Falco Lombardi, a narrative entangled with gameplay.

Star Fox 64 is a simple arcade style shooter with a simple, story. However, it is told in a very effective and endearing manner, which is why it is so memorable to this day. Ultimately, it is the story of the son of a renowned war hero who must now take over his mantle, but unlike his father who came before him, he just does not have the same pedigree. Fox McCloud is a skilled pilot, but he has never really made a name for himself, and he has much to prove.

 

On his motley crew of pilots, you have Slippy Toad, a genius engineer who is a serviceable pilot, but not exactly the most skilled, Peppy Hare, who is a wise veteran who fought alongside the heroic James McCloud, and Falco Lombardi, a hot-headed ace pilot who values skill above all else.

 

Falco’s personality naturally clashes with Fox’s position, which he would feel is unjustified. Fox is still green, lacking in experience, and Falco starts the game feeling as if he is working under someone who has not yet earned his respect. As such, he is especially critical of Fox, the player, whenever he fails to accomplish an objective, and it takes a lot for him to even acknowledge your accomplishments.

 

Everything comes down to one thing: He values skill intrinsically. He lacks patience for blunders, but it is not as if his philosophy only applies to you. You can tell that he feels shameful whenever you must bail him out of a precarious situation. He teases Slippy, but you can also see that he does show appreciation for his technical skills in terms of engineering. You can also see that he is far harsher with you than he is with Slippy. This very likely stems from your position as a leader. Again, you have not earned his respect; and this is why he sometimes does not exactly listen to you.

 

As you play through the different routes, you may notice that if you keep failing objectives and going on the easy route, Falco will be a lot harsher on you, and upon reaching the end of the game, he will have gained some respect for you, but he will not have completely accepted you as his leader. If you keep beating objectives, and take the harder route, Falco will start working with you more, he’ll show you secret areas, back you up, and you’ll even see a character from his past show up to help; showing a softer side of him. Upon completing the game, his respect for you will have been completely earned as he exclaims “That’s our leader!”.

 

From a gameplay perspective, it is a very good way to give feedback to the player in a believable way. If a character highly values skill, it makes sense that they will react differently to you depending on how much skill you show off. It can be shown off in multiple ways, such as beating a boss or enemies quickly enough to prevent an ally being taken out, hitting switches to derail a train, stopping an onslaught of missiles racing towards your mothership, or just flying under a few arches just for style points. Falco rewards you for playing well, and bluntly tells you when you messed up.

 

Some players have gotten the character entirely wrong and instantly took to disliking him for his harsh rhetoric. They assumed that the character was just being mean to the player just to be mean, and without valid reasons. Yet, this could not be farther from the truth. If anything, you are the leader, and you hold their lives into your hands. A single mistake can cost them their lives, and Falco is acutely aware of this. He will not give you a free pass because you’re daddy’s little boy. Where you’re coming from doesn’t matter; what matters is that you work hard to keep your crew alive. It is a very pragmatic way of seeing the world, but it is not inherently a cruel one. If you stand there complaining that he’s berating you after you have failed to meet his expectations, you are just the kind of person that Falco cannot stand; a person who makes excuses for his shortcomings. If you rise above that, start to understand where he is coming from, and aim to improve, and actually do; he will respect you.

 

For a game with such a simple story, it is surprising how believable its characters feel. With only a few one liners here and there, you can get a very in-depth understanding of how they view the world, and the fact that it affects gameplay is an astonishing realization. Star Fox 64 has always been one of my most beloved games of all time, and one I love revisiting from time to time.