If you’ve got an eye for video games, particularly those made by Nintendo, then you’ll likely know that we have had a new Star Fox game released today. Or rather, the latest last-gasp attempt to get the series back to its former glory by doing exactly what it’s done four times before. The ol’ WW1 trenches mentality. I jest, I desperately want this game to succeed, and all signs point to that being the case – Large swathes of pre-orders, positive reviews from critics all around, and even posters in the station during my commute to work.
Star Fox is a series that is very near and dear to me. 64 was one of my first and favourite games of all time. Assault was the one and only reason I asked for a Gamecube one Christmas. Ditto the 3DS when the 64 remake came out. Hell, I don’t even think Command was that bad, although the writing could give Hollyoaks a run for its money.
These are some of the most easily enjoyable games you could ever play. And Star Fox 64, the crown jewel of the series, is the epitome of that. It rewards time and patience if you keep playing, and there’s always something to come back to – A level you haven’t played enough, a secret you haven’t found, or a dogfight with your mates if you have a spare controller. It’s pure escapism, a proper good game you can dip in and out of at will, a blueprint hence it’s come back with extra flavouring and layers all these years later.
And all the way along you’re accompanied by a menagerie of wonderful scores whose immortality is proven by the fact that we are getting new renditions of classic tracks from the 64 days. I get that after being saturated with remakes for the last decade or so, some fans may be crying out for something new. But then again, if they ain’t broke, why fix them? They’re classics for reasons, as I intend to tell you.
Corneria
The original’s version of Corneria has a militaristic bombast as you carve your way through invading forces for the first time. 64’s has that too but it spices things up by going quiet to suit the contemplative moments as you see just how badly the city has been wrecked. Then it goes loud as you begin shooting up everything you see – The mercs are here, serving revenge with lasers and smart bombs, and struggling with their G-Diffusers.
Meteo
A recurring track throughout the series, and one which I think has been bettered with every appearance. But that being said, don’t discount the original which plays as you go through space for the first time in the game. Like Corneria above it too switches between loud and quiet, and typically during the moments of the latter you’re weaving your way around the asteroids, taking care not to clip or crash into them.
Sector X
A sudden dash of atmosphere and dread. Your job is to infiltrate a space base where a secret weapon is being developed, only to find upon arrival that it has been annihilated. This tune compliments the questions surrounding the debris, the automatic drones trying to shoot you out, the warp you can find and activate, and those robot arms that keep appearing…as Falco says, something’s not right here. Thanks to Sector X’s theme, you will never feel at ease.
Titania/Macbeth
A theme befitting a tank rolling along in pursuit of downed pilots or destroying a long train piece by piece. Makes you feel unstoppable…unless you take too long to take down that robot and it one shots you (That may have happened to me on one occasion).
Aquas
Being the only underwater level, Aquas is a bit of an oddball but if you can excuse the frame rate dropping, you can appreciate the beauty in both the level design and the soundtrack. Majestic, evoking the forgotten civilisations that lived beneath the sea, and those who have unfortunately succumbed to the pollution and horrors of war.
Zoness
Corneria’s melancholy reappears, this time at sea.
Area 6
Well including this on the list goes without saying, dunnit? It’s an epic space battle carving through line after line of defenses, and once again the music makes you believe that you are going to reach Venom and break the army’s back once and for all. To get to Area 6, you need to take the harder path and when you hear this theme you will feel vindicated for making the extra effort, and determined not to fall now. You’re making the impossible possible, don’t fail now.
Venom – Andross Boss Battle
Ah, the nightmare fuel. For the first part, it’s slow and minimalist as you’re confronted with the horror of a 50ft head laughing in your face, complete with uncanny valley flat teeth (90s graphics, gotta love ‘em). The second, faster, frenetic as you’re chased around by a giant brain.
Warp
Bad trip, man, bad trip…
Talk about feeling like you’re in completely unknown territory, and with no one speaking a word throughout you may wonder for a moment if you’re even going to make it out.
In fact I remember triggering the Sector X warp wondering what I’d just done. Then when the level finished and I was taken to the other side of the level select map for the first time. So you could go to those other planets after all?!
Boss B
How much did this one stick in my head? Well I vividly remember a dream I had when I was about five or six years old. I was sitting in my armchair in my bedroom playing a game on my Playstation 2. I suddenly hear the non-diegetic opening bars of this track and realise something is about to go down. I look to my left through my open door. There, down the hallway is a monster of some description breaking into the house. I jump out of my chair as the tune really gets going and charge down the hallway.
And then the dream ended.
Point is, this boss theme must be doing something right if it’s living rent-free in my head.
VS – One by One
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat! You can’t lose to your friends now, you’re too close.
Star Wolf
Again, a no-brainer if you’re going to talk about Star Fox 64’s soundtrack. I think it’s safe to say that, regardless of what game you might be playing, this will be what comes to mind when you’re in a dogfight. It’s not one of, it’s the tune for an aerial brawl.
I could keep going about the rest of the score but I actually want to stop there and say that since 2020 you’ve had the opportunity to listen to this soundtrack uncompressed. Massive leak took place when we were in lockdown and we can listen to all the sounds of 64 before they were squashed into that cartridge:
And you know what? I’m not done. Let’s give a few of the other games a once over. Given that 64’s tracks are constantly being rehashed (and sometimes bettered depending on the game), it’s only fair that some of the more slept-on stuff gets the time of day.
Star Fox (1993)
Starting with the original game from 1993 for the SNES, one which I admittedly have little to no experience with – I played it once at a gaming con for about fifteen minutes. Doesn’t mean I don’t have time for a couple of the cuts from its soundtrack.
