Star Fox 64 just won’t die. It clings to life. It thrives on it.
The new Switch 2 release—stripped of numbers, just titled Star Fox —is an eye-catching remake. It amplifies the original. It expands it. We aren’t complaining about the extra content. But we have been here. Before.
Look at the wreckage. A decade ago, Star Fox Zero nearly buried the franchise. That ill-fated Wii U experiment was confusing. Was it a remake? A reboot? No one could say. It stuck too close to Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars, if you lived in PAL land). It didn’t matter, though. Star Fox 64 3D on the 3DS had already done the faithful job.
Here we are. 2026.
Same planets. Same sky. Same fox.
Fox McCloud played second fiddle in the Super Mario Galaxy movie recently. You might have expected Nintendo to march forward with something new for this rail shooter series. Instead? Star Fox plays the greatest hits. Again. And again. It works because it nails what made the 90s classic endure. It is the most complete version of Team Star Fox’s adventure yet.
The Story You Know By Heart
The plot remains rigid.
The mad scientist Andross gets exiled to Venom. General Pepper banishes him for almost wiping out Corneria. That’s planet four in the Lylat system, by the way. Suspicious activity flares up later. Team Star Fox investigates. James McCloud dies. Andross kills him. Inside betrayal involved. Spoiler alert, really?
Time passes. Andross attacks everything.
Fox McCloud, James’ son, takes the reins. He fixes the mess. If you are new to this, yes. His last name is Fox. He is a fox. There are no humans here. Just animals. Anthropomorphic ones. Don’t get too attached to the idea of realism.
The arcade nature survives. You can beat it in two hours. The new game adds meatier cutscenes, though. They clarify the characters. They raise the stakes. The story is simple. It has no twists. That’s fine. It doesn’t slow down the pace.
Velan Studios knows its job. They made a faithful remake that still feels fresh. The music helps. The orchestral arrangements are lush. It sounds amazing.
The Uncanny Valley of Fox
The visuals? Controversial.
Fox McCloud loses his style. He doesn’t look like his cinematic counterpart. He looks… flat. The rest of the team? Worse. Slippy Toad seems slippery in the worst way. Falco Lombardi sits squarely in the uncanny valley. It’s jarring.
The game has a charm to its art direction, sure. The online chat proves people notice the shift. But it raises a question: How much realism is too much for such a cartoonish property?
The vehicles don’t share this problem. The Arwings are dashing. Enemy ships move with a weight that would make 90s Nintendo fans faint. During missions and cutscenes, you feel the speed. The physics. Little touches, like lasers illuminating dust, show off the hardware. Graphics have come a long way.
The levels pop. Corneria. Solar. Vivid colors. Sometimes too vivid. When the screen floods with enemies, the brightness can distract you. You have to squint to find the threat.
Gameplay And The Mouse Trick
It picks up easy. Plays easy.
Controls are snappy. Move around. Shoot. Dive. It feels intuitive enough, even if not perfect. Late-game missions feel loose to some players. Maybe I need more time with the tech overhaul.
But there is a highlight. Switch 2 ’s unique mouse mode.
Using it with the cockpit view is transformative. It felt impressive in Metroid Prime 4. Here? Essential. The game runs at 60 fps. Resolution is sharp whether you docked or hold the screen. You will get high scores. The input lag vanishes.
Blasting through the campaign is only the start. You need medals. You need hidden routes. You need the Expert difficulty.
Star Fox is all about mastering the game, not just beating it.
It’s about perfection. For decades, pilots have dominated this title. This version invites veterans to prove they still can. On that front? It’s a resounding success. Nintendo offers “one last ride.” Hopefully. It pushes us beyond the first run into new, brutal territory.
But here is the rub.
Can you sell a dormant series on nostalgia alone? Most casual gamers lack a connection to this franchise. Rail shooters are niche now. A newbie might play twice. Then complain about the price. Tag.
The content loops. It’s replaying the same missions. A retro sensibility that captivates older players. Times change, though. You wonder if Nintendo should have built something entirely new instead.
Multiplayer That Might Just Stick
Ignore the multiplayer at your peril.
Local co-op lets two players share one Arwing. One steers. One shoots. It’s weird. It’s fun. An oddball mechanic that works.
Online changes the vibe. Four vs Four. Competitive mode. Three maps. Objectives to capture. Chaos to embrace. NPC ships join the fray too, fighting for control points alongside you.
Matches are fast. Intense. Free flight adds scale. Power-ups add spectacle. There isn’t much variety right now. Only three maps. The bones are strong, but it feels bare. Add modes later, maybe? As it stands, it reminds me of those obligatory Xbox 360 multiplayer modes.
Oh, and there’s one more thing.
Use the Switch 2 camera. “Wear” a Star Fox character overlay. Go VTuber -style. It’s silly. It has comedic potential. Not a selling point, certainly. But it’s playful. Family-friendly. Typical Nintendo mischief.
Star Fox bets on the fans. It hopes newbies follow. It relies on established love for the Lylat Wars.
Will it pay off?
Nostalgia is fading. The gains are declining. If this fails… well. We might be stuck waiting for another entry that never arrives. Again.
Who wants to place a bet on that? 🦊🚀
