A rail shooter developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development with assistance from Argonaut Software, Star Fox was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Famicom in 1993 (marketed as Starwing in Europe). The first entry in the Star Fox series, it places players in control of Fox McCloud, leading the Star Fox team in defense of their home planet Corneria against the invading forces of Andross. The game was notable at the time for its use of the Super FX chip, which enabled polygon-based 3D graphics on the SNES hardware, distinguishing it visually from most other titles on the platform. Players navigate a series of on-rails stages, piloting an Arwing spacecraft and engaging enemy forces across multiple routes of varying difficulty.
This game takes place in a binary solar system called the Lylat system, which is inhabited by humanlike animal races (e.g. foxes, frogs, dogs, birds, rabbits, apes, etc.). It contains the planets Corneria and Venom, representing good and evil, respectively. One can visit many other planets, asteroid belts, space stations, etc. while going through the course of the game. Which path the player chooses affects what places they will encounter. Andross, a scientist, has fled to Planet Venom after being banished from Planet Corneria, and has now declared war on Corneria and unleashed an enormous army to wreak havoc on the Lylat system. General Pepper, the commanding officer of Corneria's defense force, has decided to dispatch a prototype high-performance fighter aircraft called the "Arwing." However, lacking in time to train pilots for the new fighters, he summons the elite mercenary team Star Fox to defeat Andross. Fox McCloud, the leader of the team, is accompanied by his teammates Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad.
