[0:00] Starfox 64 is known in part for being
[0:03] one of the shortest Nintendo first-party
[0:05] games of all time, at least if your only
[0:07] goal is to beat Andross on the basic
[0:09] route. But, a single playthrough only
[0:11] shows a fraction of what's actually in
[0:14] the campaign. There are 16 stages in
[0:16] Starfox on Switch 2, and nine of them
[0:19] feature alternate paths that are
[0:20] required to access a large portion of
[0:22] the game. In this video, I'll go stage
[0:25] by stage to explain how to unlock every
[0:27] alternate path in Starfox for Nintendo
[0:30] Switch 2.
[0:31] A full campaign run consists of seven
[0:34] missions, with the first always being
[0:36] Corneria and the final being either
[0:38] Venom 1 or Venom 2, depending on the
[0:40] route you take and whether you're going
[0:42] for the true ending. But, when I say
[0:44] seven missions, each of the missions
[0:46] between Mission 2 and Mission 6 can be
[0:49] one of two or three stages. Note that if
[0:52] you're trying to get the true ending,
[0:54] you'll need to make sure that your sixth
[0:56] mission takes place on Area 6. There are
[0:59] multiple routes that will take you
[1:00] there, so don't worry if you mess up an
[1:02] early alternate route, as there will be
[1:04] more points that will allow you to get
[1:06] back on track. Also, another thing to
[1:08] keep in mind is that when I mention that
[1:10] one path leads to one stage, while
[1:12] another path leads to another,
[1:14] oftentimes achieving the alternate path
[1:17] will let you choose what your next stage
[1:18] will be out of the two you just
[1:20] unlocked. It's not always the case,
[1:22] though, so take a look at this map to
[1:24] get a full scope on where every path
[1:26] could lead you.
[1:28] With all that in mind, let's start from
[1:29] the beginning and break down how each
[1:31] branch unfolds and how to achieve those
[1:34] branching paths, mission by mission.
[1:39] Corneria is where the game first teaches
[1:41] you that your performance actually
[1:42] matters and that listening to what your
[1:44] teammates are saying is often a clue on
[1:46] how to get the secret exits. Corneria's
[1:49] alternate path begins shortly after the
[1:51] checkpoint. When Falco says he's lining
[1:54] up enemies for you, destroy the group
[1:56] chasing him to keep him alive. As you
[1:58] reach the water, Falco will point out
[2:00] the archways and lead you through them.
[2:02] Fly underneath all seven stone arches,
[2:05] then follow him through the waterfall to
[2:06] defeat the boss.
[2:10] >> That was the easy part, Fox.
[2:18] Beginner's luck.
[2:23] I've got eyes on a high-value target.
[2:25] Follow me.
[2:28] >> You'd better be right about this, Falco.
[2:30] >> Completing Falco's challenge unlocks a
[2:32] choice between Sector Y and Titania. If
[2:35] Falco is defeated or you miss the
[2:37] challenge, you'll be forced into
[2:39] Titania.
[2:42] From here, the campaign immediately
[2:44] splits, and Mission 2 becomes one of the
[2:46] first major branching points in the
[2:48] game. For Titania, it has two exits, one
[2:51] of which is a warp. Around the middle of
[2:53] the stage, you'll pass through a
[2:54] hollowed-out asteroid before reaching a
[2:56] checkpoint. Shortly after, Slippy will
[2:58] mention a strange energy source, and
[3:01] you'll see a cluster of small meteors
[3:03] ahead. After the cluster, you'll spot an
[3:05] orange warp tunnel. Enter it, and your
[3:08] Arwing will begin to spin. There are
[3:10] seven warp rings in total. Fly through
[3:12] all of them to trigger a cutscene and
[3:14] enter an alternate version of the stage.
[3:16] >> Never give up. Trust your instincts.
