Review: Star Fox

After Fox McCloud’s cameo in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, fans of the Lylat System’s greatest mercenary squad were ready to see Arwings take to the skies once again. Nintendo answered the call with a surprise Nintendo Direct and a brand new title in the series, the first entry in over a decade. Star Fox for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a ground-up remake of the classic rail shooter Star Fox 64 with several new features and a realistic artstyle. With the previous entry in the seires, 2016’s Star Fox Zero, itself a remake of the Nintendo 64 game, failing to impress Wii U owners over a decade ago, fans may be wondering what this latest game offers and what it implies about the future, and to answer that, a brief is in order.

When evil genius Dr. Andross initiates a full-scale invasion of the Lylat System, General Pepper of the Corneria Defense Force enlists the help of Star Fox to drive back the menace and restore peace. Squad leader Fox McCloud, hotshot Falco Lombardi, veteran Peppy Hare, and mechanic Slippy Toad launch a counteroffensive as they race across the stars to stop the enemy army before it’s too late. In addition to a short prologue showing the fate of Fox’s father, James McCloud, new fully-voiced cutscenes play out between missions. However, the story remains unchanged, with iconic moments like the first flight into Corneria and the last dance at Venom having the same kick.

The post-mission cutscenes are modest in their impact and memorability, though welcome nonetheless. They largely provide context for each mission and give the squad members time to interact with each other outside of their Arwings. Rather than adding a whole new dimension to the story and characters, they expand on them just enough to feel like an upgrade. While lengthier cutscenes would have been more meaningful, the original’s brisk pace and replayability are preserved by keeping them short, and they add another incentive to complete the game’s branching paths beyond the different levels and bosses, as dialogue can change depending on the path taken.

Each mission is a tightly-designed on-rails obstacle course with continuous waves of enemies to shoot down and a boss that must be conquered to claim victory. Spatial awareness, fast reflexes, and maintaining a hit streak is key to earning a hefty paycheck for the squad and a long vacation for the gruff Cornerian general. Missions can have players piloting the Arwing, Landmaster, and Blue Marine, and they branch out based on the completion of certain objectives with difficulty varying between paths and harder missions pushing players down to the easy or normal routes upon failure. While on the mission select screen, players can now view the requirements for unlocking additional paths instead of being forced to try until they stumble onto something, which makes full completion simple and wholly dependent on players’ ability to see it through. The campaign is unquestionably faithful in its recreation of the original, to where those expecting more will be disappointed. However, those looking for a modern take on a classic with some bonuses will find just that, and that its scenery and setpieces are dazzling in ways they’ve never been before.

Areas like the asteroid array of Meteo and the stormy seas of Zoness are fully realized in crystal-clear resolution and stutter-free visuals as the squad repels Andross’ forces across air, land, sea, and space. Fans and newcomers alike will come away mesmerized by its flawless presentation, especially in handheld mode. On the other hand, the character designs may be met with hostility, but they match the arstyle and the new voice actors put in the work to do the characters justice, with Fox’s voice in particular being very fitting and likable. The redesigns also lend it a unique lidentity and charm that keeps it from blending with its predecessors, which goes a long way in setting it apart, given how it otherwise plays things safe across the board.

Most of its new features are respectful additions that don’t take away from the original while still providing something worthwhile to bite into. The most substantial of these are Challenge Mode and Battle Mode, with the former offering numerous challenges for each of the campaign’s levels, many of them surprisingly difficult, and the latter housing potentially dozens of hours of fast flying fun through online and local multiplayer. The three multiplayer modes available are all about racking up points in objective-based 4 v 4 competition. The absence of a separate team deathmatch mode is puzzling, but points can be earned through shooting down rivals in these other modes, leaving plenty of room for intense dogfights as both teams vie for victory.

The first of the three modes is Battle for the Bay, which is about capturing and holding points against heavy enemy fire like in Domination from the Call of Duty franchise. The second is Meteorite Melee, in which teams compete to collect energy crystals as meteors rain down from the sky. While the last, Deep-Space Dustup, sees players retrieve stolen cargo from space pirates and escort it to an allied goalpost. The first two are simple and sweet, but it’s the third that sells the whole package. Navigating space debris and shooting down enemy pilots, all while honing in on the cargo and protecting allies, is exhilirating, and it has that “let’s play one more round” effect that any standout multiplayer mode should have. Instead of being an afterthought, the game’s multiplayer offerings are varied and fun to the extent that many players may get more out of it than the campaign.

Along with all of the new features mentioned above, mouse controls are yet another pleasant addition that returning players can look forward to. Set the two Joy-Cons with their sides down on a flat surface and watch as the camera shifts to a first-person view and all the action becomes twice as immersive. It takes getting used to, works best with a proper set-up, and doesn’t outshine the stick controls, but there’s a thrill and excitement to doing a barrel roll or a somersault through the eyes of Fox. The original had the option for a cockpit view, but the remake’s cleaned-up visuals, smoother gameplay, and mouse controls crown it king, as does the option to disable screen rotation during acrobatic movements for those who find it disorienting.

Other Switch 2 features like GameChat and AR avatars are also present, though they’re more a novelty than anything else, and while the campaign can be played in 2-player co-op with one player as the flier and another as the gunner, it doesn’t compare to true split-screen co-op. However, even without it, there’s a considerable amount of content and features to work with. The campaign is a very dense and rewarding experience despite it only taking about an hour to an hour and half to beat the first run. Between repeat playthroughs to see all the alternate paths, Challenge Mode, and the unlockable Expert difficulty option, solo play has more to offer than initially meets the eye. Meanwhile, Battle Mode, especially if it receives updates or rotating maps, can be a big draw for players looking for a new team-based game to play with friends.

Though safe and familiar, Star Fox is now the definitive way to play the game seen by many as the peak of its genre, and the changes it does make are all for the better. The new cutscenes, though brief, further ground Fox and the squad in the world they live in, while the spotless visuals, charming character designs, and excellent new voice cast are inviting to both longtime fans and curious newcomers. Between its classic campaign, addictive multiplayer, and assortment of extra features, Star Fox for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a triumphant return and fresh start for the series that proudly says that its best days are yet to come.

8.5 / 10

A copy of Star Fox for review purposes was provided by Nintendo UK.