Back in 1995, Star Fox 2 was finished and heading to the Super Nintendo before it was unceremoniously shelved for two decades. Later this month, the SNES Classic Edition will mark the first ever official release of Star Fox 2, and Nintendo has pulled back the curtain a few weeks early. The digital manual for Star Fox 2 has been released online, and it features several never-before-seen glimpses of the game’s development.
Via Kotaku, the Star Fox 2 manual can be read in its entirety here. Most of it is a standard tutorial about how to play the game, who the characters are, and what’s happening in the story. However, the real gems lie buried within the manual in the form of PDFs that include several striking images of Star Fox 2‘s Arwings.
That includes a look at the Arwing’s ground mode, and details of how its transformation works.
It’s kind of like getting an Art of Star Fox 2 digital book for free, but it’s not a completely comprehensive look at the game’s creation. That said, there is a second PDF within the manual that does offer additional insight into the game’s early days…if you can read Japanese.
According to Kotaku, the second PDF is actually three different documents that have been combined. The first few pages are an early draft of the game’s Japanese manual, which is then followed by a lengthy rundown on the where the game’s hidden medals can be found. The final section of the PDF dives into enemy formations that you will encounter throughout the game.
The SNES Classic Edition will be released on September 29, and we can’t wait to take Star Fox 2 out for a test flight!
What did you think about Star Fox 2‘s development artwork? Do a barrel roll and share your thoughts below!
Images: Nintendo