[3:34] >> Completing this will get you access to
[3:36] Katina. If you ignore the warp rings and
[3:39] complete the stage normally, you'll
[3:41] instead go to Katina.
[3:43] If you chose Sector Y as your second
[3:45] mission, the alternate path is as
[3:47] follows.
[3:48] Earn 100 or more hits to unlock the hard
[3:51] route, which leads to Aquas.
[3:54] Score 99 hits or fewer and you'll take
[3:56] the easy route to Katina. About halfway
[3:58] through the stage, Peppy will shout out
[4:00] that you guys should split up. I
[4:02] recommend taking the top route as it has
[4:04] far more enemies than the bottom route.
[4:07] This should give you more than 100 hits
[4:08] easily. As you can see, I enter the boss
[4:11] with over 150. But, if you're a bit
[4:14] short of 100, the bosses will give you a
[4:16] combined 16 extra hits. You want to keep
[4:19] that in mind if you want to stay under
[4:21] 100 hits as you'll need to enter the
[4:23] boss with fewer than 83 hits. Which is
[4:25] easy. Just don't shoot that many things.
[4:28] >> The time bomb has been planted.
[4:30] >> By mission 3, the game starts layering
[4:32] both time pressure and objective-based
[4:33] conditions on top of each other, making
[4:36] route control much more demanding.
[4:38] Titania's hard route requires you to
[4:39] defeat Star Wolf before the time runs
[4:41] out. This isn't very difficult. Just use
[4:44] the mini-map to keep track of the enemy
[4:46] crew. They're the purple icons. After
[4:49] defeating them, Fox will diffuse the
[4:50] bomb and the mission will be complete
[4:52] and you'll be shipped off to Solar. If
[4:54] you fail to defeat Star Wolf in time,
[4:57] you'll be routed to Sector X. Katina
[4:59] follows a similar structure to Titania
[5:02] in that it's an all-range battle that
[5:03] pitch you against an enemy with a time
[5:05] limit. But, instead of a crew, it's a
[5:07] boss named Saucerer. There won't be a
[5:10] timer at first, so you'll need to make
[5:12] multiple passes destroying the
[5:13] Saucerer's vents as they open. Once all
[5:16] four are down, the core will be exposed
[5:18] and a minute-long timer will begin.
[5:21] Simply destroy the core to complete the
[5:22] stage and be sent to Solar. If you fail,
[5:25] you'll be treated to an Independence Day
[5:27] style cutscene and you'll be sent to
[5:29] Sector X. Aquas is the only exception
[5:32] here in mission 3, acting as a linear
[5:35] stage with no branching conditions. It
[5:38] always leads to Zoness regardless of
[5:40] performance.
[5:43] In the mission 4 stages, the route
[5:45] structure becomes significantly more
[5:47] complex, combining hidden triggers,
[5:49] performance gates, and conditional
[5:51] branching across multiple possible
[5:53] destinations. Sector X is the only stage
[5:56] in the game that features both a hidden
[5:57] warp route and two branching paths,
[6:00] giving you three possible outcomes. For
[6:02] the warp route, after the checkpoint,
[6:05] take the left fork and shoot the large
[6:07] rectangular panels until they open.
[6:09] You'll spot these after the obstacle
[6:11] course of moving platforms. Shoo and fly
[6:14] through all four of them, which then
[6:16] triggers a cutscene and an alternate
[6:18] ending of the stage.
[6:24] >> Heads up, Fox.
[6:26] Keep at it.
[6:34] Get your eyes checked, Fox.
[6:39] Warping out? You've got guts, Fox.
[6:43] We've got to see where this leads.
[6:48] >> Taking the warp path takes you to Sector
[6:50] Z.
[6:52] Alternatively, if you take the standard
[6:54] route, you'll face Spyborg. To reach
[6:57] him, just play the stage like normal
[6:58] without entering the warp zones. Going
[7:00] left or right at the split doesn't
[7:02] matter. Spyborg has two phases, and
[7:05] depending on how the second phase goes
[7:07] is what determines what path you'll get.
