Super Smash Bros. Fighters – Star Fox series – 02 Falco
DebutIn the Star Fox series: Star Fox (1993)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
Boxing Ring Title: Proud Space Ace
Theme Song: Main Theme – Star Fox 64 (Brawl)
Falco Lombardi is a major character in the Star Fox series. He's one of the members of a band of mercenaries called Team Star Fox.
In the original "Star Fox" game released for SNES, Falco and the team -
consisting of the leader Fox, the passive and positive Slippy,
and the experienced pilot Peppy - were given a mission from General
Pepper to stop the evil ambitious of a rogue scientist named Andross. To help them get to
Andross's base, which was located on the planet Venom, General Pepper
gave Star Fox experimental flying vehicles called Arwings to
assist them in their mission.
During their journey, they would fly to various planets, facing off against Andross's forces as they attempted to make it to his base of operations set on Planet Venom. Upon arriving, Fox would head off to face Andross alone, with the rest of the team waiting for his return. A certain amount of time passed before Fox returns, with Andross's base exploding right behind him! Having foiled Andross's plans, Falco and the others head back to Corneria to collect their reward.
The game's story would be followed up in "Star Fox 2", though it would
take about 22 years for it to be officially released. Notably, two new members would be added to Star Fox - Miyu the Lynx and Fay the Dog - who
have only ever appeared in this game.
Andross has survived his
previous defeat, and has rebuilt his army, even hiring the notorious
Star Wolf to assist him. Along with his new stronghold called
Astropolis, Andross launches an all-out assault to conquer the Lylat
System. General Pepper once again hires Star Fox to not only stop
Andross's schemes, but to also defend Corneria.
The series would receive its first reboot with "Star Fox 64."
While some elements from the SNES game were kept, others were changed,
such as Falco going from 28 years old to 19. The game would also get a
remake for the Nintendo 3DS called "Star Fox 64 3D".
Before the events of the game, Falco used to be the leader of a delinquent gang called "Free-As-A-Bird". (also sometimes called "Space Hot-Rodders.) It's not known how long Falco was a part of it, but at some point Falco left and turned over a new leaf by joining Star Fox.
Some time later, a mad scientist named Andross began an assault on the Lylat System, conquering every planet in his path. General Pepper called in Star Fox to not only stop
Andross's invasion of Corneria, but also free the other captured planets
and stop Andross once and for all. Falco was eager to go out and kick some tail with the team, and
thus their adventure begins.
During the game, Falco helps out by blasting at any foe that gets in their way while occasionally showing off. Sometimes he'll need help - not that he'd ever admit it - though upon being saved, he tends to quip with a sarcastic remark. During their trip, their are many paths that Star Fox can take, which leads into different planets and
scenarios. For example, Falco and the team can potentially come across Katt Monroe, a former member of Falco's delinquent team, on the planet Zoness. She got captured by Andross's forces, and was making her escape until Star Fox arrived, after which she decides to help Star Fox out. (To Falco's annoyance.) As long as the player has at least visited Zoness, they can potentially meet her again at either Macbeth or Sector Z.
Falco and the team can also potentially encounter Team Star Wolf on three
of the planets in the story. Star Wolf is a mercenary group hired by
Andross to fight off the Corneria Army, and they serve as personal
enemies to Team Star Fox. Star Wolf member Leon Powalski serves as Falco's main enemy.
Arriving at Venom after dealing with the
crisis at Area 6, Star Fox manages to arrive at Andross's front door
without him even knowing! Before they begin their assault, Star Wolf
ambushes them in their brand new Wolfen II space ships in a last ditch
effort to stop them. After Star Fox manage to defeat them again, Fox
decides to face Andross alone.
Falco and the other wait near their ship, the Great Fox, in hopes that Fox will emerge successful. As Andross's base blows up, who should arrive but Fox, who has managed to successfully defeat Andross! With the Lylat System safe, Team Star Fox head back to Corneria to collect their reward before heading off to new adventures.
Four years after the events of Star Fox 64, Falco and Fox have become a bit more hostile towards each other, resulting in Falco leaving the team. This story would be explored in "Star Fox: Farewell, Beloved Falco."
