I was a little conflicted at the announcement of Star Fox‘s long-awaited return. One of Nintendo’s finest titles with fresh visuals and updated controls? Yes please. But the same game I’ve already played tens of times over across various consoles and remakes? Ehh.
A replay of the OG Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars, if you’d prefer) soon brought me around to the idea, convincing me that a healthy modernisation could, in fact, work wonders for McCloud’s very best. And what do you know, I was absolutely on the money.
Over the past week, I’ve saved the Lylat System in every way imaginable, dived deep into my muscle memory to take on new challenges, and had more fun in an online game mode than I’ve had in years. Star Fox on Switch 2 is little more than 64 all over again, but man, it has never been better.
Whether it was the N64 original, its 3DS remake, or the other series entries scattered in around them, most of you out there have already got a pretty good grasp of what Star Fox is all about. The Lylat System is under attack by the forces of the evil Dr. Andross, so the acclaimed mercenary squad Star Fox is called into action to liberate the system, one planet at a time.
If you’re expecting any more than that here, think again. This Switch 2 remaster throws in a new prologue cutscene, showing former Star Fox leader (and the source of our protagonist’s daddy issues) James McCloud’s betrayal at the hands of his teammate Pigma, but from then on in, the story and gameplay are identical to the source material.
This entails a run across the system, completing six on-rails missions (with a handful of open ‘All-Range’ missions peppered in there) across sky, land and sea in the hope of loosening Andross’ grip. It’s a gameplay loop that completely hooked me back on the N64, and that’s even more the case on Switch 2. Whether it’s flying in an Arwing, trundling across a planet’s surface in the Landmaster, or plunging beneath the waves in the Blue Marine, Star Fox feels incredible in this new iteration.
The game’s alternate routes and medal system are a little more welcoming this time around, thanks to an updated map that tells you exactly what you need to do to progress to a harder level and pick up the correct number of hits while you’re at it. Additional mid-level dialogue even points you in the direction of an alternate route objective, so you can change course on the fly.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been ducking and weaving on my sofa as I squeezed Fox through narrow gaps and narrowly avoided enemy fire. I must look like one of those paid actors in the Switch 2 ads, except instead of an off-camera director dictating my movements, it’s the impeccable vibes of chaining a somersault with a G-Diffuser boost to get an enemy off my tail before sniping it down.
I haven’t been this immersed in a Star Fox game for decades, and a huge reason for that is the complete renovation in the visual and audio departments. This is easily one of the best-looking (and sounding) games on the system, whether you play in handheld or docked mode.
Let’s start with those visuals, because they really are the star of the show. It’s no shocker to say that the 1997 original is looking a little basic by today’s standards, but rather than opting for something faithful to its stylings — as we saw with the 3DS remake — Velan Studios’ (Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Knockout City) Switch 2 version is a full ground-up reimagining of each and every locale.
Remember the barren city of Corneria? It’s now a battlefield of flames and destruction, full of smoke, debris, and chaos caused by Andross’ forces. The chilly wastelands of Fichina come complete with snowflakes that stick to the camera before melting into water. Don’t even get me started on the glow of Solar’s flares, lighting up the underside of the Arwing as you skirt over its surface.
It’s staggeringly beautiful from beginning to end, and there’s not a single weak link. The gameplay remains just as it always has been (Macbeth’s train switches and Zoness’ sensors are exactly where you’d expect to find them), but visually, it’s head and shoulders above anything that’s come before.
The same can be said for the Star Fox crew themselves. I wasn’t on board with the new “more animal-like” designs (Koizumi’s words, not mine) at first glance, but I’ve got to say, they really grew on me. Something about the increased realism just works. Slippy is even wetter, Peppy is even wiser, Falco’s snark really shines through those narrow eyes, and Fox looks… well, like a fox. Seriously, if you told me that guy had fleas, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
But the big test was always going to be the dialogue, wasn’t it? Lines like “Now you’ve done it, Slippy”, “Enemy shield analysed”, and “Don’t relax, we’re not done yet!” are burned into my brain, so how would they hold up handled by a new voice cast? Remarkably well, it turns out.
There’s a great array of voice acting talent on display here, and every character is better defined as a consequence. The script itself is near-identical, but strong vocal direction goes a long way — I never would have thought Star Wolf’s Andrew would be a sleeper comedy hit.
It’s all given some extra room to breathe in the new cutscenes, which slot neatly between each mission, and change based on your performance in previous tasks and where you’re going next. Acting and visuals aside, it’s nice to have an extra bit of story pumped into the proceedings — an area that Star Fox 64 was lacking. It means mission selections actually carry weight (you’re always presented the moral pros and cons of taking each direction), characters are more three-dimensional, and, most importantly, Falco’s arc from bitchy to respectful is given time to shine.