[7:09] After destroying his eyeballs, Spyborg
[7:12] will power down for a moment before
[7:14] kicking back into gear for phase two.
[7:16] Once this happens, Slippy shouts that
[7:18] they are going to attempt to get close
[7:19] and reprogram Spyborg. You need to
[7:22] prevent this from happening to get the
[7:23] alternate path exit. To do that, focus
[7:26] your firepower on the head where the
[7:28] lights are.
[7:44] If you succeed
[7:45] >> take him down before Slippy gets to him,
[7:48] Slippy will pout about not being able to
[7:50] reprogram him, but you'll have achieved
[7:52] the alternate path which leads to
[7:53] Macbeth. If you don't defeat Spyborg
[7:56] before Slippy approaches him, he'll swat
[7:58] Slippy out of the way, destroying their
[8:00] ship and preventing you from heading to
[8:02] Macbeth. You'll instead be sent to
[8:04] Titania. If your goal is to reach
[8:06] Macbeth, the moment Slippy goes down,
[8:09] pause the game and hit restart, then
[8:11] restart from the latest checkpoint. This
[8:13] will prevent you from having to replay
[8:15] the entire stage and quickly give you
[8:17] another shot at saving Slippy. If your
[8:20] fourth mission is Solar, then your job
[8:22] is easy. Solar has no branching paths at
[8:25] all. Defeating the boss will always lead
[8:27] you to Macbeth.
[8:28] If you did Aquas in mission three, then
[8:31] mission four will always be Zoness,
[8:33] which introduces a stealth style
[8:35] objective into the routing system,
[8:37] requiring you to shoot all of the
[8:39] spotlights throughout the stage. There
[8:41] are a lot of them and they typically
[8:43] show up in clusters. Luckily, your
[8:45] charged laser targeting can lock onto
[8:47] them and Kat, an old friend of Falco's,
[8:50] will show up during the second cluster
[8:52] to help you out. Though, my
[8:54] recommendation is to not rely on her
[8:56] help too much, as she misses more than
[8:59] she hits. If you destroy all the
[9:01] spotlights without being detected,
[9:03] you'll unlock the alternate path to
[9:04] Sector Z. If any searchlight spots you,
[9:08] you'll instead be routed to Macbeth.
[9:12] By mission five, most of the remaining
[9:14] branches are determined by execution
[9:16] under pressure, where small mistakes can
[9:18] permanently alter your path. Except for
[9:21] Titania. If you fail to save Slippy
[9:23] against the Spyborg in Sector X, your
[9:26] mission five will be Titania, which is
[9:28] linear and will always send you to
[9:30] Bolse. If your fifth mission is Macbeth,
[9:33] the branching path revolves around
[9:35] precision during the train lock sequence
[9:37] at the end of the stage. To achieve the
[9:39] alternate path condition, you'll need to
[9:41] shoot all eight train locks with the
[9:43] tank, as well as the track switch. This
[9:46] is honestly one of the hardest alternate
[9:48] path conditions in the game, as it
[9:50] requires you to not only keep track of
[9:52] finding all eight locks, but the final
[9:54] four locks are during the boss fight. As
[9:57] you approach the final stretch of the
[9:58] stage, Peppy will say that you need to
[10:01] shoot all eight locks. This is your cue
[10:03] that the first one is coming up. Lock
[10:05] one is on the right side of the track.
[10:08] Lock two is also on the right side of
[10:10] the track, just behind and to the right
[10:12] of lock one. Lock three is on the left
[10:15] side of the track, so you'll need to
[10:16] make sure enough of the train cars are
[10:18] destroyed to cross over. Lock four is
[10:20] right in line with lock three, but on
[10:22] the right side of the track. I recommend
[10:24] using your brake here to make sure you
[10:26] have time to shoot them both.