Corneria
90s Japanese arcades brought into the comfort of your living room. What’s not to love?
The Awesome Black Hole
It’s a seconds-long loop but it stirs up the fear and then some in you. Like Warp from 64, it’s like you’re on a acid trip about to go horribly wrong. Like Sector X from that same game, things do feel right at all. Bonus points for the fact dear old Dad might be in here somewhere, lost in the untouched depths, and you might be about to join him…
Star Fox Adventures
I…haven’t played Adventures. Picked it up years ago but never tried it. Sorry. Nothing to say here except the re-renditions of the Meteo and final boss themes from 64 are decent. There was also an unused version of the Area 64 track too, give that a swatch.
Star Fox Assault
Now this game I’ve got a fondness for. Yes, the controls are clunky in the on-foot portions. The dialogue may be a bit too serious for its own good at times. And of course, the game does suffer for being a linear experience as opposed to the paths you can take on the Lylat Wars games. Yet this is perhaps the most well-rounded Star Fox game – A little bit of everything in terms of combat, and a new original story. We also have an orchestra to give the soundtrack an extra layer of epic befitting the plot, where the shit increasingly hits the fan.
Oikonny’s Fleet
While it stands as this game’s answer to Area 6’s theme and pales in comparison as a result, it does still hold up well enough on its own. Once again, you’re fighting your way through a space armada, this time in brand spanking new Arwings that control silky-smoothly. Star Fox is back.
Boss Battle 1 and 3
Bluntly, there’s not a lot of difference between the two majorly used boss themes throughout the game (Number 2 stands out but you only hear it for about 30 seconds in the opening level and that’s it). But the scale of the situation and the depravity of the Aparoids most certainly comes through thanks to a recurring trick in the game’s soundtrack – Psycho strings. I’ll bring ‘em back up in a moment.
Star Wolf
I didn’t want to talk about the same track twice but for Star Wolf an exception must be made because my oh my does the orchestra elevate this to new heights. The 64 version is all action, whereas this is proper adventure thanks to the slower tempo. Replacing the synths with brass horns make the team’s entrance a proper be-on-your-guard moment.
Aparoid Tunnel
Here we are then, the Psycho strings are here and they’re teaming up with some dramatic horns and brass to make a memorable twenty second loop. I wish there was an extended version of this. At this point in the game, you’ve had to put up with a lot of destruction and loss and you are so close to the end now. Trouble is you are well within the lion’s den, penetrating a great unknown with God only knows what at the end of the tunnel.
Queen Battle Parts 1 and 2
I might be clutching at straws at this point but I think Part 1 helps sell the fact that for the first time you are battling the final boss with the whole Star Fox team by your side. You’ve got the fate of the universe on your shoulders here facing the root of all the game’s evil, but you’ve got your mates with you! And Part 2 can best be summed up by the wonderfully narmy line from Fox: “Here I come you evil space hag!”. If ever there was a time to drop the f-bomb…
Star Fox Command
Command’s a controversial entry in the series, not least because it’s the one that essentially killed the franchise. You know how I said one of Assault’s drawbacks is it’s lack of branching paths making for a linear experience? Well, Command sees that criticism and it overcorrects with NINE endings, many of them shite.
(For the record, given that this was the last Star Fox game in this timeline, my go to ending is number two. After that, one and five. Balls to the rest.)
The soundtrack is also watered down, given we’re now on the much smaller Nintendo DS. Gone are the gritty yet lush orchestral flourishes, and in their place are cheaper-sounding midi tracks. Not good, but credit where credit is due we get some original tunes for this one. See, you get the chance to play as a whole host of characters new and old in Command, and each one has their own theme.
Mr Genius, Slippy Toad
Because you can control Slippy, he’s no longer a liability! When you pilot his Bull Frog, you truly feel like the one who can sort this mess out, the underdog here to do his best. I’d call it a peppy track but that would just cause a headache.
The Skillful Flight of Falco
A few characters will get an alternate theme when facing off against any of the motherships on the map. And for me, Falco’s stands well above the main version as it befits an ace pilot who doesn’t just fly a ship. He glides and sways around, giving his opponents whiplash as they struggle to keep up with him. That’s conveyed by the wind instrumentation used in this track, and I so wish we could hear an orchestral take on it.
Fox’s Forgotten Love, Krystal
OK so Krystal’s character gets assassinated big time in this game, but we get a rather magnificent and melancholy theme for her at least.
Heroes of Old, Peppy Hare and James McCloud
Remember how I said I wished there was an extended version of Aparoid Tunnel? Well Command did take another cue from Assault and turned into Peppy’s (and James’ for some reason) theme. The old wisened hero back in the cockpit one last time, and given this will only occur on the path where Fox elects to permanently disband the team, there’s a bittersweet finality to this one too.
Katt Monroe, Falco’s Admirer
Speaking of expanding on cues, here’s what happens when a ten second cue is stretched to two minutes.
Panther Caroso’s Theme
Olé! Bit of flirty flamenco for Panther. Get used to hearing it too because you’ll be using the Black Rose for all it’s worth given that it has the most powerful weapon in the game.
Right, that’ll do.
Now we’ve got the new game. Its soundtrack is 64’s, but in the orchestral style of Assault? And there’s even choral vocals on tracks like Warp?? Sold. Although I get the criticism for not making something new, and hell I was guilty of that in the opening paragraphs of this entry, you need something tried and tested to ease the potential new audience in. Once we’ve got them and sequels are greenlit, then we can focus on something original. Until then, just enjoy the good times. We’re back in Lylat. We’ve got Star Fox back. Not a lot might be right with the world right now, but this? This makes things a bit better.
A-Side Glance 