Arwings are high-tech space aircrafts from the Star Fox series and is an unused enemy in Ocarina of Time.[1][2][3]
Characteristics[]
Ocarina of Time[]
The Arwing swooping and shooting at Link with its Twin Lasers in Kokiri Forest
In Ocarina of Time, an unused enemy Arwing can be found and triggered by modifying the game's data, either by hacking or using a cheat device. When Link enters an area with an Arwing, a small cutscene will play showing the ship appearing, but does not change the music. The Arwing will then proceed to fly around the area and shoots at the hero with its twin lasers which will cause just a quarter of a Heart in damage. The laser beams can be blocked with the use of a shield. To hit it, Link must use the Boomerang, Fairy Slingshot, Deku Nuts, Hookshot, or any Arrows as it swoops down toward him. The Arwing itself is closely based on its appearance in the 1997 Nintendo 64 title Star Fox 64 and is miniature in size compared to the actual aircraft used by Fox McCloud and his teammates. When defeated, it will fall and crash down to the ground with a fiery explosion, just like in its source material.
Although technically a cameo from another Nintendo franchise, the Arwing was actually a simple placeholder, used by the game developers to test the flight patterns of Volvagia, the Boss of the Fire Temple, according to Satoru Takizawa.[1] It was left in the coding of ports of the original game, but is absent from Ocarina of Time 3D.
In the Star Fox series[]
The Arwing as seen in Star Fox 64, on the game's first level
In its original source material, the Arwing is the trademark starfighter used by the Star Fox team lead by Fox McCloud, the main protagonist, in the Star Fox franchise, making its first appearance in the then-revolutionary 1993 Super NES title Star Fox. An ultra-high performance combat spacecraft developed by Space Dynamics Co., Ltd., the Arwing is equipped with the G-Diffuser system, an anti-gravity device which allows the pilot to accelerate or decelerate instantaneously and perform a wide variety of high performance combat maneuvers (shared with the F-Zero Machines in the F-Zero series). By executing an aileron or barrel roll, the Arwing can also generate an electromagnetic shield which will deflect most optically based weapons, such as laser beam cannons. The Arwings specifically used by the Star Fox team are unlike any production versions as they have been extensively modified with improved armor and advanced weapon systems, such as Hyper Lasers, Homing Bolts and Smart Bombs. Despite numerous revisions and redesigns over the games, every model of Arwings have maintained the balance of speed, power and performance that they are credited for. The Arwing starfighter is the primary battle vehicle of the Star Fox team to combat Andross, the main antagonist, or other forces, and is one of the symbols of their team.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in Other Regions 
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 |
Japanese | アーウィン (Āwin) | Arwin |
 |
German | Arwing | |
 |
Italian | Arwing | |
Trivia[]
- In Japan, the Arwing is known as Arwin.
- The Arwing was inspired by the X-Wing starfighter of the Star Wars franchise.
- The Arwing's lasers use the same sound effect as Phantom Ganon's energy ball being reflected. When the Arwing is shot down, the sound of King Dodongo inhaling is heard until it crashes.
- In Star Fox 64, the Arwing is one of three vehicles used to combat Andross' forces. The other two are the Landmaster and Blue-Marine. Each of them are invented by Slippy Toad, the team's mechanic. It also has an equivalent used by the Star Fox team's rival, Star Wolf, called the Wolfen.
- The Arwing is featured in the Super Smash Bros. series, where Link and other Zelda characters can encounter them alongside Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi. Unlike in Ocarina of Time, however, they cannot be attacked and destroyed, as the starfighters serve as stage hazards or platforms.
- Although not directly related to the Arwing itself, one Star Fox title released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002 by Rareware, Star Fox Adventures, shares similar gameplay as Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker.
Gallery[]
-
Gameplay of the Arwing attacking Link in Ocarina of Time -
Artwork of the Star Fox team Arwing squadron from Star Fox Zero -
Sheik attacking the windshield of Fox's Arwing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
See also[]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Volvagia is a dragon, so it wriggles and undulates. I only gave Morita-san the dragon model parts, but he set it in motion immediately. It was mysterious how he could do that. [...] I couldn't help but ask how he did it. He said it was the same as the programming for Star Fox 64. There's this scene when another fighter aircraft is tailing Arwing and..." —Satoru Takizawa (Iwata Asks: Ocarina of Time 3D: Original Development Staff - Part 2)
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Unused Actors, Objects, & Variables, The Cutting Room Floor, retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ↑ The Legend Of Zelda 64 [Lost Items & More / Beta Hack], Unseen64, retrieved April 27, 2015.