Receiving a distress signal from his old friend Kat on planet Titania, Falco took it as a perfect opportunity to leave despite the team's fears that it could be a trap. Falco would arrive just as Kat was fighting off a Goras, though it flees as soon as Falco shows up. Kat reveals that she has suspicions that Captain Sheer is trying to restart Andross's plans and is building a bioweapon, so Falco agrees to help her. They then chat a bit about their personal lives, during which Falco finds out Kat has fallen in love with a new person.
Reuniting with his old team, the Space Hot-Rodders, Falco and the gang cross paths with Fox McCloud, who has been tricked by Captain Sheers into believing Falco's friends are a remnant of Andross's forces who have come to obtain the remains of Andross's work. Falco gets into a duel with Fox to protect his team, resulting in Falco's Arwing taking heavy damage. He manages to get away, but crash-lands somewhere in the desert, forcing Falco to repair his ship
Much later on, after Star Fox learns that Captain Sheers is the true villain and is trying to resurrect Andross, Falco arrives just in time to help Kat and the Space Hot-Rodders fend off a Goras. After Fox manages to defeat the reborn Andross, Falco radios Fox from his Arwing to tell him that he plans on going solo for a while, and to tell Kat and her new boyfriend to retire from the Hot-Rodders.
In "Star Fox Adventures", Falco only shows up at the end of the game. During Fox's battle with the revived Andross, Fox was about to get swallowed whole until Falco arrives in the nick of time and fires a Smart Bomb at the back of Andross's head. After Andross tries to hit Fox with a second meteor attack, Falco swoops in with special boxes that provide Smart Bombs and Rings to help Fox. After Fox defeats Andross and saves Dinosaur Planet, Falco decides to return to work with the team again. He also gets to meet Krystal, a blue fox that Fox helped during his adventures, who also wants to join the Star Fox team.
In "Star Fox Assault" - which takes place at least a year after the events of
Star Fox Adventures - Falco and the others are called in by General Pepper to stop Andross's nephew Andrew Oikonny, who's planning on resurrecting his uncle's work. When they get to him, they have him on the ropes, only for a mysterious moth-like alien to arrive and destroy not only Andrew's ship, but Andrew himself. It then turned its attention on them, and after a quick battle, Fox obtains its memory core before heading back to the base.
Finding out from Slippy's uncle, Beltino, that the alien is an evil creature called an Aparoid, Star Fox make the decision to do what they can to stop this new threat. Before they do so, they head off to investigate a mysterious SOS signal that was sent by Pigma Dengar, who thanks them by stealing a memory core they were about to obtain.
Star Fox proceeds to chase Pigma down, though he always manages to get away at the last second. When they finally catch up to him, they find out that the memory core Pigma stole has assimilated him into an Aparoid monstrosity! When they defeat him, Krystal receives a telepathic message from her old friend Tricky that the Aparoids have invaded Dinosaur Planet! When they finally manage to take care of that, they receive news from General Pepper that Corneria has been invaded by the Aparoids!
With some help from Star Wolf, Fox manages to stop the Aparoid invasion and get General Pepper to medical care. Beltino takes over as commanding officer and reveals to Star Fox that he and his team have not only discovered the Aparoid's home planet, but they're also working on an anti-Aparoid device that will wipe the entire Aparoid race out of existence! Unfortunately, the Aparoids learn of this and launch an assault on the Cornerian Army's temporary base, the Orbital Gate. Falco and the team - with some help from Star Wolf - would manage to fend off the Aparoids before taking off to the Aparoid Homeworld.
Just before Star Fox could
enter the planet, a self-defense barrier activated, preventing entry.
The Great Fox came under heavy attack. As a last ditch effort, Peppy and
ROB 64 decide to sacrifice themselves by steering the Great Fox into
the barrier, allowing Star Fox and Star Wolf to enter. Inside, they are
ambushed by various Aparoids. To ensure the mission would go well, Star
Wolf decide to hold them off while Falco and the team head off to the
location of the Queen Aparoid.
