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Use Bombs wisely!
—Peppy Hare

Smart Bombs, known as B-bombs, Nova Bombs, or simply bombs to pilots and trainers, are high-yield, compact and effective explosives used in both deep-space and atmospheric conflicts. They are designed by Slippy Toad. If the Laser for the vehicle is being charged and it locks on to a target, one can press the B button so the bomb, instead of the laser, homes in on the opponent.

Description[]

These weapons had a red rim with a white centre and no B on the central face on the interface in Star Fox SNES, and during actual gameplay, they manifest as a blue ball encircled by a yellow ring. In Star Fox 64, they were redesigned, getting a sexagonal shape with a black face that has the letter B and a red rim. In Star Fox Adventures, the bombs were redesigned, their shape now being circular, but the colour scheme and the face with the B are retained. Star Fox: Assault sees them being given a more detailed, white face with the black B off-center and the words "SMART BOMB" just below the centre and some markings below it and to the right and a missile at the upper right. In Star Fox Command, a red B in a circle represents the item during gameplay, while an icon on the results screen displays a design similar to Star Fox: Assault's version albeit with a lone black B hogging the white face at the centre. The bombs were reverted to their Star Fox 64 design in Star Fox 64 3D, and in Star Fox Zero, they have a pink-ish outer rim and a dark red face with a white B but are still shaped the same way they were in 64 and 64 3D.

Originally, the bombs had a white flash for their explosion, while Star Fox 64, Star Fox Command, and Star Fox 64 3D make their explosions light-blue flashes of light. The other three games give them reddish-orange fiery explosion effects.

Games[]

Star Fox[]

Smart Bombs are used by pressing the B button. After being launched, one can detonate it by pressing the B button again. Up to five bombs will reach the maximum capacity.

Nova Bombs Remaining[]

The number of Nova Bombs you have remaining is indicated here. You begin your mission with three Nova Bombs.
—Star Fox 1993; Instruction Booklet

Nova Bomb[]

This will damage all the enemies that are within range of the explosion. While it is powerful enough to destroy some enemies, very strong ones will be only damaged by this weapon. You can carry up to five of these bombs, which are obtained by collecting Nova Bombs items.
—Star Fox 1993; Instruction Booklet

Star Fox 64/3D[]

Up to nine Smart Bombs can be stored upon, which give off a large flash and explode over a respective blast radius, allowing an ace pilot to take out, at most, a squadron of unshielded star fighters with one shot or clear a pathway in the Meteo Asteroid Belt. Nova Bombs can be fired point-blank or receive telemetry data from a Targeting Computer, and even be detonated by impact or remote. Arwing star fighters have large magazines of bombs, as the Landmaster tanks. In the Landmaster, Bombs are fired in an arc, as if thrown. They are either dropped by enemies or delivered to the Star Fox Team by R.O.B. 64 from aboard the Great Fox using the Supply Containers. The standard number of Smart Bombs when starting a new game in Star Fox 64/3D is three. The player will start their next mission with whatever amount they held from the previous mission. If the player chooses to restart a level, the bomb magazine will return to three bombs. The Score Attack mode in the 3DS remake gives a default amount of three making the previous strategy obsolete. The Smart Bombs fired in the multiplayer give off a distinctive colour to indicate the player that fired it. Firing a Smart Bomb when Andross creates his telekinetic vacuum will stop the move and is a strategy used again in Star Fox Adventures.

Strategy Guide references[]

Smart Bomb: The Smart Bomb can also track a specific target, but you must lock on to it first. If you fire a bomb without a target lock, it will fly straight ahead until it hits something or until its built-in timer runs out.You can't lock on to major enemies, but a bomb can still be very effective against them. You can also detonate a bomb manually by launching it and then pressing B. The bomb packs a much bigger punch than the laser. A single bomb can easily take out half of a major enemy's protective shields.
—Official Nintendo Power Player's Guide, pg 13
The Landmaster also boasts a Smart Bomb launcher. Lock on to a target first for best results.
—Official Nintendo Power Player's Guide, pg 14
Smart Bomb: A Smart Bomb adds one bomb to your reserve, up to a maximum of nine.
—Official Nintendo Power Player's Guide, pg 16

Instruction booklet references[]

Smart Bomb: The number of smart bombs will increase by one.
—Star Fox 64; Instruction Booklet
Smart Bomb: Your number of smart bombs will increase by one.
—Star Fox 64 3D; Instruction Booklet

Star Fox Adventures[]

Smart Bombs are collected inside Supply Containers. Only three can be stocked up with during space flight. When Falco Lombardi made his surprise return and provided backup, it was these powerful explosives that saw the final end of the evil mad scientist Andross. When Andross performs his vacuum breath move during his final phase, Fox has to fire one of his bombs into Andross's mouth to stop the attack and expose the brain (Andross's true weak spot); however, Andross regains his flesh covering within a few seconds, forcing Fox to repeat the process.

