Star Fox is a remake of the N64 classic Star Fox 64. It has a fresh coat of paint, but the gameplay is a faithful recreation of the original. For those under the age of 35, Star Fox is a rail shooter where you fly a predetermined path (with some ability to ‘fly outside the lines’) in a mission structure.
I have very little experience with the Star Fox franchise, aside from main’ing Fox McCloud for a brief time in Smash Bros. At this point, as an elder millennial, I only engaged with Star Fox through screenshots and by reading “best of N64” lists; how the game functions is a tight 1.5-2 hour campaign intended to be played multiple times to unlock different paths and missions. It’s a super cool concept for 2026, and I can only imagine how much fun it was in the mid-90s.
Another surprise was the story. A simple premise: You are Fox McCloud, the son of the deceased leader of the original Star Fox squad, and you are hired as a mercenary to stop a mad scientist, Dr. Andross. There was a ton of build-up and characters. They all fit and make for a great cast, but I did not expect it. The story is fun. I was constantly reminded of the original Dragon Ball storylines with the silly campiness of evil doctors and snarky rivals. Still, I could see the new generations rolling their eyes at the story beats.
The art design is an absolute vibe. The online discourse around the updated art style seems overblown now that I have spent 10+ hours living in this world. The character designs are fun and unique. Fox and his crew look just cool as hell in their street/tech/Akira-inspired bomber jackets and high collars. Once the game showed the logo, the team, and Fox McCloud himself, I immediately understood why so many 12-year-olds made this their entire personality in the 90s. I also loved how much of the distinct feel of 90s Nintendo stuck through the remake, like the ROB boss that resembles the infamous ROB Nintendo accessory.
The graphics, on a technical level, were equally impressive. There were no slowdowns, no matter how chaotic the battles became. Even in the two different modes, the traditional on-rail missions vs the free-flight modes, the game was able to handle both scenarios smoothly. The lighting effects and explosions filled the entire screen, but they were never visually overwhelming. A pleasant surprise was how dynamic the world proved to be.
Star Fox uses simple triggers throughout the mission, like a squadmate rushing into the screen being chased by an enemy ship. When you shoot the enemy ship, or accidentally the squadmate, you get an instant dialogue reaction. The mechanics aren’t mindblowing, but used perfectly, that sucks you into the world. There are so many little moments and creative uses of the engine that they show why Nintendo earned a reputation for doing a lot with a little.
Combat is very strong, but as expected, a bit dated. The controls never felt natural, but they were passable after a few missions. I was fumbling, trying to get all of my special moves and barrel rolls to hit consistently, but I managed to hit a flow state by my second run. I didn’t go through the full wringer and the expert mode, so I am not sure if all of the different moves are necessary as the difficulty ramps up, but I would have preferred more simplicity around the combat.
The right analog stick was still a few years away when Starfox 64 was released, and it is SORELY missed in 2026. The game is built and functions really well with one joystick, but this one joystick is doing too much. Since you have one joystick wearing so many hats, the sensitivity never works, and unless I was taking a targeted shot, I could never get the right line of sight.
Maybe it’s just that the modern controllers are so imprinted in my brain that I couldn’t get over it, but, especially in the free-roam missions where turning was a whole affair of button presses, I would have killed to be able to do a quick swivel with my right analog stick.
If grinding the same campaign missions to find the extra paths isn’t your jam, there is still enough with the challenge modes and expert difficulty to pad the hours if you don’t want to stop playing. There are also two multiplayer modes: one where two people split the single-player responsibilities (player one flies the Arwing while player two fires the lasers), and a traditional battle mode. I did not get to try the modes, but again, something fun if you have a little sibling or non-gamer significant other who can’t take on all the responsibility.
As a first-time enjoyer of a Star Fox game, I can safely say that it is still a blast, even without nostalgia fueling me. An exciting art style and an action-packed, addictive gameplay loop make Star Fox a must-play for both adult and kid accounts on your Switch 2.
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