Star Fox
SNES
Developer In-house, Argonaut Software Publisher Nintendo Format SNES Release Out now
So a delayed game is eventually good, hmm? Well, there aren’t many that have been postponed for as long as Star Fox 2. Cancelled shortly before its planned release in early 1996, what may have been a remarkable accomplishment on seasoned hardware would have looked outdated next to the PlayStation’s early games; with the N64 around the corner, it would have seemed more technically impoverished still. Its belated arrival as a bonus treat on the SNES Classic Mini, unlocked upon completing the first stage of the original game, has been touted as reason alone to invest in Nintendo’s miniature throwback. As a matter of historical record, it’s inherently fascinating; as a game, it’s less likely to hold your attention.
Still, there are things to admire – most notably the game’s inventive structure. Andross has returned, with his sights trained on Corneria, and it’s up to the Star Fox team to keep it protected, infiltrating bases on local planets while destroying carriers to stall his offensive. You’re free to select your next destination from the galactic map, but you’ll have to prioritise threats: if Corneria reaches 100 per cent damage, it’s game over. You can choose to intercept missiles and waves of enemies as they head toward the planet, but targeting
The difficulty setting affects the places you’ll visit and the number of enemies you’ll have to defeat. You need to destroy two carriers and rescue two planets on Normal mode; on Hard, it’s up to four and three respectively the source might be the quicker route to success, even if it means suffering collateral damage. The clock’s ticking during the missions, too, incentivising efficient tactics and introducing a source of constant tension.
The sense of looming peril is palpable, with radio warnings from Corneria alerting you to imminent danger, as the driving soundtrack lends dogfights against the Star Wolf team even greater urgency. Alas, these sequences amount to guiding a jerky crosshair around in firstperson as arrows point you in the direction of the nearest enemy, their craft lurching into view for a few seconds before the process is repeated. And the walker sections, where you transform into a robot chicken to trigger floor switches and blast targets, are often alarmingly easy. Turning with L and R is sluggish, but d-pad strafing with your thumb pressed down on the fire button will see you through most encounters.
We can only speculate as to how it might have been greeted two decades ago, of course, but the years have not been kind to Star Fox 2, despite the success of an unorthodox narrative framework that was, in many respects, before its time. Since its ending can be reached within an hour, those fortunate enough to get their hands on Nintendo’s shrunken SNES may find it worth a quick play or two, but plenty of its 16bit peers have aged rather better. For once, that famous maxim of Miyamoto’s doesn’t really apply.