Star Fox 64's Training Mode: An Excellent Way To Teach The Game

While Star Fox 64 isn't exactly a complicated game, players still need to learn how to play it, from steering the Arwing and shooting lasers to advanced maneuvers such as the somersault and U-turn. The training mode is not only a good way of teaching the game, but also an entertaining experience that appeals to players who already know how to fly an Arwing.

The tutorial starts off simply, by showing you how to steer. Eventually, it adds in enemies and teaches how to use your bombs and lasers(in that order, presumably so players don't get trigger happy and shoot the targets they're supposed to be bombing. Lastly, it features gates that open and close to teach you how to speed up, slow down and use other maneuvers. The obstacles and enemies aren't too damaging, so you generally won't die unless you're trying to do so.

There are, however, rings around the training area; flying into one increases your score by one, and your score resets to zero if you miss a ring. If you fly through all 100 rings, ROB will congratulate you. This is not an easy task for a first-time player, but can be a challenge worth pursuing if you'd like to challenge yourself.

After you complete the training course, which runs in a standard "corridor"-style(you can move your Arwing horizontally or vertically to collect powerups or avoid enemies or obstacles, but are always moving forward), the Training Mode switches to an All-Range Mode, in which you fly freely and dogfight with enemies. In addition to all the skills you've learned thus far, you can practice skills unique to All Range Mode like the U-Turn or turning around. The Training Mode only ends when you die or quit, but if you score 100 points, a Wolfen- the signature fighter of Star Fox's rival mercenary group Star Wolf- appears and actually fires upon you, which makes for a good Easter egg.

If I had to name any flaws associated with the tutorial, it's that there isn't one for the two other vehicles in the game- the Landmaster tank and the Blue Marine submarine. The former is only available in two late game levels(Titania and Macbeth), and the latter in only one (Aquas), but the two of them, especially the former have some notable differences from the Arwing, so a short tutorial might have helped players learn how to use them.

Star Fox 64 doesn't require a very complicated tutorial, and Nintendo could perhaps have gotten away with not including one at all considering that the first level does a good job easing new players into the game. Instead, Nintendo included a well-designed tutorial that effectively teaches how to play the game and has enough secrets that people who have mastered the game will likely come back to play it again, succeeding at being both fun and educationa.

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