Star Fox: Assault[]

Smart Bombs perform exactly the same use as previous appearances. Like the last acts in the Saurian Crisis, Falco will drop behind Smart Bombs as a grudging gesture of being saved from tailing enemies. Up to nine Smart Bombs can be stored upon again, but in the story mode, the amount of Smart Bombs kept by the end of a mission will automatically be subtracted back to zero by the next mission, no matter how well the mission was performed. Bombs are also used during the corrupted Climate Control Engineering piece's boss battle, being gained from the spores that it periodically spits out as well as being its weakness, taking out around 34% of the monstrous machine's health. The bomb cannot be used if Fox is not in an Arwing.

Official Site description[]

Smart Bomb: Arwing-only explosive. Pilots who deploy it using the Arwing's targeting computer will deliver a precision-strike explosive.
—Smart Bomb description on the official site

Instruction booklet references[]

Smart Bomb: Press B to launch one of these bombs and press again to detonate.
—Star Fox: Assault; Instruction Booklet

Star Fox Command []

One has to use the stylus to drop the Bombs, by dragging the Bomb icon from the cockpits control panel and releasing the stylus. Different starfighters each sport their own magazine capacity. The blast radius will last for around three seconds, destroying whatever comes on-screen.

Instruction booklet references[]

Touch and hold this, then slide the stylus over the area you want to attack to drop a bomb. You only have a limited number of bombs!
—Star Fox Command; Instruction Booklet
Touch the bomb Icon: When you have bombs, touch and hold the bomb icon, then slide the stylus on the radar over the place you want to attack. Doing so will drop a bomb in that location. Bombs are powerful, but you have only a limited supply, so use them carefully!
—Star Fox Command; Instruction Booklet
Bomb: Round up a bomb to increase your bomb supply by one.
—Star Fox Command; Instruction Booklet
Time Bomb: Snatch this multiplayer-only bomb and let the countdown to destruction begin.
—Star Fox Command; Instruction Booklet

In the Super Smash Bros. series[]

The Smart Bomb has recently appeared from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onwards, as a throwing item. It is one of the most powerful thrown items in the game. Upon impact with an opponent or obstacle, or after traveling a certain distance through the air, the Smart Bomb will explode in a circular blast, getting larger and larger until it stops. It deals fair damage and has high knockback. The damage meter of any player caught in the explosion will quickly rise until the explosion stops. At this point, the aforementioned player will be sent flying. It seems one can only DI out of the blast by moving above or below it, but not left or right. Occasionally, the bomb will be a dud. When this happens, it will make a unique sound and will only explode if it is hit or if enough time passes.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the explosion will no longer hurt the bomb's wielder or anyone allied with said character.

Trophies Info[]

Name How to Unlock Picture Description
Smart Bomb Random
Smart Bomb - Brawl Trophy
A bomb that explodes and causes damage to all characters within its range when thrown or attacked. The explosion from this device is so large, the deployer may be caught in the blast if he or she is not careful. In Star Fox, this item will explode after a set time or can be set off immediately with a button press.


  • Star Fox / Starwing (SNES)
  • Star Fox / Lylat Wars (N64)

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[]

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[]

Name How to Unlock Picture Description Trophy Box
Smart Bomb Series Related
SmartBombTrophyWiiU
Attack or throw this bomb if you want to make a big impact on the battle. The explosion just grows and grows, and despite the "smart" name, this bomb will hurt the thrower too! Sometimes you may throw what turns out to be a dud, but don't go hitting it in anger—it'll still go off in your face!
NA release
Throw or hit this to set off a devastating explosion. The blast radius is so wide that your foe will have almost nowhere to run. Unfortunately, the same goes for you, so move fast! Sometimes they don't explode when you throw them, but if you hit them - even by accident - they definitely will!
PAL release*SNES: Star Fox (03/1993)
  • N64: Star Fox 64 (07/1997)

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[]

Name How to Unlock Picture Description
Smart Bomb Item
SmartBombTrophy3DS

The Smart Bomb's trophy.

Attack or throw this bomb if you want to make a big impact on the battle. The explosion just grows and grows, and despite the "smart" name, this bomb will hurt the thrower too! Sometimes you may throw what turns out to be a dud, but don't go hitting it in anger—it'll still go off in your face!
NA release
Throw or hit this to set off a devastating explosion. The blast radius is so wide that your foe will have almost nowhere to run. Unfortunately, the same goes for you, so move fast! Sometimes they don't explode when you throw them, but if you hit them - even by accident - they definitely will!
PAL release

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • In the Farewell, Beloved Falco manga, Fox uses a Smart Bomb in his Landmaster to destroy the Andross clone almost after he performs his inhale technique. This references the same strategy from the games.

References[]

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