Star Fox 2

Did You Know?

• The Arwing's ability to transform into the Walker was re-introduced in Star Fox Zero (2016).
• Miyamoto asked Cuthbert to make Star Fox Command closer to Star Fox 2 than the original Star Fox.
• Cuthbert believes the platforming experimentation in Star Fox 2 gave Miyamoto confidence for Super Mario 64.

Gameplay

Star Fox 2 places missions within a real-time strategy framework rather than a pure rail shooter structure. The player protects Corneria from Andross on an overworld map that operates in real time; as missions are fought, enemies spawn and advance toward Corneria. If Corneria reaches 100% damage before Andross is defeated, the player loses. The player chooses two pilots from Fox, Slippy, Falco, Peppy, Miyu, or Fay, each with unique Arwing performance and a special ability. Between missions the player can swap pilots on the overworld to allow one to recharge shields. Mission formats include dogfights against enemy ships or missiles, trench runs inside battle cruisers, and planet missions where the Arwing transforms between flying and a land-based walker. The player must balance defensive missions with offensives toward Andross. A hard mode increases mission variety.

Development

Development of Star Fox 2 began shortly after work finished on the European and competition versions of Star Fox. Argonaut had a contract with Nintendo for three games; after Star Fox, Giles Goddard and Dylan Cuthbert worked on Stunt Race FX, and Cuthbert on Star Fox 2. Cuthbert worked at Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto with little contact with Argonaut, serving as lead programmer with two Japanese programmers under him. Shigeru Miyamoto and Katsuya Eguchi oversaw the team, with Eguchi as director. Miyamoto considered the series a platform for experimentation, leading to platforming sequences with a robot walker. The Super FX 2 chip allowed fighters to visibly transform into bipedal Walkers, with artists drafting realistic transformation mechanisms. Eguchi wanted a roguelike system inspired by Star Luster and Fortune Street, designing a map-based structure with randomly generated encounters. Six playable characters were added, including newcomers Miyu and Fay, and more antagonists such as Wolf. A two-player mode was planned but dropped due to frame rate issues.

Release

After cancellation, ROM images of incomplete builds were leaked anonymously online; Cuthbert denied leaking them and suspected they were taken from his hard drive after he left Argonaut. Early leaked ROMs from the late 1990s were test builds with bugs, including debug menus and a version with two-player mode. Later, an anonymous person provided a non-working copy of the final beta ROM, which the emulation community made functional by adding a missing header. Fans created a translation patch that also fixed a debug modifier preventing Corneria from taking damage. The 2020 Nintendo data leak included Star Fox 2 source code. All leaked ROMs are beta versions missing the final months of QA work and set in debug mode, so encounter systems and randomized elements do not work correctly. In 2017, Nintendo included Star Fox 2 on the Super NES Classic Edition after the SNES Classic producer proposed its inclusion.

Reception

Star Fox 2 received generally positive reviews on the Super NES Classic Edition. Critics praised its depth, design, strategy elements, and roguelike nature, but criticized its controls, short length, and technical performance. Polygon found it ambitious and fun. Destructoid complimented the constant viewpoint swaps and minimal exposition but noted short length and low framerate. Eurogamer described it as a wonderfully surprising and inventive sequel. GamesRadar+ praised the evolution of core ideas and free-roaming 3D planets but criticized uncohesive mechanics and choppy performance. IGN complained of severe frame-rate drops and difficult controls, calling it the worst game on the Classic Edition. Nintendo Life praised its depth and challenge. Nintendo World Report highlighted its distinct structure, replayability, and roguelike elements, calling it one of the greatest SNES games, though criticizing the lack of rail shooter levels and slowdown. HobbyConsolas praised the transformation mechanic and new characters but criticized short length and controls. Digital Trends noted it took big risks. GameSpot praised land vehicle sequences and freedom of approach but criticized technical performance and short length. Kotaku praised Nintendo for preserving the game's coding assets.