Star Fox is a video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto and made by Nintendo. The games feature a team of animal characters, led by Fox McCloud, who complete missions in the Lylat planetary system using a spacecraft called the Arwing and other vehicles. The first Star Fox game (1993) is a 3D rail shooter, where players follow a path forward, while later games allow more movement in different directions.
The original game was developed by Nintendo EAD and programmed by Argonaut Software. It used the Super FX Chip, a special part inside the game cartridge, to create the first 3D graphics on a home console. This chip helped the Super NES display detailed images. Other Super NES games also used the Super FX Chip, sometimes with faster processing. A later version, Star Fox 64, was the first Nintendo game to include force feedback, which makes the controller vibrate during gameplay.
Because of issues with a German company named StarVox, the first two Star Fox games were called Starwing and Lylat Wars in PAL region territories. However, starting with Star Fox Adventures, Nintendo used the same name globally.
Games
The first game, Star Fox, called Starwing in Europe and Australia, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Nintendo EAD developed the game, and Argonaut Software programmed it. It used the Super FX chip to create 3D graphics during a time when most games were 2D. The main characters, Fox McCloud and his team—Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Falco Lombardi—fight Andross, who tries to take over the Lylat system. The game’s idea came from a shrine in Japan that honors the fox deity Inari Ōkami, which Shigeru Miyamoto visited often. The shrine’s design, with a series of arches, influenced how the game was played. Some boss battles from Star Fox later appeared as mini-games in the Wii game WarioWare: Smooth Moves, where players use the Wii Remote to control a ship.
Star Fox 64, called Lylat Wars in Europe and Australia, was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64. It introduced spoken dialogue, new vehicles, characters, and multiplayer features. The game also included a special controller called the Rumble Pak, which vibrates to give feedback. Star Fox 64 retells the story of the original Star Fox with new characters and gameplay. Multiplayer modes include free-for-all battles, battle royales, and time trials.
The story of Star Fox 64 changed slightly, but the main plot stayed the same. This game is known for lines that became internet memes, such as "Do a barrel roll!" and "Use bombs wisely" from Peppy Hare, and "Can't let you do that, Star Fox!" from Wolf O'Donnell.
Star Fox Adventures was released in 2002 for the GameCube. Rare developed it, and it is mostly an action-adventure game where Fox uses a magical staff. Space shooting is only a small part of the game. The game was based on an earlier project called Dinosaur Planet, which Nintendo canceled and later turned into Star Fox Adventures. New characters, like Prince Tricky and Krystal, were added. The story takes place eight years after Star Fox 64, and the main enemy is a group of dinosaurs called the Sharp Claws, led by General Scales. Fox and Krystal become close before the final battle, and Krystal joins the Star Fox team. The gameplay is similar to The Legend of Zelda games.
Star Fox: Assault was developed by Namco and released in 2005 for the GameCube. It focuses on flying in the Arwing, but also includes missions where players walk on foot. The game happens one year after Adventures, and the new enemy is the Aparoids. ROB and Peppy now pilot the Great Fox, while Krystal takes Peppy’s place as a pilot.
Star Fox Command was made by Q-Games and released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. It is the first Star Fox game on a handheld console and the first to include online multiplayer. Like the original Star Fox, it focuses on flying in aircraft, but instead of voice acting, it uses sound effects like the SNES version. Players plan flight paths and fight enemies in open areas using the touch screen. Each character has a unique ship with different abilities. For example, Slippy’s ship has weaker boosts but stronger lasers, while Fox pilots a redesigned Arwing II. Command happens two to three years after Assault and has nine possible endings based on the player’s choices.
Star Fox 64 3D is a remake of Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 3DS, released in 2011. It was first shown in a video at E3 2010. The gameplay is mostly the same as the original, but players use the circle pad to steer, shoulder buttons to turn, and buttons on the right side to fire and move. The D-Pad lets players do tricks like somersaults and u-turns. A feature called "Gyro Controls" uses the 3DS’s motion sensor to fly. The touch screen shows dialogue and controls. A new multiplayer mode allows up to four players to compete over a network or against computer opponents. During battles, players’ faces appear on others’ screens using the console’s camera.
Star Fox Zero was developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames and released in 2016 for the Wii U. It is the first Star Fox game on a home console in over 10 years. Players use the Wii U GamePad’s motion sensor to control the game. Star Fox Zero was sold with a tower defense game called Star Fox Guard.
