Like a frazzled fighter pilot caught in enemy crossfire, Nintendo’s Star Fox 64 remake has taken a lot of flak since its announcement last month. Why settle for a straight-up copy of the classic sci-fi rail-shooter, the naysayers argued, when you could develop an entirely new story? Why retreat into nostalgia over creativity? The answer, as usual, is that it’s easier – but also because it’s fun.
Debuted on the boxy SNES console back in 1993, Star Fox’s anthropomorphic animal airmen (nervous Slippy Toad, fusty veteran Peppy Hare, moody Falco Lombardi, dashing Fox McCloud) quickly became fan favourites for their snarky one-liners winningly delivered during compelling, arcade-style dogfights.
A second instalment on the N64 four years later proved popular enough to be spruced up for Nintendo’s 2010s handheld 3DS device – but has been given another graphical update so that Switch 2 users can enjoy a shinier, more lifelike version. Gone are the pixellated environments and the ventriloquist dummy-like speech animations which don’t sync with audible dialogue. In their place: rich, realistic textures and Pixar-level cutscenes that, although facsimiles of the much-loved originals, invite us in to experience the thrilling world once again.
The plot, however, remains the same. Fox’s legendary flyboy dad James and his team are hired by wise bloodhound General Pepper to check out a remote location where brilliant but dangerous scientist Andross may be hatching his latest plan for interstellar domination. Unfortunately, James’ “two timing swine” crewmate Pigma (yes, he’s an evil pig) betrays our vulpine hero to his presumed death.
Fast-forward several years, and Fox has assumed his father’s mantle as leader of mercenary airforce Star Fox. Andross is still pulling strings from the shadows. And Pepper is still dispatching Star Fox’s bravest across the galaxy to chase said shadows. Over seven 10 to 20-minute missions, you’ll control Fox and his oddly humanoid squadron as they blast, bomb and batter their way through each run. Successfully complete a run – probable, given the simplicity of even the trickier difficulty settings – and you’ll be invited to restart your engine. Only by acing the campaign repeatedly will you eventually reach all 16 playable stages.
Now, if that sounds repetitive – it’s because it is. Back in the N64 days, consoles packed less memory than your 92-year-old gran. So it didn’t take many weekends – fingers numbed and pyjamas partially dyed by crisp dust – to investigate every shortcut and bonus side quest a game’s technology-limited setting had to offer. Replaying each section umpteen times was part of the enjoyment. But in 2026, we’re trained to expect sprawling open-world adventures that require months of work to finish. Sitting down to Star Fox 64 in 2026 feels a bit like downloading Snake for your iPhone.
It’s a total surprise, then, to report what an absolute smash it is. Whether you’re dipping and diving through the hairy asteroid belt of Meteo; surfing molten-lava waves on red dwarf Solar; or pulverising the monstrous Sand Worm of desert moon Venom with your powerful laser cannons, a galactically good time is assured.
There are even improvements that’ve been made. The convoluted controls of the N64’s weird, three-pronged pad are now super simple. Online multiplayer lets you blow your mates out of the sky from afar. Some tweaked cinematics deepen the lore. Granted, a few of the fresh formats don’t hit their targets – using the Joy-Con 2 controllers for mouse-style aiming will never not be clunky – but you can opt out of the majority anyway.
In porting Star Fox 64 with largely superficial upgrades, Nintendo has opted for a safe and comfortable route to guaranteed sales. What the moaning middle-aged gamers should remember, though, is that a new generation of fleet captains won’t have traversed the Lylat System before. To them, the dusty N64 in your attic is nothing but a relic. The most important thing here is that they have fun.
‘Star Fox’ is out now on Nintendo Switch 2
VERDICT
Do a barrel roll! Nintendo’s Switch 2 Star Fox 64 revamp might be creatively unambitious, but it sure is a hell of a ride. From the icy wreckage of Fichina Outpost to Macbeth’s industrial heartlands, every moment of this souped up cosmic expedition will make you want to hoot in delight.
PROS
- Lovingly crafted textures make each planet feel totally immersive
- Battle mechanics remain intuitive and addictive
- The Star Fox crew’s constant bickering continues to be hilarious
CONS
- We’re still waiting for a new story
- The Joy-Con 2 controllers’ point-and-click function is finicky at best
- Limited cosmetic customisations