Repeated playthroughs were the bread and butter of the N64 release, with a normal six-planet run only taking around an hour to polish off, and that’s still the case here. If anything, the additional cutscenes help sell the appeal of returning for another run even more. I couldn’t see the disappointment on Slippy’s face when I chose to head to Katina over Aquas without going back afterwards to try and make things right.
To be clear, it’s still a short ride. In case you haven’t picked up on it by now, this is the same Star Fox from ’97 under the hood, and the playable story is just as brief. After a handful of runs, you will have seen everything this narrative has to offer, again, and if that didn’t gel with you in the past, it won’t now.
I can’t help but wish that there was a little extra story thrown in here to really push things into the big leagues. A playable prologue or a small Star Wolf expansion bolted on would have done it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and all that, but I’ve been craving some new Star Fox plot for over a decade now, and this could have been a prime spot for a little taster.
Fortunately, the new Challenge Mode helps sweeten the replay deal. This tasks you with returning to individual stages and ticking off a series of smaller objectives along the way (eg. complete the stage within X minutes, defeat all the Y enemies, fulfil Z’s request, etc.). It’s a neat little add-on, and I’ve enjoyed replaying with different goals in mind other than ‘score the most points possible’.
Beat all the challenges on a given stage and you unlock the ‘Expert’ variants, which, expectedly, pose an even greater test of skill. Sure, it all adds up to replaying the same 15 levels time and again, but at least there’s a nice excuse to do it this time around.
Just when things started to grow a little repetitive, I jumped into the new online matches, and wow, it’s some good soup. There are three different game modes — Corneria’s zone domination, Fichina’s collection, and Sector Y’s capture the flag — each of which involves completing the objective while scoring points by taking down the opposing team (Star Fox or Star Wolf, naturally).
Each mode is refreshingly customisable, with plenty of options to make things more accessible or more chaotic — try playing on ‘Fast’ ship speed with ‘Unfair’ enemy difficulty, and you’ll see what I mean. There’s a bunch of neat power-ups, too, like homing rockets, disabling EMPs, or space mines that give every game a certain Mario Kart flair.
It feels a little slight (as fun as the three game modes are, there are only three of ’em), and it sure would have been nice to have a local splitscreen option too, but I haven’t had this much fun online in years. If Nintendo adds maps, missions or modifiers down the line, we’d be looking at some of the most entertaining online play you’ll find in any Switch game.
Oh yes, and while we weren’t able to test it during our review period, all of these online fun times can be shared with any other Switch 1 or 2 systems via the magic of local GameShare and online (with Switch 2 systems only) via GameChat. AR Filters are also included for those GameChatting with a camera, and I was impressed at just how well Slippy’s face remained glued to my own, following my every mouth, head, and eye movement throughout multiple sessions. You can also opt for just parts of select characters to be mapped to your face (Fox’s ears, Wolf’s eyepatch, Bill’s visor etc.), and yes, having Falco’s beak and nothing else is just as disturbing as you’d expect.
The controls have been simplified for less reliance on button combos (though classic options are still available in the settings, for those set in their ways), and HD Rumble 2 sells every bump, shot and explosion, and everything runs at what looks and feels like a flawless 60fps.
As well as the chance to play the whole thing with the N64 NSO pad (a nice touch), the game also supports mouse controls, where you control the Arwing with the left Joy-Con, and use the right for some precise mouse aiming. While I still find Mouse Mode far from comfortable on Switch 2, this might be its first game where a full playthrough with the control scheme is a valid option — if you can stomach the first-person cockpit view, that is.
You can even bring a co-op partner along to man the guns while you focus on flying. Again, it feels like a bit of a novelty, and not my preferred way to play, but it leads to some solid couch co-op order barking, and I particularly admire how the roles can be switched on the fly by simply laying down one Joy-Con into Mouse Mode and picking up the other.
Star Fox on Switch 2 is a sublime remaster of Star Fox 64, and that’s both its best and worst feature. This is Fox’s best game made even better, with a stunning visual overhaul, snappy controls, and some neat reasons to keep playing thanks to the new challenges and online modes. That said, it is just ’64’ again, and those who have already played through the ’97 classic hundreds of times won’t find any surprises here.
If, however, this is your first run-in with Fox McCloud, I struggle to think of a better introduction to the series. And if you know the game like the back of your hand, you’re in for a replay unlike any other. The series’ future looked bleak for a second there, but if this is a taste of what the next original adventure holds, then I’ve never been more ready to fire up the G-Diffuser.