[10:28] Lock five is the hardest one to hit, as
[10:30] it's on the left side of the track as
[10:32] the boss emerges. So, go slow, brake
[10:34] often, and make sure to not miss it.
[10:36] >> Lucky you.
[10:39] >> At this point, you'll need to just
[10:40] ignore the boss. We won't be fighting
[10:42] him at all. Lock six is on the right
[10:45] side of the track behind a shutter that
[10:46] you need to shoot to open up. Three
[10:49] shots open it, but hitting it again will
[10:51] force it closed. Lock seven is once
[10:53] again on the left side of the track,
[10:55] which is even with lock eight, which is
[10:57] on the right side. Luckily, if Falco is
[10:59] alive, he will offer to shoot the eighth
[11:02] lock. Once you've hit all eight locks,
[11:04] you'll need to hit the final rail
[11:06] switch. It's on the right side of the
[11:07] track just after the falling spikes.
[11:10] It's fine if you have the health to take
[11:12] some damage here. Just make sure you
[11:13] don't miss the switch. You'll know you
[11:15] hit it when the hits plus 50 icon shows
[11:18] up. Completing the train lock puzzle
[11:20] will send you to area six. If you fail
[11:22] to hit all of the locks or the final
[11:24] switch, you'll be shipped off to Bolse.
[11:27] If Sector Z is your mission five, you'll
[11:29] be treated with one of the easiest
[11:31] alternate path
[11:33] Halfway through the mission, a cutscene
[11:34] featuring Rob 64 will play showing you
[11:37] that six Copperhead missiles are headed
[11:39] towards the Great Fox. These move super
[11:42] slow and are easy to hit. They'll come
[11:44] in three waves. First one missile, then
[11:46] two,
[11:47] then three. Destroy them all before they
[11:49] reach the Great Fox to unlock Area 6. If
[11:52] any missile hits, the mission will end
[11:55] and you'll be routed to Bolse.
[11:59] Mission 6 is where most of the paths
[12:01] converge. At this point, the branching
[12:03] structure collapses into a final split
[12:06] between the game's two end-game routes.
[12:08] If your Mission 6 is Bolse, it only has
[12:11] one route and always leads to Venom 1,
[12:13] the easier path to the ending. Venom 1
[12:16] will pit you against Andross, but this
[12:18] is not the true ending. This means that
[12:20] if your Mission 6 is Bolse, you'll need
[12:22] to restart the campaign if you are
[12:24] seeking the true ending. Area 6 is the
[12:27] same as Bolse and that it only has one
[12:29] route which leads to Venom 2. If you are
[12:32] in Area 6, congrats, you are on your way
[12:35] to the true ending.
[12:38] All right, time for Mission 7. Just
[12:40] note, although Venom appears as a single
[12:42] location on the map and only has one
[12:44] medal in the main game, it's actually
[12:47] two separate missions depending on your
[12:48] route, as I just mentioned with Area 6
[12:50] and Bolse. At this point, everything
[12:53] funnels into the final confrontation,
[12:55] but the game still tracks how you got
[12:56] there. Venom 1 leads to the fake ending
[12:59] and does not allow you to face the true
[13:01] final boss or see the true ending.
[13:03] Complete this mission to finish this run
[13:05] of the campaign. Venom 2 leads to the
[13:08] true ending and allows you to face the
[13:10] true final boss. Completing this mission
[13:12] will let you see the true ending and
[13:14] will reward you with the game's ending
[13:16] credits.
[13:18] And that is it. That is every single
[13:20] alternate path detailed in Star Fox for
[13:22] Nintendo Switch 2. I hope you enjoyed
[13:25] the video and for more on Star Fox, make
[13:27] sure to head on over to our wiki over on
[13:29] ign.com, where we have written guides
[13:31] for obtaining all the stage medals. And
[13:33] of course, for everything else video
[13:34] games, stick with IGN.
[13:40] >> Enemy fighters here.