Sep 25th 1-2-3: Star Fox 64 - When You Take Too Long
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I hope your last week has been fruitful and memorable. Today, I will be going over one of my favorite pieces of art in the video game space, Star Fox 64.
This game has always been a joy to return to, simply because it is so focused and short. I could write many articles on this game, but I want to focus on one part of the development, how taking too long made the game better.
So what’s the story behind Star Fox 64?
1: The Story Behind The Story ( 3 minute read )
It is 1993, and Star Fox was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the second of Nintendo’s home consoles.
The game used the Super FX chip, allowing for the first major 3D polygonal graphics on the console.
After how well it did, the obvious decision was to make a sequel, and Shigeru Miyamoto did just that.
He expanded on existing concepts and introduced new ones such as All-Range Mode, a rival pilot team with Star Wolf, and branching paths for the main campaign to follow.
There was a rub, however. By the time 1995 rolled around, even though the game was nearly completed, the next Nintendo console was already underway.
The Nintendo 64 would overshadow the Super Nintendo Entertainment System graphics by a longshot.
So the game was canceled by Nintendo so that Shigeru Miyamoto could focus on building a Star Fox game for the upcoming Nintendo 64 console.
Can you imagine having two years of you and your team’s work thrown away due to advancements in technology? For what it is worth, this is something that happens frequently in many artistic fields. Oftentimes, it makes for a much better end product.
In the case of Star Fox 64, it paved the way for one of the best games in history.
The team rolled right into development and built Star Fox 64 from the ground up.
They utilized ideas and designs from their development on Star Fox 2 and even expanded on the ideas in order to build the soon to be legendary video game.
There were complications and challenges as one would expect from any good development story.
The team did not have access to the final Nintendo 64 hardware, so they were “flying” blind in many regards. They instead had to utilize dev kits, borrowed assets , testing framework, and analog stick code bases with the Super Mario 64 team.
Early prototypes were created using basic 3D shapes to test movement and rail mechanics.
Rumble Paks were a new innovation, so they included that in their design to give physical feedback for hits, boosts, and explosions. I’ll never forget playing this for the first time as a kid. The rumble immersed me further into the world and action of Star Fox 64.
Not only did they include the Rumble Pak in their design, they even bundled it with the game, making it the first game to bundle the Pak.
They included voice acting with over 700 unique voice lines, and even animated the characters as they communicated to you during battle through the radio comms.
A puppet like mouth effect was chosen for the characters, adding to the charm of Team Fox and company.
All Range Mode was brought back from the Star Fox 2 development and expanded into full 3D, not to mention a multiplayer mode.
Branching level paths were brought to the game, allowing for performance based route changes and replayability due to the hidden objectives.
There was nothing more amazing to me as a kid than seeing other planets that I didn’t know how to get to, and figuring out the secrets that opened up other paths!
Lastly, a heroic space opera was the narrative focus for the game.
The team dashed in the perfect amount of exposition, conversation, and plot throughout the game.
Add in perfect art direction with clean shapes and bright effects for clarity and speed, and the perfect soundtrack with dynamic changes and themes to make Star Fox 64 a perfect game.
It was released in 1997 and was praised, making it the highest-selling entry in the Star Fox franchise.
The extra time and restart allowed Star Fox 2 to be made Star Fox 64 into what it is today, a high-water mark in action design.
There have been other Star Fox games to be released since Star Fox 64, and while they have varying changes and quality levels (some diverting entirely into different genres, I love you too Star Fox Adventures), Star Fox 64 remains the clear high point in the series.
So when you are creating something, if there is a need to restart, just know there is a good chance you are about to make it much better than you ever dreamed it could be.
2: Creative Insights From Us
I. Are there any ideas you’ve had in the past that you could revisit?
II. If you are running into roadblocks in your creating of a body of work, is it possible you could restart and use the pieces in a different way to make something even better?
3: Inspirational Quotes From The Team
I. “I wasn’t interested in doing the same thing [as many sci‑fi games focus on robots, super heroes, monsters] … many scenes in which the fighter goes through arches … torii gates … reminded me of Fushimi Inari Taisha.”
— Miyamoto, explaining the “animals in space” concept and visual inspiration from Japanese shrine gates (torii) in Star Fox 64
II. “Giving the characters voices was unprecedented for Nintendo at that time … so it was all trial and error.”
— Takano, discussing how introducing voice acting in SF64 was a risk and development challenge.
III. “Never give up. Trust your instincts.”
— From Iwata Asks: Takano says he used that line in the game because it was something he said to himself — a mantra.
Thank you so much for reading!