When they discover the queen, she tries to tempt Star Fox into joining her by
taking on the false identities of their closest allies. (
oh, and Pigma too.) Although Fox is
about to surrender, he remembers some words Wolf gave him earlier and
regains his resolve. After a tough fight, they manage to fire the
anti-Aparoid device into the Queen! However, she seems to be resisting
it, and tries to run away so she can create a vaccine! Star Fox chase
after her, and with a couple of blasts, manages to activate the
anti-Aparoid device and wipe the entire Aparoid race from existence!
As
Falco and the team fly through space, they manage to find Peppy and ROB
64 in an escape pod. Assuming that General Pepper and Star Wolf also
managed to survive the ordeal, they all head for home.
In "Star Fox Command", Team Star Fox had disbanded. Falco once again decided to go solo, going from job to job as he searched for the same thrill he got back when he was a member of Star Fox. Regardless, his existence was mostly an empty one, which was a fact that annoyed him more than he cared to admit.
However, one day an evil group
called the Anglar Armada arrived from the depths of Planet Venom's toxic ocean and began to terrorize Corneria. Star Fox's leader, Fox McCloud,
decides to tackle the threat head on. Throughout the course of the game,
the player can make choices that could result in Fox getting the team
back together, or only some of them. All of this leads into 9 different
endings.
In the ending "The Anglar Emperor" - which players will obtain on their
first playthrough - Falco reunites with the rest of the Star Fox team and they manage to defeat the
Anglars. However, their leader Fox is still troubled by complicated feelings,
resulting in Krystal leaving him to join with Star Wolf, leaving Fox
alone and unloved.
In the ending "Fox & Krystal", things are similar to the previous ending, except that Fox has come to value friendship and love, thus he apologizes to Krystal and strengthens their bond. Slippy's fiancée, Amanda, also decides to join the Star Fox Team.
In "Good-bye Fox", after defeating the Anglers, Falco and the rest of the team vote to retire and disband Star Fox. Fox and Krystal marry and have a son named Marcus, and years later Marcus decides to follow in his fathers footsteps by leading the next generation of Star Fox. Along with Slippy's son and Peppy's grandaughter, Marcus tracks down Falco to hire him for his new team, with Falco happily accepting the role as the experienced mentor of the group.
In "Pigma's Revenge", Falco was not recruited to help take down the Anglers, leaving him angry and bitter that he was left behind and ignored. At his absolute lowest, his old friend Katt calls him and suggests he forgets Star Fox and form a new team. He decides to take her advice and recruits her, along with an elite Cornerian pilot named Dash. Together they formed Star Falco, and their skills are said to rival even Star Fox's!
In "The Curse of Pigma," Fox becomes depressed from Star Wolf stealing
both the fame and Krystal from him. He's left in massive slump until
Falco suggest that the two retire from being pilots and join the G-Zero
Grand Prix, which gives Fox a new lease on life.
After which, the series would receive another reboot in "Star Fox Zero".
It mostly follows the same story beats as "Star Fox 64", though some of the scenarios they
take to stop Andross are a bit different.
Personality-wise, Falco is often portrayed as overconfident and brash, as well as a bit of a hothead. His overconfidence is not without reason, as he's often considered the best and most skilled pilot of the team. While the rest of the Star Fox team work to help Corneria, Falco is slightly more interested in the profit margins. He can also come off as a bit rude, as shown in "Star Fox 64" where he'll spout a sarcastic quip upon being rescued if he's in trouble. Despite all of that, he does view the Star Fox team as his family, and as the series continues he slowly mellows out.
In Super Smash Bros., Falco isn’t as fast as Fox, but
he’s a better jumper, since he prefers the air and all. Do your best
and Falco will show everyone he’s not just skilled at flying an Arwing!
Special Moves
Neutral Special: Blaster Falco pulls out his
gun and fires a laser beam. By constantly pressing the Special button, Falco can rapid-fire the beams, though not to the same speed as Fox can. His shots can at least make opponents flinch though.
Inspired by the laser gun he
wields in the multiplayer mode of “Star Fox 64”. The name for it,
Blaster, was not used until “Star Fox Adventures”.
