Star Fox (Switch 2)

Star Fox was provided by Nintendo for review. Thank you!

Whenever a company announces a remake of a beloved game, the reactions range from excitement to disappointment. Some people dislike the idea of remakes and remasters, while others approach things differently. My point of view has always been that I always welcome remasters and remakes because they let newcomers experience older games or give longtime fans a new way to revisit a game they love. When Nintendo announced Star Fox (2026), it was going to be a new game for me, for the most part. I say that because I've owned and played Star Fox 64 3D, but I never finished it or replayed it. 

I love the 3DS and have no issues replaying or even trying out new games on it, given how many I bought over the years, but the allure of a technical showcase arcade-style rail shooter was something I was very curious about. I just wasn't sure if it was something I should buy, given that I own a solid version of the game. This is where the demo comes into the picture. After just sampling that, I signed up to review it to see how I would feel with a lot of classic arcade games and shoot 'em up experience post-3DS.

The only version of Star Fox 64 playable on Switch and Switch 2 before the remake is the N64 classic via Nintendo Switch Online. I don't really care about that version, as someone with no nostalgia for the N64 or even the GameCube. If I had my way, every game on those consoles that I'm interested in would be ported to Switch 2, but that's something I'll save for another article. With its remade visuals, new cut-scenes that are brand-new to the Switch 2 remake, new music, a few game modes I hadn't experienced before, and even new mouse controls, I wanted to see if Velan's take on Star Fox 64 would be the one that gets me to go all the way and start replaying it. That did happen, but this release has impressed me for a few reasons I didn't expect. 

A lot of people scoffed at the price of Star Fox on Switch 2, another remake of the N64 game. I've been there. When I heard a lot about Esp Ra De Psi from M2 ShotTriggers on Switch back in 2019, I laughed at the idea of paying like 60 dollars for a single shoot 'em up (I was clueless at that time, clearly) port. This is also before I knew much about M2 as a company. I decided to give it a go, and I've since bought every single M2 Switch and PlayStation game. I learned to appreciate the work in bringing classics to modern platforms with a slew of extras, and regularly grab arcade re-releases on consoles and PC. 

With that in mind, I'm sure I would've written off this Star Fox remake had it been released on Switch because I just wasn't into these arcade-style games that focus on replayability and chasing high scores. Not only are we in a different era now, but my tastes have also changed, but I was still not sure if I'd like it because I just never thought much of the 3DS release. There was clearly something I missed because Nintendo wouldn't keep remaking this game if it didn't deserve it, but I also wondered whether another remake was warranted. 

Having now spent about a week with it and playing it basically every day, it definitely was a worthwhile project because Star Fox has surpassed Metroid Prime 4 in a lot of ways as a true technical showcase for Switch 2. The game itself just feels superb to play now compared to earlier versions that all felt sluggish or had technical issues because of hardware limitations. 

If you've never played or heard of Star Fox, it is a series of rail shooters. For newcomers to the genre, you are essentially always flying forward, but you can adjust your speed to navigate across each level while avoiding obstacles, collecting powerups, and taking on enemies. Every stage is not that tough, but it is like a 3D version of a shoot 'em up in a way. I'm not saying that for a Boss Baby-style comparison, but I just feel like more of the newcomers to Nintendo's ecosystem with the Switch will know shoot 'em ups, given the plethora of games in the genre on Nintendo's hybrid console, but I digress.

Star Fox has you playing as Fox McCloud, the leader of a mercenary group. To give you an idea of how little I cared or knew about Star Fox in recent years, I knew Slippy more from that 10-year-old tweet from Nintendo than Star Fox. The new remake's writing isn't amazing or anything, but when I think of arcade shoot 'em ups, the only thing I want out of a story is to give me a bit of context before I get into the next level. On that front, Star Fox for Switch 2 overdelivered. It might be the only game like this alongside the shoot 'em up Birdcage, where I actually cared about watching these scenes between stages or battles.

A single campaign playthrough will likely take you under two hours, but there are multiple ways to replay it through different routes and also revisit older stages with how Velan Studios sprinkles unlocks to the challenge mode. Speaking of the challenge mode, Star Fox also ships with a multiplayer Battle Mode that can be played with bots or via matchmaking and private games. There is also a lobby system that uses the Switch 2 invite system to invite your friends online.

When it comes to short and replayable arcade games, game feel is very important. I think Velan Studios nailed it here with the responsiveness of the controls, how well the blur works during boosting, and the use of rumble. This is also a game I would recommend playing with Joy-Con 2 or a Pro Controller if you can. I normally play on Switch 2 with an 8BitDo controller docked, but the rumble here is worth playing with an official controller.

Visually, Star Fox is almost consistently stunning. The locations feel gigantic, cut-scenes look great, and even the character animations are lovely. I know some aren't too hot on the new character models, but I like them a lot more than the older remake and game models. I wasn't initially sold on all the designs, but after playing it, I think they all work well together. The particle effects and post-processing, in particular, look excellent in and out of combat. Even boosting has high-quality motion blur used.

My only complaint about the visuals is that the resolution is a bit low, all things considered. I'm not sure if it was feasible, but using DLSS or some other form of upscaling to output a higher-resolution image would have helped. It looks a bit soft. Handheld, I have no complaints, even though it is clearly not a match for the 1080p screen. Speaking of the screen, HDR looks quite good here as well. 

Star Fox's soundtrack is grand and basically the best possible outcome for the release. I mentioned how I didn't play the originals to completion, but I've heard the music across other games and on YouTube. The Switch 2 soundtrack is a massive upgrade and just perfect overall. Voice acting is a bit inconsistent, but never as out of place as, say, the voice direction for Zelda in Breath of the Wild. 

If you've never played arcade shooters like this before, Star Fox also ships with an easier difficulty option that makes clearing levels a breeze. This is quite a bit easier than the normal mode, so keep that in mind. I hope a future update adds in the ability to directly play on the more challenging expert mode, though. 

There is one common issue I have with the visuals and audio, though. The lack of good audio and visual feedback in some battles feels a bit lacking. The rumble sort of takes care of this, but I hope a patch can improve the visual feedback in certain battles and the overall impact. 

Star Fox plays great with Joy-Con 2 controllers in a grip and with the Switch 2 Pro Controller thanks to the back buttons, but this might be one of the few Nintendo games that I thought worked better with the mouse controls. I think rail shooters in general benefit from this, but it definitely makes Star Fox easier.

One last thing to keep in mind is the battery life when playing handheld. I didn't measure this exactly, but the battery life felt similar to when playing a game like Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2, which is not good if you play on higher levels of brightness as I do. I've joked about how Star Fox might be this short because you wouldn't be able to do more than a single campaign playthrough without needing to charge your console. It isn't that bad, of course, but this is something to keep in mind. 

In potential future updates, aside from the visual and audio feedback issues that I covered, I hope we see more maps added to the multiplayer mode and a photo mode. I'm shocked that a game with visuals this good shipped without a photo mode.

Star Fox, like Kirby Air Riders, taught me to never write off a Nintendo franchise because of earlier games or not getting into something before. There are some exceptions to this, but I'm glad this remake exists for finally getting me to enjoy Star Fox. 

Conclusion

Star Fhttps://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/star-fox-switch-2/ox is an arcade-style release you don't see much these days. It excels in its core gameplay, visuals, and sound design, making it an easy recommendation for newcomers looking to try one of Nintendo's oldest franchises with a modern coat of paint and a few nifty extras. Hopefully, we see some patches to address some of the remaining issues, and this also leads to Velan handling a brand-new Star Fox game in the future.

Our review is based on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of this game.

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