Star Fox is a video game series that includes rail shooter, space flight simulator, and third-person action-adventure games. It was created by Shigeru Miyamoto, a Japanese game designer, and developed and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team, a group of anthropomorphic animals led by Fox McCloud, the main character. Players complete missions across the Lylat planetary system using the Arwing fighter spacecraft, other vehicles, and sometimes on foot. The first Star Fox game (1993) is a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter, while later games allow more movement in different directions.
The first game in the series was made by Nintendo EAD and programmed by Argonaut Software. It used the Super FX Chip, a special chip inside the cartridge, to create the first 3D gaming experience on a home console. This chip helped the Super NES console render graphics. The Super FX Chip was also used in other Super NES games, some with faster processing speeds. A later version, Star Fox 64, was the first Nintendo console game to include force feedback, which allows players to feel vibrations through the controller.
Because of issues with a German company named StarVox, the original Star Fox and Star Fox 64 were released in PAL regions as Starwing and Lylat Wars. However, starting with Star Fox Adventures, Nintendo used the same name worldwide.
Games
The first game, Star Fox (called Starwing in Europe and Australia), was released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo EAD developed the game, and Argonaut Software programmed it. It used the Super FX chip to create 3D graphics, which was rare at the time when most games were 2D. The main characters, Fox McCloud and his team—Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Falco Lombardi—fight against Andross, who wants to take over the Lylat system. The game’s idea was inspired by a Japanese shrine to the fox deity Inari Ōkami, which Shigeru Miyamoto visited often. The shrine’s arches influenced the game’s design. Some boss battles from Star Fox later appeared as mini-games in 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 included spoken dialogue, new vehicles, characters, and multiplayer modes. It also had a feature called "off-the-rails movement," which allowed the player to move freely. The game came with the Rumble Pak, a controller that vibrated during gameplay. It retold the original Star Fox story with new characters and features. New multiplayer modes included free-for-all battles, battle royales, and time trials.
The story in Star Fox 64 had only small changes from the original game. It is famous for quotes 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 the game, and it was mostly an action-adventure game where Fox used a mystical staff. Space shooting was limited to short parts of the game. The game started as a different project called Dinosaur Planet, which was canceled and turned into Star Fox Adventures. It introduced new characters, Prince Tricky and Krystal, and a new enemy group called the Sharp Claws, led by General Scales. The story takes place eight years after Star Fox 64. Fox and Krystal fall in love 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 returned to space shooting with the Arwing fighter but also included on-foot missions. The game takes place one year after Adventures, and the new enemy is the Aparoids. ROB now helps pilot the Great Fox, and Krystal replaces Peppy as one of the team’s pilots.
Star Fox Command was developed by Q-Games for the Nintendo DS and released in 2006. It was the first Star Fox game on a handheld console and the first to offer online multiplayer. Like the original Star Fox, it focused on flying aircraft and used chatter instead of voice acting. Players planned flight paths and fought enemies in an open arena using the DS’s touch screen. Each character had a unique ship with different abilities. For example, Slippy’s ship had weaker boosts but stronger lasers, and Fox used a redesigned Arwing II. The game takes place two to three years after Star Fox: 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 trailer for the 3DS at E3 2010. The gameplay is similar to the original, with controls using the circle pad, shoulder buttons, and right-hand buttons. Players can use the 3DS’s gyroscope to control the Arwing. The touch screen displays dialogue and controls. A new multiplayer mode allows up to four players to compete.
Star Fox Zero was developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames for the Wii U and released in 2016. It was the first Star Fox game on a home console in over 10 years. The game used the Wii U GamePad’s gyroscope for controls. It was released with a version of Star Fox Guard, a tower defense game.
Star Fox 2 was canceled even though it was completed. Some of its ideas, like the rival team Star Wolf and charge shots, were later used in Star Fox 64. A beta version of the game was fixed by hackers, and it was later released as part of the Super NES Classic Edition and added to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
In 1993, shortly after Star Fox was released, Nelsonic made a promotional LCD-based game called Star Fox Game Watch. It was given away with Kellogg’s Corn Flakes boxes. The game had four levels and required players to destroy an enemy ship while avoiding obstacles. It included earphones but no volume control.
Star Fox Guard was first shown at E3 2014 as Project Guard and released in 2016 for the Wii U. It was developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames. The game is a tower defense game where players protect their base by shooting enemies. It was bundled with Star Fox Zero and is also available as a digital download.
A tech demo of Star Fox 2 was shown at E3 1995 and the Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1995. It used cinematic camera angles and showed an Arwing performing 3D spins and zooms. Attendees received 3D glasses to view the demo.
