Super FX 3 upgrade gives Star Fox 2 a major performance boost

Star Fox 2 has received a technical upgrade that lets it run on the new Super FX 3 architecture. That sounds dry on paper, but the result is simple: the game should run more smoothly, and it can now save high scores and medals between sessions. Nothing has been rebuilt from scratch. The graphics, controls, missions and overall structure remain the same. This update focuses on the hardware underneath the game, not the game itself. That matters because Star Fox 2 asks a lot from the Super Nintendo. It mixes polygonal combat, transforming ships, a strategic map and multiple active threats. The original hardware could handle it, but not always gracefully.

A faster processor for one of the SNES’s toughest games

Star Fox 2 was built around the Super FX chip, an extra processor fitted inside the cartridge. Nintendo and Argonaut used it to handle calculations that the SNES’s main processor struggled with, especially 3D graphics.

The first Star Fox used the same basic approach. Without the Super FX chip, those polygonal ships and environments simply wouldn’t have worked in the same way. Super FX 3 follows that idea but uses faster modern hardware. It still runs software designed around the original architecture, but it gives that code more processing power and extra cartridge memory. The specification was developed for the updated SNES edition of Doom. Now it’s being used for other games too, including both Star Fox titles.

Randy Linden brings the upgrade to Star Fox 2

Programmer Randy Linden handled the Star Fox 2 conversion. He also developed the Super FX 3 specification used in the new version of Doom for the SNES. His update adds support for the faster chip and includes battery-backed saving. That means the game can keep track of high scores and medals after the system is switched off.

It’s a small change, but a useful one. Star Fox 2 encourages repeat play. You’re expected to improve routes, react faster and earn better results over multiple runs. Saving those records makes the scoring system far more practical. You don’t have to write anything down. You don’t lose everything when the power goes off. The cartridge can remember your progress.

The real gain should be smoother action

Performance is the main reason this upgrade exists. Super FX games often run at low frame rates, especially when several objects appear on screen at once. Add explosions, large polygonal models and multiple moving targets, and the hardware can start to struggle.

The upgraded version of the original Star Fox showed what faster processing can do. It reached its intended 20 frames per second more consistently, which made movement feel steadier and controls feel more immediate.

Star Fox 2 uses a different structure, but it puts similar pressure on the hardware. Its battle scenes include multiple enemies, changing camera angles and large 3D objects. At the same time, the game tracks threats on the strategic map. That’s a lot of work.

The Super FX 3 conversion should reduce the slowdowns that make the original code feel uneven. It won’t magically turn the game into a modern 60 frames-per-second release, and it doesn’t change the game’s internal timing. It simply helps the existing software hit its targets more reliably. That should make combat feel cleaner without changing how Star Fox 2 actually plays.

MesenCE is currently required

The update isn’t ready for every setup yet. At the moment, the converted version needs a recent nightly build of MesenCE. That emulator supports the developing Super FX 3 specification, while most standard emulator releases don’t recognise it yet. So this isn’t a case of downloading the update and running it in any SNES emulator. You need the correct build.

Physical hardware support is also still being worked on. Flash cartridge compatibility is reportedly in development, but emulation remains the only confirmed way to run the upgraded version for now. That makes this an early technical release rather than a finished, universal update.

A useful test for Super FX 3

Star Fox 2 makes sense as a Super FX 3 test case because it relies heavily on the enhancement processor. Any performance gain becomes easy to spot. Faster execution can improve aiming, movement and combat response without adding new graphics or redesigning stages. The new battery-backed storage also shows that Super FX 3 can support practical cartridge features, not just raw speed. The bigger story is compatibility.

Super FX 3 started as part of the new SNES version of Doom, but it’s now being used with existing games. Both Star Fox titles have been converted, which shows that older Super FX software can be adapted without rebuilding everything.

That doesn’t mean every Super FX game will receive an upgrade. Still, the groundwork is there. For Star Fox 2, the result is straightforward. It’s the same game, running on faster hardware, with steadier performance and a better way to keep track of scores.

Spread the love