Star Fox 64 was built with alternate pathways in mind. Sure, it was easy to plow through the game in less than an hour, but skilled players could find entirely different missions and storylines hidden throughout the game — in fact, it was possible to play through the game twice and only repeat the first and final missions.

Now, nearly 20 years later, Star Fox Zero is here ... though its focus on alternate pathways has changed somewhat. Longtime fans may be disappointed that finding different pathways throughout the game doesn't affect the ending, but that doesn't mean Star Fox Zero's hidden missions aren't worth playing. In fact, some of the unlockable stages here are some of the best in the game — but you'll need to know how to access them first.

You'll have to play for some time before you start unlocking the game's alternate routes: many require that you play a mission, then backtrack to a previous one and replay it. If you're looking for the standard Star Fox Zero experience, you may want to play through the game once before trying to unlock any of the extras — but if you want to get right into the thick of it, here's how to access all of the game's alternate paths:

Aquarosa to Zoness

Prerequisite: Complete Sector Beta

The first hidden path is relatively simple, but figuring out how to unlock it can be a bit of a pain if you've never played a Star Fox game before.

To unlock the hidden path in Corneria, you'll need to activate the door by running over the button in Walker mode. Before you can do that, however, you'll need to activate the portal by completing the Sector Beta mission — once that's done, head back to Corneria.

From there, you'll need to beat the Aquarosa boss — and if you're still getting used to the controls, it can be tougher than you'd think. You'll need to shoot the nine laser cannons off its hull while dodging its EMP, and once it's down for the count, Fox will fly to Zoness.

The mission on Zoness is largely the same, except for the fact that Fox now has his Arwing instead of the Gyrowing. Complete the stage as you normally would (disable the two generators and escape), and you'll have a new pathway to Sector Beta.

Aquarosa to Asteroid Field

Prerequisite: Complete Sector Beta

As it turns out, the Aquarosa battle contains two branching paths: one that leads to Zoness, and one that leads back to Area 03. Unlocking the second trip to Area 03 is the same as before: complete Sector Beta, then backtrack to Corneria and fight Aquarosa.

Once you arrive at Area 03, you'll realize that things are a bit different. For one, Andrew of Star Wolf will arrive; secondly, the stage is now a linear on-rails sequence. It's brief, but surprisingly difficult — once you come out on the other side, you'll automatically be taken to the Asteroid Field stage.

Here, you'll need to defend the Great Fox as it makes its way through the stage. It can be annoying, especially considering the Great Fox never wants to stay put — but once you've taken out all the drones and asteroids, you'll be rewarded with a new route to Sector Beta.

Sector Alpha to Great Fox

Prerequisite: Complete All Main Stages

Does it really count as a shortcut if you have to beat the main story to unlock it?

Either way, once you've completed all of the main stages in the game (including the unlockable Fortuna stage), you'll be alerted to Star Wolf activity in Sector Alpha. Head there and play through the stage normally until red laser fire starts coming in from behind.

Pigma will appear — if you want to follow him into an optional boss fight, you'll need to lock onto him with the [ZL] button. Once you do, Fox will abandon the current mission and take the fight to Star Wolf. It's a short fight against Andrew and Pigma, but the dogfights in Star Fox Zero are so good that it's hard to complain.

After defeating Star Wolf (again), you'll be automatically taken to the Great Fox. This stage plays out almost identically to the Asteroid Field stage, with one major twist: a variant of the Dodorah boss will appear. This time, however, you'll need to lure it in front of the Great Fox's main gun — after two hits from the massive cannon, you'll unlock a "shortcut" to Sector Gamma.

Fortuna to Salvadora

Prerequisite: Complete Fichina

Considering the fact that the game is called Star Fox Zero, you'd think that Fox would be the only playable character — but if you know how to unlock it, there's a single mission where you can take control of Peppy (and his love of barrel rolls) instead.

To access the Salvadora boss fight, you'll first need to unlock the Gravmaster upgrade by completing the Fichina mission. Once that's done, head back to Titania — you'll need to fly up toward the portal in the background once Slippy starts talking about Peppy's signal. A cutscene will play, and both Fox and Peppy will be teleported out into space.

Here, you'll take control of Peppy as he tries to take down the massive Superdreadnought carrier. Dodging the cannons' fire isn't all that hard, but if they do manage to hit you, they'll do a ton of damage — just play carefully, and you'll take out all 14 cannons in no time. Fox will give Peppy a metaphorical pat on the back, and you'll unlock new routes to both Fortuna and Fichina.

Sector Beta to Hunter

Prerequisite: Complete All Main Missions

The fight against Pigma and Andrew isn't the only Star Wolf encounter you'll unlock after beating the game: Wolf O'Donnell himself will make an appearance on the unlockable Fortuna stage.

First, you'll need to unlock Fortuna itself: during the fight against all four Star Wolf members in Sector Beta, you'll need to defeat Wolf before he disables Peppy's ship. There doesn't seem to be any specific time limit, but Wolf can wreck Peppy's ship in just a few shots — make sure to stay behind Wolf as often as you can and take him down quickly.

After saving Peppy, the path to Fortuna will open — and just as with the Pigma/Andrew fight, you'll need to lock onto Wolf when he appears. Just hold the [ZL] button when the red laser fire appears, and you should trigger the cutscene.

All you need to do now is finish off Wolf for good — but that's easier said than done. Not only is this version of his ship the toughest one in the game, but it comes with a unique special attack that can knock you out of the sky in seconds. Then again, at this point, another fight against Wolf shouldn't be all that hard — take him down, and you'll unlock a new shortcut to Sector Omega.

That's it for hidden paths — of course, there are plenty of other secrets hidden throughout the game, and they're not going to find themselves!

For more on Star Fox Zero, make sure to check out our official review.