Star Fox 2 was canceled before it was released, even though it was fully completed. Many of its ideas, like the rival team Star Wolf and a multiplayer mode, were later used in Star Fox 64. Other features, such as choosing characters and different ship types, appeared in Star Fox Command. A beta version of a tank called the Landmaster was also included. A group of hackers later fixed the game to make it playable. The game was later released as part of the Super NES Classic Edition and added to the SNES Nintendo Classics service for Nintendo Switch Online users.
In 1993, shortly after Star Fox was released, a promotional LCD game called Star Fox Game Watch was made by Nelsonic. It could be won with a coupon from Kellogg’s Corn Flakes boxes. The game has four levels, and the goal is to destroy an enemy ship while avoiding obstacles. It includes earphones and a headphone jack but no volume control. Nelsonic later sold it in a different watch design.
Star Fox Guard was first shown at E3 2014 under the name Project Guard and was officially named in 2016. It was released for the Wii U in 2016 with Star Fox Zero. The game is a tower defense title where players use security cameras to protect their base from enemy robots. A physical version of Guard was sold with Star Fox Zero, and it is also available as a digital download.
Star Fox Guard was a technical demo for a game that might have been made for the Virtual Boy. The closest game to it is Red Alarm. The demo used cinematic camera angles, similar to Star Fox 2. At E3 1995 and the Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1995, the demo showed an Arwing performing spins and 3D movements. One person called it "an intriguing technical demo featuring a Star Fox-like spacecraft doing a lot of spinning and zooming in 3D." Attendees received 3D glasses at these events.
Other media
A monthly Star Fox comic strip, drawn by Benimaru Itoh, appeared in Nintendo Power issues 45 to 55 in 1993. This comic is based on events from the original Star Fox game and includes characters not seen in the games, such as Fara Phoenix, a vixen who joins the Star Fox team after they rescue her from Venomian forces. She becomes close to Fox. The story follows the Star Fox team as they move from being outlaws on Papetoon to becoming an elite Arwing fighter squadron. Only Fox, Falco, and Andross had their backgrounds fully explained in the comic. A sequel, published in Nintendo Power by the same team, continued the story. It showed Andross’s DNA split between two clones, who then attack the Lylat system. The Star Fox team returns to action, and Fara, wearing clothing once worn by Fox’s deceased mother, accidentally distracts one of the clones. The clone reveals that Andross was in love with Fox’s mother and accidentally killed her with a bomb meant for Fox’s father. Fox fights the clones, and one kills the other, believing the clone’s feelings for Fara are a weakness. The story ends with the Lylat system celebrating the defeat of Andross as his forces flee.
The official Club Nintendo magazine in Germany released a Star Fox 64 comic drawn in a manga style to retell the game’s story. The comic includes scenes not in the game, such as Wolf kicking Andrew and Pigma out of Star Wolf for disobeying orders, which saved Star Fox from their plot. The comic ends with a robotic Andross being defeated.
A one-issue Star Fox comic by Kazumi Sakamoto was printed in the Comic Bonbon 1993 Spring Vacation Jumbo Edition, published in April 1993. A one-issue Star Fox comic by Takao Aoki appeared in the 1993 Spring Break Edition of Corocoro Comic. A Star Fox 64 comic by Takahiro Yamashita was included in the April and June 1997 issues of Bessatsu Corocoro Comic.
Star Fox: Farewell, Beloved Falco is a Japanese manga created by Nintendo and part of the main Star Fox series. It was released on the official Star Fox Adventures website and explains Falco’s absence from the team in Star Fox Adventures.
In the manga, Captain Shears runs a base on the planet Titania but secretly works to resurrect Andross. Katt Monroe returns with a group of roughnecks who claim Shears is evil. Fox is unsure, leading to a sparring match with Falco, which highlights Falco’s desire to leave the team. Later, it is revealed that Shears is indeed evil, and Fox stops the resurrection plan. The manga ends with the Star Fox team learning about the damaged state of Dinosaur Planet and deciding to investigate, as shown in Star Fox Adventures.
A 14-minute web video of Star Fox Zero, produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, Production IG, and Wit Studio, shows the Star Fox team in an anime-style battle from the first level of Star Fox Zero: Corneria. The video was later released on the Wii U eShop as part of the Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins + Training demo.
