Star Fox Review: A Beloved Classic Gets the Cinematic Remake It Deserves
- Jun 25 2026
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Star Fox launches today exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, and the reviews are in: it looks like Velan Studios and Nintendo have delivered the definitive version of Star Fox 64.
A Metascore of 81 on Switch 2. OpenCritic reports 95% of critics recommend it and Shacknews, Vooks, and Loot Level Chill all gave it perfect 100s. This is not a divisive game. This is a beloved classic, done right.
For the New Pilots
Star Fox is a cinematic, ground-up remake of Star Fox 64, developed by Velan Studios (the team behind Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit) with Nintendo producers Yoshiaki Koizumi and Shinya Saito overseeing the project. If you played Star Fox 64 on the N64 in 1997, you know the core: Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team blast through the Lylat System in their Arwings, fighting Andross across branching planet paths. Barrel rolls, laser upgrades, smart bombs, and the eternal question of whether you can save Falco in time.
This remake keeps that core intact and wraps it in a full visual overhaul. We're talking fully voiced dialogue, extended cutscenes between levels that flesh out the narrative and characters, an epic orchestral soundtrack, and character redesigns that push the Star Fox team toward a more realistic, cinematic aesthetic. The branching pathways are back. The three difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard) are back. The barrel roll is back. Do a barrel roll.
New additions include a Challenge Mode where individual levels can be replayed with different objectives, a co-op mode where one player pilots and the other shoots using a Joy-Con 2, and competitive multiplayer where players split into Star Fox and Star Wolf teams across three maps. The game supports GameChat with Star Fox character filters on your webcam, GameShare so you can play multiplayer with original Switch owners, and Joy-Con 2 mouse mode for targeting.
What Works
The visual overhaul is stunning. Andy Robinson at Video Games Chronicle called it "one of the best-looking Nintendo games ever." He's not wrong. The Arwing models, the planetary landscapes, the lighting effects, this is a Switch 2 game that flexes the hardware. Corneria, the opening level, looks like a Pixar film crossed with a war movie. The extended cutscenes give the story a weight that the N64 original could only hint at.
The gameplay holds up. IGN's Logan Plant praised the "crisp graphics, snappy controls, and majestic orchestral soundtrack," calling it "a significantly expanded and surprisingly cinematic retelling of the Lylat Wars." The rail shooter formula is 30 years old and still works. The branching paths encourage replay. The difficulty curve respects both newcomers and veterans who've memorized every route since 1997.
The new modes add real value. Challenge Mode turns individual levels into bite-sized objective missions, extending replayability beyond the 2-3 hour campaign. The co-op mode, where one player flies and the other shoots, is the kind of couch co-op the Switch 2 was built for. Competitive multiplayer with Star Fox vs Star Wolf teams gives the game a social component the original never had.
It's priced reasonably. Multiple reviewers noted the price point as a positive. At a time when $69.99 is becoming the AAA standard, Star Fox comes in at a more accessible price point that reflects its scope. This isn't a 100-hour open world. It's a tight, arcade-style experience, and the pricing matches.
What Doesn't
It's still Star Fox 64. Nintendo Life's review captured this perfectly: "This is Fox's best game made even better, with a stunning visual overhaul, snappy controls, and some neat reasons to keep playing. 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 you know Sector Y, Venom, and the secret path to Area 6 like the back of your hand, the content is familiar. The execution is new. The levels are not.
The realistic art direction is divisive. The original character designer, Takaya Imamura, said he preferred Fox's design in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie but praised the 2026 game's "clear direction" and said the designs were "exactly what he had in mind when designing for Star Fox 64." Some fans will prefer the classic cute aesthetic. The more grounded, realistic tone is a deliberate choice, and it extends to the story, which Robinson warned has "tonal changes made to the game's characters and story," moving away from the campy tone of the original toward something more cinematic.
TechRadar's critique is worth considering. Dashiell Wood argued the game is "a remake of a nearly 30 year old game" that "has been remade and re-released repeatedly over the years" and suggested more original level designs should have been included. It's a fair point. Star Fox 64, Star Fox 64 3D, Star Fox Zero, and now this all tell the same story. Game Informer's Brian Shea countered that the franchise has been absent long enough that "multiple generations of players remember the Star Fox cast more as Super Smash Bros. characters than stars of their own game series." Both can be true. For newcomers, this is a revelation. For veterans, it's the same story told better.
What the Critics Said
Shacknews (100/100): "Nintendo Switch 2 has a summer blockbuster experience that faithfully honors its source material while introducing Star Fox to a new generation."
Vooks (100/100): "Star Fox is the blueprint for how Nintendo need to do remakes going forward. This is Star Fox for those who've been there from the start, and those starting here for the first time."
IGN (90/100): "Crisp graphics, snappy controls, and majestic orchestral soundtrack. A significantly expanded and surprisingly cinematic retelling of the Lylat Wars."
Nintendo Life (90/100): "If this is your first run-in with Fox McCloud, I struggle to think of a better introduction to the series."
Gamereactor UK (90/100): "Star Fox is giving me exactly what I ask for in a modern remake. You've done your father proud, Velan Studios."
Polygon: "A tech test, showing off innovations like Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and the Switch 2 camera. Something bigger down the line is likely."
Should You Play It?
- You grew up with Star Fox 64. This is the version you've been waiting for. Same game, better in every measurable way.
- You never played Star Fox 64. This is the definitive way to experience it. Nintendo Life called it the best possible introduction to Fox McCloud.
- You want a Switch 2 showcase. Star Fox flexes the hardware, the Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, GameChat, and GameShare. It's a tech demo with a soul.
- You want couch co-op. The pilot-and-gunner co-op mode is exactly the kind of shared-screen experience the Switch 2 was built for.
Score: 8.5/10
Star Fox on Switch 2 is not a new game. It's an old game, made better. Velan Studios and Nintendo took Star Fox 64, rebuilt it from the ground up, added cinematic storytelling, modern controls, online multiplayer, and a Challenge Mode, and delivered it at a reasonable price. The result is a remake that respects its source material while bringing it to a new generation of players.
Is it just Star Fox 64 again? Yes. And that's exactly what it should be. The original was a masterpiece. This is a masterpiece, refined. Sometimes that's enough.
Available on Nintendo eShop - June 25, 2026
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