Stunt Race FX
Stunt Race FX (released in Japan as Wild Trax) is a 1994 3D racing game developed by Nintendo EAD in collaboration with Argonaut Games — the studio behind the Super FX chip that powers the game's polygonal graphics — for the SNES. Producer Shigeru Miyamoto directed the design team to build in nuanced, physics-based handling differences between vehicles rather than purely arcade-style, uniform handling, rewarding players who learn each vehicle's individual quirks.
Availability: Nintendo Switch Online — Super Nintendo Entertainment System app (Nintendo Classics)
This is a systems/mechanics guide rather than a linear walkthrough — a fixed step-by-step route isn't the useful format for a racing title.
Controls
On the SNES controller: the A button is brake/reverse gear, the B button is the accelerator, and the D-pad steers left/right. The L and R shoulder buttons allow tighter cornering (drifting) than the D-pad alone. The Y button activates a speed boost, a limited resource replenished by collecting blue gem power-ups placed around the track. The X button raises the vehicle's body up off its wheels momentarily, letting it perform small hops or drive over/through competitors and some obstacles.
Vehicles
Players choose among five vehicle types with different speed/body/acceleration tradeoffs: F-Type (a Formula One-style racer, rear-heavy and prone to drifting through corners), Coupe (a sports car), 4WD (a monster-truck-style vehicle), 2WD (an unlockable vehicle that replaced an early prototype "3WD" design), and Trailer (a semi-trailer truck available only in bonus games).
Modes / Tracks
Speed Trax functions as the game's arcade-style race mode: the player must qualify for each upcoming race by reaching checkpoints in time while collecting items that restore both damage and boost resources. It is organized into Novice, Expert, and Master classes, each containing four unique tracks. Stunt Trax tasks the player with completing obstacle-filled courses within a time limit while collecting as many stars as possible, distinct from the straight racing of Speed Trax. The game supports multiplayer racing in addition to its single-player modes.
Progression / Unlocks
The 2WD vehicle is unlockable rather than available from the start. Given the class structure (Novice → Expert → Master, four tracks each), progression naturally runs through clearing Novice class races before Expert and Master classes become the meaningful challenge tier, consistent with how the Speed Trax mode's classes are described.
Completion Path
- Select a vehicle (F-Type, Coupe, or 4WD to start) and enter Speed Trax's Novice class, clearing its four tracks by qualifying at each checkpoint.
- Progress to Expert and then Master class as skill and unlocked options (including the 2WD vehicle) allow, using boost gems and body-raise maneuvers to manage traffic and hazards.
- Separately, Stunt Trax offers obstacle-course-style star-collection challenges as an alternative mode to the straight Speed Trax races.
Still confirming
- The specific unlock condition for the 2WD vehicle (e.g., which class or achievement triggers it) was not verified from a citable source in this pass.
- Individual track names within each class (Novice/Expert/Master) were not itemized in this research pass.
- Full rules/scoring detail for the multiplayer mode were not independently confirmed.