The year was 2005. GameCube owners were starving. After the polarizing, Zelda-like departure of Star Fox Adventures, fans wanted one thing: Fox McCloud back in the cockpit of an Arwing. When Namco and Nintendo finally dropped Star Fox Assault, they didn't just give us a pilot. They gave us a soldier.
Star Fox Assault Fox wasn't the same cocky mercenary from the Nintendo 64 era. He was older, his voice was deeper, and for the first time in the series' history, he spent as much time running around on his own two feet as he did soaring through the clouds. Some people loved it. Others? They still haven't forgiven Namco for the clunky ground controls.
It’s easy to look back and say the game was just "okay," but that ignores how much Fox himself changed. He became a leader. He had to deal with the death of an entire species—the Aparoids—and the moral weight of a war that felt much more "real" than the arcade antics of the 90s.
The Identity Crisis of Fox McCloud
In Star Fox Assault, Fox underwent a massive design overhaul. Gone was the flight suit that looked like a padded life vest. Instead, we got a sleek, armored tactical suit. It signaled a shift in tone. This wasn't just a mission to save Corneria; it was a desperate fight for survival against a hive-mind virus.
Fox became a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. One minute you’re in the Arwing, performing a barrel roll to deflect lasers. The next, you’re jumping out of the cockpit onto the wing of the Great Fox, firing a sniper rifle at waves of incoming enemies. It was frantic. It was messy. Honestly, it was a little bit confusing for players who just wanted a rail shooter.
The biggest point of contention was the Landmaster. In Star Fox 64, the tank felt like a powerhouse. In Assault, the ground missions forced Fox into these wide-open arenas. You had to swap between the Landmaster and on-foot combat constantly. If you’ve ever tried to aim Fox's blaster using the GameCube’s tiny C-stick while a swarm of Aparoids is chewing on your fur, you know the frustration. It wasn't smooth. It felt like Fox was sliding on ice half the time.
✨ Don't miss: Teenager Playing Video Games: What Most Parents Get Wrong About the Screen Time Debate
Why the Voice Acting Mattered
Jim Walker took over the role of Fox for this entry. He brought a certain gravitas that was missing before. If you listen to the dialogue in the Fortuna or Katina levels, Fox sounds tired. He sounds like a guy who has seen too many of his friends almost die.
There's this specific tension between Fox and Wolf O'Donnell that reaches its peak here. In Assault, they aren't just rivals. They’re forced to work together. Seeing Star Fox Assault Fox stand back-to-back with Wolf during the final assault on the Aparoid Homeworld is still one of the most iconic moments in the entire franchise. It humanized him. He wasn't just a polygon with a "Hey, Einstein!" voice line. He was a guy willing to trust his enemy to save the galaxy.
The Technical Reality of Namco's Influence
Namco’s development team (specifically the folks who worked on Ace Combat) handled the flight mechanics, and you can tell. The Arwing segments are arguably the tightest they’ve ever been. The sense of speed is incredible.
But then there's the on-foot stuff.
Because Namco also developed SoulCalibur and Tekken, they wanted the ground combat to feel kinetic. They gave Fox a huge arsenal: machine guns, Gatling guns, homing launchers, and grenades. It turned Fox into a third-person shooter protagonist. For a series built on "do a barrel roll," this was a seismic shift.
🔗 Read more: Swimmers Tube Crossword Clue: Why Snorkel and Inner Tube Aren't the Same Thing
The missions were structured like this:
- Clear the skies in the Arwing.
- Land and destroy "hatchers" on foot.
- Hop in the Landmaster to take out a boss.
It was a loop that felt repetitive to some, but it gave Fox a versatility he never had before. He wasn't just a pilot anymore. He was a commando.
The Aparoid Threat and the Ending
The story of Star Fox Assault is surprisingly dark. The Aparoids are basically the Borg of the Nintendo universe. They don't just kill you; they "assimilate" you. When Pigma Dengar gets infected and turned into a giant mechanical monstrosity, the look on Fox's face—even in 2005 graphics—is pure horror.
This forced Fox into a more stoic role. He had to lead Peppy, Slippy, and Falco through a meat grinder. The game culminates in a suicide mission. There’s no other way to describe it. Fox enters the Queen’s lair knowing he might not come back. It gave the character a layer of heroism that felt earned. It wasn't just about the money anymore, which was the original Star Fox Team's motivation. It was about legacy.
What Most People Get Wrong About Assault
People often rank Assault near the bottom of the series, just above Star Fox Zero or the weird experimental stuff. That’s a mistake. While the controls were wonky, the characterization of Fox was at its peak.
💡 You might also like: Stuck on Today's Connections? Here is How to Actually Solve the NYT Grid Without Losing Your Mind
He had a burgeoning, awkward romance with Krystal that added some much-needed softness to the gritty war story. He had a deeper respect for Peppy, who had moved into a mentor role on the Great Fox. He was a fully realized character.
If you go back and play it today on a Wii or an original GameCube, skip the "Gold" medals for a second. Just look at the level design. The scale was massive for its time. Seeing Fox stand on a platform while a massive capital ship explodes in the background—that was "next-gen" before we knew what that meant.
How to Play Star Fox Assault Fox Today
If you’re looking to revisit this version of Fox, you have a few options, though none are as easy as they should be. Nintendo hasn't put this on the Switch Online service yet, which is a crime.
- Original Hardware: A GameCube or a first-gen Wii with the ports on top is the way to go. You need that analog trigger feel for the Arwing's boosters.
- The Second Controller Trick: If you find the ground controls impossible, try the "Dual Stick" control scheme in the options menu. It maps movement to one stick and aiming to the other, making Fox feel much more like a modern shooter character.
- Multiplayer: Don't sleep on the local multiplayer. Playing as Fox against three friends on the ground is where the chaos of Namco’s design really shines. You can unlock Wolf, Peppy, and even Slippy, each with different stats.
The legacy of Star Fox Assault Fox is one of transition. He was moving away from the simple 16-bit hero of the SNES and into a more complex, multi-dimensional leader. The game didn't stick the landing on every front, but it gave the character a soul. It proved that Fox McCloud could survive outside of his cockpit, even if he tripped over the controls every now and then.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're diving back into the Lylat System, keep these things in mind to get the most out of Fox’s GameCube outing:
- Master the "On-Foot" strafe: Hold the L or R triggers while on foot to lock Fox's orientation. This is the only way to survive the later missions like the Orbital Gate.
- Check the used market carefully: Copies of Star Fox Assault have spiked in price. Look for "Black Label" versions rather than the "Player's Choice" if you're a collector, as the disc art is often better preserved.
- Focus on the Arwing upgrades: In Assault, your wing health carries over more significantly than in 64. If you lose a wing early as Fox, the rest of the mission is a nightmare. Learn the barrel roll timing for the Aparoid projectiles specifically; they have a different "hitbox" than Pigma's or Andross's old lasers.
- Ignore the "Adventures" hate: To understand Fox's mindset in Assault, you really should know what happened in the previous game. It explains why he’s so protective of Krystal and why the team is struggling with money at the start of the game.
Ultimately, Fox McCloud in this era was a gamble. Nintendo and Namco tried to make him a "Super Soldier." While they may have overcomplicated the gameplay, they succeeded in making Fox a legend. He wasn't just a fox in a ship; he was the hero Corneria needed.