Kondo (Person) and Hajime Wakai.
Tracklist
- Opening
- Title
- Select
- Map
- V.S. Select
- Start Demo 1
- Start Demo 2
- Training
- Corneria
- Fortuna and Sector Z
- Meteo
- Sector Y and Solar
- Katarina
- Aquas
- Sector X
- Zoness
- Titania and Macbeth
- Area 6
- Bolse
- Venom
- Warp
- Venom Demo
- Route To Boss
- Star Wolf's Theme
- Boss A
- Boss B
- Boss C
- Andruf
- Andruf Brain
- Versus
- Versus (One By One)
- Bill's Theme
- Cat's Theme
- Mission Accomplished
- Mission Failed
- Player Down
- Game Over
- All Clear
- Staff Credits
Similar Games
No games found
- Name
- Star Fox 64
- Release Date
- April 27, 1997
- Platform
- Nintendo Switch (Platform)
Wii Shop (Platform)
Wii U (Platform)
Nintendo 64 (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Action (Genre)
Shooter (Genre) - Theme
- Sci-Fi (Theme)
- Franchise
- Star Fox (Franchise)
- Aliases
- Lylat Wars
Starfox 64