Star Fox Enhanced

Star Fox Enhanced

A native C++/SDL3 port of UltraStarFox, with Original Star Fox and Star Fox EX experiences, high-frame-rate presentation, widescreen support, and optional visual enhancements using Codex AI (5.6 Sol, 6 Astra, 6 Sol).

THIS PROJECT WAS PORTED AND CODED BY AI/CODEX

AI disclosure: This project is made with AI assistance, including OpenAI Codex and AI tools used for programming, testing, documentation and some visual assets.

Download 0.0.8 · Changelog · Settings and controls · Build guide · Report a bug

This is an alpha release, not a cycle-accurate SNES emulator. A supported, unmodified retail ROM supplied by you is required. No retail ROM is included.

Get started

1. Download the package for your platform. Desktop users should extract it into a writable folder before launching; no source build is necessary.
2. Launch the game. On desktop, place your supported .sfc/.smc ROM beside the executable, or set STARFOX_RETAIL_ROM to its path. Mobile apps provide a first-launch file picker.
3. The game validates your ROM and creates Starfox-Assets.BIN locally. On macOS it is saved in your writable application data folder, not inside the .app bundle (which may be read-only under Gatekeeper). On other desktop platforms, keep the companion with the application. It may need rebuilding after updates to the embedded assets.
4. Choose Original or Star Fox EX, adjust your options, then select Start Game from the main menu.

For devices needing prepared assets, the release includes a standalone Windows asset builder. It accepts the same ROMs; mobile users can also select a ROM directly.

Supported ROMs

• Star Fox Japan: 1.0 / 1.1
• Star Fox USA: 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2
• Starwing Europe: 1.0 / 1.1
• Starwing Germany: 1.0

A 512-byte copier header is accepted. Known revisions are checksum-verified and canonicalized before the source-built patches are applied. Hacks, betas, competition cartridges, Star Fox 2 and unknown revisions are not supported.

Platforms

Package	Notes
Windows x64 / x86	Extract and run starfox_pc.exe.
Linux x64	Native SDL3 runtime.
macOS universal	Unsigned application for Intel and Apple Silicon.
iOS arm64	Unsigned device bundle; signing/sideloading instructions.
Android arm64	Installable development APK; see the upgrade notice below.
Nintendo Switch	Homebrew NRO; setup and optional forwarder.
PS Vita	Homebrew VPK; setup.
Xbox UWP x64	Developer Mode required; setup.
Windows PCVR / Quest 3	Experimental OpenXR packages; VR setup.

Build success does not guarantee identical behavior on every device. See the release notes for verification limits.

Android upgrades: 0.0.6 uses a permanent signing key. Older APKs used temporary keys, so upgrading from those builds requires a one-time reinstall. Back up saves and settings before uninstalling. Later public builds will retain the permanent signing certificate.

Features and settings

• Original and EX: original routes and frontend flow, plus EX's shipped campaigns, native options and mechanics.
• Smooth presentation: 20–480 FPS choices, defaulting to 60. Game pace is independent of render FPS; Original Speed preserves source-style slowdown.
• Display: 4:3, 16:10, 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9; GPU or software presentation.
• Languages: English, English (Europe), Japanese, German, French and Spanish, including menus and dialogue. EX translations include authored additions.
• 2D Options: artwork filtering, 2D Bloom, World Effects and their intensity. The artwork filter also covers textures on 3D polygons.
• 3D Options: anti-aliasing, VSync, 1–4× Render Upscale, 3D Bloom, 3D Smoothing, Enhanced Lighting, HDR Effect, Ray Tracing (hardware DXR shadows, default Off), Chromatic Aberration, Model Effects and Model Effect Intensity. HDR Effect is brightness/contrast processing, not HDR display output. Ray Tracing replaces original shadows rather than drawing a second set; there is no separate Enhanced Shadows toggle.
• Preview: a fixed reference scene shows graphics changes live. Hold Tab to hide the menu temporarily. Preview defaults off each launch.
• Customization: draggable HUD layouts, controller/keyboard remapping, crosshair colors, separate music/SFX volumes, rumble and optional God Mode.

