16 Bits

Super Famicom Box Art

The manga-style artwork and inclusion of more pilots and their floating heads suggests the game’s plot was a worthwhile selling point on the Super Famicom.

F-Zero Time

You know your friend who always says they’re already on their way and then shows up three days later? F-Zero would probably be that person. In F-Zero, the in-game timer runs slightly slower than real time, with one real-world second equaling approximately 1.5 F-Zero seconds. Next time you’re playing, run a stopwatch and see for yourself!

F-Zero RPG

Models of both Captain Falcon’s Blue Falcon machine and Samurai Goroh’s Fire Stingray can be found sitting next to a model Arwing from Star Fox when visiting Hinopio’s shop in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

McCloud. James Mccloud.

Speaking of Star Fox, a very human James McCloud appears as a racer in F-Zero titles such as F-Zero X and F-Zero GX. His machine name is Little Wyvern and appears to be a converted Arwing.

Like Father…

Not to be outdone by his alternate-universe father, Fox McCloud and wingman Falco become “G-Zero” racers in one of the endings for Star Fox Command.

Mario Kart 8

Twenty-five years after its inception, F-Zero would guest-star in the franchise it helped give birth to, Mario Kart. In Mario Kart 8, DLC tracks include reimagined Mute City and Big Blue, along with a Blue Falcon kart and a Captain Falcon-themed outfit for the Mii racer, obtained by using the Captain Falcon amiibo.

Falcon Punch!

Though he’s a legendary racer, Captain Falcon is perhaps even more renowned for his brawling skills. As a popular combatant in the Super Smash Bros. series, his namesake Falcon Punch move is one of the most powerful attacks in the game, often being used to KO opponents in spectacular fashion.

The move became so popular that it was worked into F-Zero canon as part of the anime. Timed with a massive explosion visible outside of the galaxy, the Falcon Punch—and Captain Falcon with it—have achieved Chuck Norris-level recognition.

Jazz Album

F-Zero received an official jazz album, released in Japan in March 1992. The album features twelve songs from the game composed by Yumiko Kanki and Naoto Ishida, and arranged by Robert Hill and Michiko Hill.

Zero Racers

An F-Zero game known as Zero Racers was in development for the Nintendo Virtual Boy, but was never released.

Race Set

F-ZeroKnight League: Real Racing Simulation is an extremely rare Japanese board game based on F-Zero.

GP Legend

F-Zero GPLegend was an animated reboot of F-Zero, taking place in 2201 instead of 2506. The 51-episode series followed Rick Wheeler, revived 150 years after his apparent death to take down the villainous Black Shadow.

A notable revelation is that Captain Falcon is not a single man, but rather a title belonging to those worthy, like Thor.

Master Ending

Completing the game on Master Difficulty displays a different ending, with a message from “Captain Falcon and the F-Zero Crew” declaring you the “Master of F-Zero.”

Japanese Master Ending

The Master Difficulty ending on the Super Famicom version of F-Zero gives a slightly different message, congratulating you and suggesting that next time you “Win for your life!”

Rough Couple of Years

In F-Zero, Pico is said to be 34 years old. In F-Zero X, Pico is said to be 124, though Captain Falcon has only aged from “early 30s” to 36. This could be explained by the title of Captain Falcon being passed down throughout the years, except that Samurai Goroh and Dr. Stewart also appear in F-ZeroX without having aged 90 years.

F-zero Controller

Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the franchise had exhausted its potential and would likely only receive a sequel if a special controller was made for whatever he had in mind next.

Soundtrack

In some states, it’s (probably) illegal to listen to the F-Zero soundtrack while driving.