Side Special: Falco Illusion Falco stands
still for half-a-second before boosting forward at incredible speeds!
The move isn’t very strong, but those that get hit get sent flying
upwards. If used on opponents up in the air, they'll get sent flying downwards instead.
If Falco is on the ground and uses the move near a ledge, he'll halt his forward momentum so he won't fall off of it.
This move is original to Super Smash Bros., though it may be
inspired by the Arwing's capability of flying at high speeds when using a
warp in "Star Fox 64".
Up Special: Fire Bird
Falco surrounds himself
in flames. Anyone standing close to him will take damage from
the fire. After a second, Falco fires himself off, engulfed in flames and
dragging anyone with him. Depending on which direction you’re holding
will depend on where he fires himself, though the default is straight
upwards if nothing is held.
This move is original to Super Smash
Bros., though it’s possible that it's inspired by the scene of the Arwings
entering a planet's atmosphere in "Star Fox 64". It could also be inspired by the
pyrokinetic abilities of the Ancient Greeek myth, the Phoenix, a bird-like creature.
Much
later in the series, “Star Fox 64 3D” would introduce a
powerup in its multiplayer mode called the Firebird. When the player
grabs the Firebird powerup, the pilot’s Arwing would surround itself in
flames,
allowing the user to ram into anyone and instantly defeat them. It may
be a reference to the Fire Bird move.
Down Special: Reflector Falco brings out and
activates his Reflector – which surrounds itself with a hexagon energy
shield – and swiftly kicks it forward. The reflector slightly damages any foes it
hits and reflects any projectile tossed at it before returning to Falco.
This move is original to Super Smash Bros., though it may be
inspired by how the Arwings can deflect enemy fire by doing a
Barrel Roll.
According to Snake’s Codec Conversation in “Super Smash
Bros. Brawl”, Falco’s friend Slippy is responsible for making the
Reflector. The Reflector would make its first appearance in a Star Fox
game in “Star Fox Zero”, though since all of the action takes place in the
Arwings, it doesn’t see any use.
Final Smash: Team Star Fox Falco shouts
“Showtime!” as a targeting reticle appears in front of him. Three
Arwings – assumingly being flown by Fox, Slippy, and Peppy – fly towards
it. Anyone that gets hit by the Arwings gets flung into space, where Falco, now in his own
Arwing, joins up with the others. Falco then leads the charge while shouting “Time for a little payback!” as they blast away at the helpless foe(s). (Falco also decides to show off by performing some barrel rolls as they attack their target)
If the Arwings happen to hit multiple foes, then Falco will shout “We’ve got multiple bogies inbound!” instead.
Inspired
by the main gameplay style in most of the Star Fox games, first
introduced in "Star Fox" for the SNES. In those games, the player,
who’s controlling Fox, flies the Arwing around various planets. They
can also use the Arwing’s laser beams to fire at any obstacles and
enemies that get in
the way.
Additional Notes
On the Corneria, Venom, and the Lylat Cruise stages, Falco can perform a
special “Smash Taunt” by quickly tapping the “Down Taunt” button. Upon
activating it, Falco will enter a crouch-like pose, during which he must
not get
attacked for a few seconds or else the it'll get
cancelled.
After a few second pass, Falco will rise up and strike a pose,
signaling the Smash Taunt was a success! Falco’s friends – Fox (all stages), Slippy (all stages), Peppy (all stages), and Krystal (Lylat Cruise only)
– will then start commenting on the battle or the stage, or even
something unrelated to what’s happening. Some members of Team Star Wolf
will chime in during the Lylat Cruise “Smash Taunts” as well.
Falco can
only perform a Smash Taunt once per battle, and only if Fox, Wolf, or
another Falco haven't done one.
If
Fox is present during a battle and Falco is the winner, Falco may say
“You’re off your game, Fox!” instead of “Had enough already?” during this victory pose.
Despite what his name would suggest, Falco is a pheasant - more specifically a Vietnamese pheasant - not a falcon. Pheasant Lombardi was probably not as catchy a name as Falco Lombardi.
