Fox was raised by his father on Corneria, albeit he was born on Papetoon. He exhibited exceptional aerial skills even at a puerile age and joined the Cornerian Flight academy along with Slippy Toad.

Later, General Pepper contacts the Star Fox Team and asks them to investigate a planet on the edge of the Lylat System called Sauria (Dinosaur Planet), which is falling apart. Since the team is in desperate need of money for maintenance on the Great Fox, Fox McCloud agrees to take a look, arriving unarmed at Pepper's request to avoid trouble with the locals. On the surface, Fox comes across Krystal's magic staff, which Krystal had lost earlier when she was attacked by General Scales, and becomes his sole weapon throughout his adventures.

Fox meets with the Queen of the EarthWalker to find that she was in terrible shape and was asked to help find her son prince Tricky of the Earthwalkers. After the rescue of Prince Tricky from the Sharp Claw, Fox and Tricky head back to meet back with the Queen. Just when things wouldn't get so much worse, Fox was then encountered by a strange shadow like foe that appeared out of nowhere, at an instant he was knocked unconscious and later awakened by a fairy named Navi. Only to find that they were in a strange realm.