Nintendo's new exclusive goes beyond 'just a remake' – why Star Fox is a must for Switch 2 owners
Whether you remember Fox on the N64 or not, the Switch 2 reimagination is like a brand new game to love all over again – or to play for the first time
To call the Switch 2's Star Fox "just a remake" of the original 1997 N64 game, Star Fox 64 (well, Lylat Wars as I and so many others knew it – as that was the obscure European release name), would be to do it a disservice.
I've spent the last week playing Star Fox on Switch 2 and, for me, it's set the nostalgic floodgates wide open – taking me back to school-age memories, yet keeping me in the here and now thanks to the game's complete and total graphical rework. It's added much more, too.
Cut from a new cloth
When a game is knocking on the door of being three decades old, I often ponder: "Was it just good for the time, or good enough to stand the test of time?" Now, I couldn't fire up Lylat Wars, as I no longer possess an original N64 console, but have since gone down YouTube rabbit holes to watch online playthroughs.
The look is night and day, with the Switch 2 version not simply adding a greater draw distance and sharper definition visuals. It's fully reinvested in the Lylat System's worlds, with new objects, visual and sound effects, voice-overs, and even brand new cut-scenes to tie the storyline together. To me it simply feels like a brand new game.
Yes, Fox McCloud's father's voice-over sounds amateurish, but – spoiler alert! – he dies in the opening cut-scene anyway. Set the game's timeline to five years later and we're left with an entertaining ensemble in Fox, Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare and General Pepper – all of whom convey their characters' personalities convincingly.
While the cut-scenes set the backstory, it's the in-game action that really sells Star Fox. Once again, Nintendo has proven its genius – as the core structure of this rail shooter is effectively the same, but doesn't feel dated like you might expect. Indeed, for those who never played the original, it'll feel completely fresh.
Perfect timing
That's why now is such a great time for Star Fox to release for the Switch 2. Nintendo has savvily managed to sit between generations, so whether you were a teenager when the original dropped or are one now and exploring the new release for the first time, it's like digging into an all-new game.
It's more than stood the test of time, too, with great controls – if you can handle the inverted Y-axis (which you can change in settings), which I remember causing quite a stir among friends back in the day – and what is simply fun shooting fare.
There's an essence of arcade shooter about Star Fox, not that it ever enters the difficulty realms of an old-school side-scrolling shooter from the 1980s (that surely inspired its very core in the first place – R-Type, anyone?).
Huge replayability
But while a single run-through won't take an age – indeed, you'll "complete it" in an evening – there's heaps more to this game. And not just throwaway tidbits. Medal-earning challenges, multiple routings through the game's pathway, a true final boss, and incremental difficulty modes. They're addictive enough to keep you returning – which is exactly what I've feverishly been doing in the evenings over this past week.
The Switch 2 brings yet more to the party, too, with a Battle Mode that I'm sure will be the mainstay for many online gamers – as here you can embark on 4v4 dogfights (foxfights?) and squeeze never-ending playtime out of this release. If co-op is more your thing, however, then that's also present and correct for the main storyline.
When the franchise seemed like it might be dead and done – thanks to Star Fox Zero's poor performance upon release a decade ago – the Switch 2's new release shows that's anything but true. It was Zero's much-maligned Wii U controls that were its core criticism, though. With a controller in hand, the Switch 2 game feels much more natural.
Not that you have to play Star Fox with a controller. Another Switch 2 feature, mouse control, has also been added as an option. It gives you a cockpit view and table-top inputs – which, personally, I loathe. The finicky nature and hard-to-see viewpoint feel too removed from the game for me. But I'm sure some will love this setup.
More reimagination than remake
Sure, Nintendo has been leaning more than a little heavily on its stock in remakes to help propel the Switch 2 along. That's felt taxing at times (and I've heard many others say so), when there's been no true new Zelda or Mario game for the latest console.
We did get brand new Donkey Kong game and a joyous side-scrolling Yoshi title, mind, plus I've loved all of the remakes to date. Star Fox, however, looks to elevate the practice from remake to reimagination – and that's great footing ahead of the Switch 2's Ocarina of Time release later this year.
Until then, whether you played Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars) or not, I thoroughly recommend grabbing Star Fox for the Switch 2. It's such a fresh take on the classic that it will be new for those who've never played the original, while feeling anew for those who lived through the N64's 90s reign.
