Star Fox (2026 Remake) – Review

Before the technically complex flight/space arcade shooters we have today, like the Ace Combat or Everspace franchises, early video game developers had to get creative when trying to simulate the vastness of the open skies (or space) with limited hardware. While titles like Spasim (1974) or Starglider (1986) were pioneers of the 3D space shooter genre, it was Nintendo’s Star Fox (1993) on the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) that took the world by storm, popularising the use of real-time 3D polygons and is often hailed as the first major 3D console space shooter that set the standard of the genre.

It’s no surprise, then, that this 36-year-old title has kept up with the times even till now, going so far as to receive two remakes over the course of several console generations. The first was 1997’s Star Fox 64 for the N64, the most beloved title in the franchise, which reimagined the original game with overhauled story, gameplay and graphics, and was followed by 2011’s Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, which served as a standard shot-for-shot 3D remake with updated visuals. 

With three variations of the same game already out in the wild (four, if you count 2016’s Star Fox Zero, which is often considered more as a reboot of the 1997 title), one would think that Nintendo is probably tired of revisiting the same title but that’s clearly not the case, as at the end of the day, nostalgia is still the biggest money-maker. In comes this latest remake, simply named Star Fox, which brings Star Fox 64 to the modern gaming generation on the Nintendo Switch 2, with overhauled graphics, new cutscenes, and additional game modes.

But in an age where players yearn for the freedom to explore the vastness of space, can an on-rails shooter still hold up? The surprising answer is yes, as despite the ageing source material, Star Fox’s unique mission design is still something that hasn’t been successfully replicated in the genre, and when you include a host of new modes and tweaks to the formula, this is possibly the best version of the title yet.

As a franchise, Star Fox is more widely known for its gameplay than story (the 1997 game barely had one, after all), but that all changes with this remake, as it now features brand-new fully-voiced cinematics to bring its world and four core characters – Fox, Peppy, Slippy, and Falco – to life. The overarching narrative here still remains the same rather generic one from Star Fox 64, which sees the rag-tag mercenary pilot team on a mission to defeat the war-mongering tyrant Dr Andross, but the magic here lies in how these new cutscenes help to flesh out each of its characters, and how they are adapted to fit the game’s unique campaign style.

Now that players get to see each of the four heroes actually interacting with each other, and not just via radio communications, Star Fox fleshes out their personalities in a way the original never did. Thanks to a new opening cutscene that sees Fox’s father sacrificing himself to warn others of Dr Andross’s attack following a betrayal by Pigma, we now know why the young Fox is so eager to live up to his father’s reputation and lead his own team.

Of course, this expanded character development extends to the remaining members of the team, too. There’s Peppy, the mentor figure of the group and ex-partner of Fox’s father, who uses his vast wisdom to help the team decide on missions. Meanwhile, Slippy, the team engineer, can now clearly show his passion for his craft as he concocts all manner of weaponised inventions. And then there’s Falco, who exudes cockiness with everything he says, even as he constantly butts heads with Fox, and the remake even throws in a small level of character development between the two as the campaign progresses.

Speaking of its campaign, Star Fox has always been known for its unique mission structure, and this remake changes it, but for the better. Each campaign “run” now comprises seven bite-sized missions that can be completed in roughly an hour and while this might seem short, what’s unique here is that there are multiple paths to choose from along the way, with a total of 16 different planets (levels) to uncover. This means that in order to fully experience every level the game has to offer, players need to run through the entire campaign multiple times, each time using different route variations.

Once in a level, Star Fox plays out almost exactly like fans would remember, now in a more intuitive control scheme. Players will mostly follow an on-rails path, targeting enemies that come their way with their crosshairs to destroy them with their basic lasers, a charged blast that tracks foes and clears small groups of enemies, as well as a powerful bomb that wipes out large groups but needs ammunition.

At certain points in levels, the game opens up slightly and transitions into All Range Mode. This allows a player to move their aircraft freely in all directions (much like more traditional arcade shooters), and they are able to roam around a small closed-off section of the map and destroy targets at will. These sections are spread sparingly across the missions and do provide a nice break from the on-rails action with more freedom of movement. 

Certain missions also take players out of the cockpit of their Arwings and into the seafaring Blue-Marine submarine or the Landmaster tank, but apart from providing a slight change in controls and the obvious visual difference, levels with these additional vehicles usually operate roughly the same way as the main ones.