Other media
A monthly Star Fox comic strip, drawn by Benimaru Itoh, appeared in issues 45 to 55 of Nintendo Power in 1993. This comic is based on the original Star Fox game, with some characters not seen in the games. One of these characters is Fara Phoenix, a female fox who joins the Star Fox team after they rescue her from enemies called Venomians. She becomes close to Fox. The story follows the team as they change from outlaws on Papetoon to a group of skilled pilots in the Arwing fighter squadron. Only Fox, Falco, and Andross have their backgrounds fully explained in the story. A sequel comic, also made by the same team, was published in Nintendo Power. It continues the story and shows Andross’s DNA being split between two clones. These clones attack the Lylat system, causing destruction. The Star Fox team returns to fight, while Fara wears clothing once worn by Fox’s late mother. During a break, Fara accidentally distracts one clone when he sees her on a monitor. The clone reveals that Andross loved Fox’s mother and accidentally killed her with a bomb meant for Fox’s father. Fox becomes angry and fights the clones, who eventually destroy each other. The story ends with the Lylat system celebrating the defeat of Andross as his forces retreat.
The official Club Nintendo magazine in Germany published a Star Fox 64 comic drawn in a manga style to retell the game’s story. This comic includes scenes not in the game, such as Wolf kicking Andrew and Pigma out of Star Wolf for disobeying orders, which helps Star Fox avoid 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, released in April 1993. A one-issue Star Fox comic by Takao Aoki was printed in the 1993 Spring Break Edition of Corocoro Comic. A Star Fox 64 comic by Takahiro Yamashita appeared in the April and June 1997 issues of Bessatsu Corocoro Comic.
The manga Star Fox: Farewell, Beloved Falco, created by Nintendo, is part of the main Star Fox series. It was released on the official Star Fox Adventures website and explains events between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures, including why Falco is not in the team in the latter game.
In this manga, Captain Shears runs a base on the planet Titania but secretly works to bring back Andross. Katt Monroe returns with a group of roughnecks who claim Shears is evil. Fox is unsure, leading to a fight with Falco, which highlights Falco’s desire to leave the team. Later, it is revealed that Shears is indeed evil, and Fox stops his plan to resurrect Andross. The manga ends with the team learning about the broken state of Dinosaur Planet and deciding to investigate, as shown in the opening of 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 said that in February 2015, he and others from CollegeHumor were working with Shigeru Miyamoto to create a clay-animated show based on the series. However, Nintendo canceled the project 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 major role, helping Rosalina and the Lumas 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.
Although the Arwing has changed over time, all versions share a similar design: a central body, two curved 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 bright blue color.
The Arwing appears in the Super Smash Bros. series. In these games, it is used as part of Fox and Falco’s on-screen introductions and as a stage obstacle on Fox’s level, Sector Z. On this stage, Arwings sometimes fly through and fire lasers at players. While Sector Z was not used in later games, a similar stage called Corneria also includes Arwings. Arwings are also seen flying in the background of other stages, such as Venom, Lylat Cruise, and Orbital Gate Assault. In some Smash Bros. games, Arwings are collectible trophies. The Arwing also appears as a hidden feature in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but it can only be accessed with a special code. In this game, an Arwing appears as an enemy in Kokiri Forest and can be defeated by Link using a boomerang, fairy bow, or fairy slingshot. When defeated, the Arwing explodes, which 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. 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 a Star Fox costume. In the final level of Bayonetta 2, the plane is replaced with an Arwing.
Miyamoto explained that the Arwing is named because it looks like a single large wing shaped like the letter A.
The Landmaster M1 tank first appeared in Star Fox 64 (1997, Nintendo 64) as a light tank in two missions and one multiplayer map. It also appeared in Star Fox: Assault (2005, GameCube), but with changes, such as replacing tank treads with tires. The Landmaster M1 appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, Wii) as the Final Smash move for Fox, Falco, and Wolf. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U), it is the Final Smash move for Fox and Falco.
The Wolfen is piloted by Wolf O’Donnell. This ship was first planned to appear in Star Fox 2 but was first seen in Star Fox 64 on the planet Fichina (called Fortuna in Star Fox 64, corrected to Fichina in later versions) or Bolse. If players take a difficult path to reach Venom, they can fight the Wolfen II, which is faster than the Arwing. In Star Fox: Assault, Team Star Wolf uses 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 reviews. Star Fox ranked No. 115 on EGM’s "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" list and No. 82 on Nintendo Power’s Top 200 Games list for Nintendo systems. It earned a score of 34 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine and 4.125 out of 5 from Nintendo Power Magazine. Next Gen Magazine noted that Star Fox helped introduce 3-D video game graphics. The game is often cited as an example of how, despite using fully polygon designs, it still followed a set path through each level, similar to older games.
Star Fox Adventures took a different approach to the franchise, which led some fans to criticize it for resembling a role-playing adventure game, like The Legend of Zelda. However, the game was still praised by critics. In an IGN poll where fans voted for their favorite Nintendo character from a list of ten, Fox ranked fourth, following Link, Mario, and Samus.
In October 2009, Shigeru Miyamoto expressed disappointment that sales of the Star Fox series in Japan had declined during the previous 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.