Star Fox 64
1997
Audio: Japanese, English · Subtitles: English, Japanese, French, German, Chinese
- shooter
- action
- science fiction
- single player
- multiplayer
- split screen
The story
The update to the 16-bit Super NES title continues the original's on-rails 3D shooting action on the Nintendo 64. Starring Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad, this new 64-bit version contains 15 plus levels, easy, medium, and difficult paths, forward-scrolling levels as well as full 3D realms, and a three-part multiplayer mode using a four-player split screen. In addition to plenty of Arwing action, the game introduces a new hover tank and even features a submarine level. The 8-megabyte cartridge also boasts voice samples from 23 different characters instead of the original's animal noises. Star Fox 64 was the first game to feature Rumble Pak support. A Rumble Pak bundle and standalone version of the game were sold. Released in Europe under the name Lylat Wars.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated space in clean polygonal forms: starfields and glowing nebulae behind sleek Arwings, lush green planets, churning ocean and molten-lava stages, each framed as the camera swoops behind your ship. The sound is loud and playful, a bold orchestral-synth score that swells in dogfights and drops into a tense hum during boss runs, punctuated by the squawking radio chatter of the squad. The pace is relentless but readable, a rail-shooter rhythm with short bursts of strafing, barrel rolls and tight turns, and the mood is cheerful adventure with a streak of wartime urgency. Its violence is cartoonish: enemy ships and robots blow up in bursts of sparks and debris, with no gore, no sexual content, and no real cruelty, though the stakes of losing a wingmate sting a little. Use it for a weekend blast with friends, a playful solo session on a rainy afternoon, or a nostalgic return to a bright, sharply designed corner of the N64 era. It suits players who want arcade thrills, lively banter and colourful spectacle more than slow exploration or dark atmosphere.
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