Star Fox’s controls and gameplay loop might seem simple enough on the surface, but the magic is unveiled the more players replay each stage. Some missions of the game now include hidden objectives that the player needs to complete, such as flying through certain structures or destroying a set number of enemies, and this opens up an alternate route for them to take. This not only provides immediate rewards, as these paths might lead to a new boss fight, but it also changes the narrative and opens the aforementioned branching paths.

By uncovering these secret routes, the actions of Fox and his team are reflected in the cinematics that follow the mission, which is already a pretty neat detail, but it also links back to why a player can then choose their next mission from two options, instead of being forced to take on one. 

An early mission, for example, sees Falco challenging Fox to fly through a gauntlet of stone arches, and upon completion, he will lead him through a waterfall and towards the enemy commander. By defeating this foe, the team is able to gain valuable intel on the enemy forces, which then enables the team to choose a mission they wouldn’t have access to if they hadn’t defeated this commander. It all links together in a really satisfying way, and helps add that layer of immersion and freedom of choice in an otherwise simple campaign format.

Playing through the main campaign also offers opportunities to earn medals, achievements for defeating a set number of enemies in each mission. These don’t just grant bragging rights, but also unlock the game’s hardest difficulty upon collection of every medal across the 16 levels, a mode reserved only for the most experienced of trigger fingers.

If there is one complaint to be made here, it’s that the game doesn’t feature a way to start over from a particular level once the campaign is completed, which means that players have to play the game from the start each time, making unlocking all the levels, especially those further down the line, rather inconvenient. Yes, the goal here is to encourage replayability, but perhaps this option could have been added for those who didn’t want to sit through the opening missions for the fourth or fifth time.

Outside of the campaign, the Star Fox remake also brings two major additions to the original game – Challenge Mode and Battle Mode. The former is basically a remixed version of all 16 levels in the game, and as its name suggests, adds unique objectives to each that not only task players with basic challenges like destroying a set number of enemies, but also introduce elements that tweak how the level itself plays out. This can range from the appearance of unique foes at certain points of the level that players must spot and destroy in time, to bonus secret objectives, like getting into certain team formations to unlock a hidden item.

Battle Mode, on the other hand, is an interesting concept, but one that’s currently lacking in content. This is basically a multiplayer mode which sees teams of four facing off against each other in a set arena in a point-based system while also fighting to complete certain objectives. The game currently has only three maps, which, granted, each provide unique objectives like capturing points or delivering cargo, but as it stands, playing through this mode with friends or bots quickly overstays its welcome after players have experienced each map.

Wrapping up the remakes’ new gameplay additions is the use of the Nintendo Switch 2’s unique features. First up, players can now play the entirety of the campaign in co-op locally or via GameShare, although its implementation is a little strange. Instead of having the second player join in as a wingman, both players control the same Arwing simultaneously using the two Joy-Cons, with one controlling its movement and the other its laser and targeting. While it’s a nice addition to have, especially for players with young children, the overall implementation and fun to be had in this mode are rather lacklustre for both sides.

The better Switch 2 implementation lies in Star Fox’s support for Joy-Con mouse targeting. Using the controller as a mouse makes targeting much more intuitive and much easier as a result, although the game locks itself into its first-person mode while using this feature. Additionally, its control layout in mouse mode feels a little off, as some important actions like firing bombs, speeding up, or slowing down are still tied to the face buttons on the “mouse” Joy-Con, resulting in players having to hold it awkwardly to enable easy access to all the buttons.

Star Fox might stumble with some design decisions, but one can’t deny how far the game has come in terms of visuals. Depending on who you ask, the new, more realistic depiction of Fox and his team might be leaning too far into the uncanny valley, but there’s no denying that this is the best Star Fox has ever looked. From the roaring rainfall of Zoness to the icy landscapes of Fichina, each stage remains instantly recognisable, but now with much higher visual fidelity. The game’s new cutscenes are also well animated and help to further heighten that sense of awe as players first touch down on a previously undiscovered level.

As far as remakes go, Star Fox faithfully, and thankfully, sticks to its roots, focusing on refining the experience over fundamentally changing it. Its new gameplay additions might not appeal to everyone apart from the most dedicated of Arwing pilots, but at the end of the day, it manages to recapture what made the original 1997 game so special to begin with, and as far as remakes are concerned, that’s all that matters.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.