In an interview with The Serf Times, comedian Adam Conover mentioned that in February 2015, he and others from CollegeHumor worked with Shigeru Miyamoto to create a clay-animated show based on Star Fox. However, Nintendo canceled the project a month later after plans for a Legend of Zelda series were leaked by Netflix.
In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), Fox McCloud appears as a main character and is voiced by Glen Powell. He plays a significant role, piloting Rosalina’s observatory with the Lumas to transport Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Yoshi to Bowser’s fortress in the Space Junk Galaxy.
Recurring elements
The Arwing is the main vehicle used by the Star Fox team. It has appeared in every Star Fox game so far.
The Arwing has gone through many changes over time, but all versions share a similar design: a central body, two curved, smooth side pods called Gravity Diffusers, or G Diffusers, and wings attached to the side pods. Starting with Star Fox 64, the side pods are a unique blue color.
The Arwing appears in the Super Smash Bros. series. In this series, Arwings are used in the on-screen introductions for Fox and Falco. They also appear as obstacles on Fox’s stage, Sector Z. On this stage, Arwings sometimes fly through and shoot lasers at players. Although Sector Z was not used again in later games, a similar stage called Corneria also features Arwings. In other stages, such as Venom, Lylat Cruise, and Orbital Gate Assault, Arwings are seen flying in the background. Arwings are also collectible trophies in some Smash Bros. games. The Arwing is also an Easter egg in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but it can only be accessed using a GameShark code. In this game, an Arwing appears in Kokiri Forest as an enemy that Link can defeat with a boomerang, fairy bow, or fairy slingshot. When defeated, the Arwing explodes, and the blast might accidentally harm Link. The Arwing also appears as a piece of furniture in Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk. When touched by a character, it briefly plays the Star Fox theme music. It also appears as a decoration in Super Mario RPG at Hinopio’s Market and as a replacement for Bayonetta’s guns in Bayonetta 2 when she wears the Star Fox costume. In the final level of Bayonetta 2, the plane is also replaced with an Arwing.
Miyamoto explained that the Arwing is named “Arwing” because it looked like a large wing shaped like the letter A.
The Landmaster M1 tank first appeared in Star Fox 64 (1997, Nintendo 64) as a tracked light tank in two missions and one multiplayer map. It later appeared in Star Fox: Assault (2005, GameCube) with some changes, such as replacing tank treads with tires. The Landmaster tank is used as the Final Smash for Fox, Falco, and Wolf in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, Wii). It is also the Final Smash for Fox and Falco in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U).
The Wolfen is piloted by Wolf O’Donnell. This ship first appeared in Star Fox 2, but it was first seen in Star Fox 64 on the planet Fichina (mistakenly called Fortuna in Star Fox 64, corrected in 64 3D) or Bolse. Taking the difficult path to Venom allows players to battle the Wolfen II, which is faster than the Arwing. In Star Fox: Assault, Team Star Wolf used the original Wolfen against the Star Fox team, and the Wolfen is playable in the game’s multiplayer mode. The Wolfen has also appeared in every Super Smash Bros. game.
Reception
The Star Fox series has mostly received positive reviews. The most highly praised game is Star Fox 64, while Star Fox Zero received mixed opinions. Star Fox ranked No. 115 on EGM's list of "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" and was listed as the 82nd best game on a Nintendo system in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list. It earned a score of 34 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine and a score of 4.125 out of 5 from Nintendo Power Magazine. Next Gen Magazine noted that Star Fox helped introduce the use of 3-D graphics in video games. The game is often used as an example of how, even with fully polygon designs, it still followed a fixed path through each level, similar to older games.
Star Fox Adventures took a different direction compared to earlier games in the series. Many fans said it felt too similar to role-playing adventure games like The Legend of Zelda. Despite this, the game was widely praised by critics. In an IGN poll where players voted for their favorite Nintendo character from a list of ten, Fox finished in fourth place, behind Link, Mario, and Samus.
In October 2009, Shigeru Miyamoto, a Nintendo designer, expressed disappointment that sales of the Star Fox series in Japan had decreased during the previous time period.
Because of the series' popularity, Google created an Easter egg. When users type "do a barrel roll" or "Z or R twice" into the search bar, the screen rotates 360 degrees.