Model and world effects are independent; CEL-DRAWN is model-only and BLUEPRINT is world-only. Most visual enhancements are optional. Higher render scales and additional effects can increase CPU, GPU and memory use.

Optional Original MSU-1 music requires Starfox-MSU1.PAK beside the desktop executable (or in the platform's writable storage). It is not included in the standard packages. Without it, native SPC music remains available.

See Settings and controls for detailed options, EX peripherals, multiplayer and presentation debugging.

Default controls

SNES control	Keyboard	Gamepad position
D-pad	Arrow keys	D-pad / left stick
B	Z	South
Y	A	West
A	X	East
X	S	North
L / R	Q / W	Shoulder buttons
Select	Apostrophe (')	Back/View
Start	Enter	Start/Menu

Button names above follow the SNES layout, not the letters printed on an Xbox controller. Remap controls under Options → Controller. Menu A actions fire once per press; B or Back returns from submenus.

Shortcut	Action
Escape	Exit confirmation
Tab in setup	Hide the menu while held
Tab / Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab outside setup	2× / 3× / 5× fast-forward
Ctrl+Shift+R	Reset; remap the final key under Keyboard → Reset
Ctrl+Alt+F12	Toggle God Mode live
Ctrl+F1 / Ctrl+F2	Save / load the selected state slot
Ctrl+F3	Select state slot 0–9; arrows or D-pad, Enter/A to close
F12 on the main setup page	Enable/disable presentation history for this run
F5 / F6 / F7	Freeze / step forward / step backward with history enabled

Saves and upgrades

Windows/Linux desktop builds are portable: keep these files beside the executable when moving or upgrading. macOS stores them in its writable user application-data folder so an unsigned, Gatekeeper-translocated .app can import a ROM without writing into its read-only bundle. Older macOS bundle settings/saves are copied there on first launch when available.

File	Purpose
Starfox-Assets.BIN	Locally reconstructed runtime assets
starfox-ex.srm	EX cartridge SRAM
pregame.cfg	Game and graphics preferences
input-bindings.cfg	Keyboard and controller mappings
hud-layout.cfg	Per-experience, per-aspect-ratio HUD layouts
Starfox-MSU1.PAK	Optional replacement music

The first normal launch copies missing data from former preference locations; existing portable files win, and originals are not deleted. Mobile and console builds use writable platform storage instead of their read-only package folders.

Development and credits

To build, regenerate source assets or run tests, use the build guide. The architecture notes explain the hybrid native/65C816 boundary: gameplay remains fixed-point while extra presentation frames are interpolated. Visual parity remains an ongoing effort.

See Credits for Nintendo/Argonaut, EX, UltraStarFox and port contributors, and Third-party notices for dependencies and licenses.

FAQ

Q) The speed on "ORIGINAL" is not lining up exactly with an snes reply.

A) Thats because the speed on the SNES is variable depending on how many models on are screen. The "ORIGINAL" pace is an average speed without overload, as close to original as possible. An "ACCURATE" option may come in the future.

Q) THERES XXXXX BUG (AND IVE BEEN REPORTING IT FOR WEEKS)

A) There's a lot to do. A lot. With your patience, it WILL be perfect in time. See the version number? It's accurate.

Q) Will you add Starfox 2/SF Contest/Starglider?

A) Starfox 2: yes. SF Contest: maybe. Starglider: maybe.

Q) Is AI used in this??

A) Yep. I, however, am not personally installing it on your pc or forcing you to play it.

Q) How do I reset settings to default?

A) Hold L+R on the pre-game menu until it resets the settings.

Q) What have you personally tested this on? A) Retroid Pocket Flip (60fps with no upscaling effects, less with any), iPhone 17 Pro Max (120fps with 2x upscaling and raytracing), Steam Deck, Quest 3, PC.