Nintendo have been in the video game business for a pretty long time at this point, and as such have a whole lot of series and characters under their pixelated umbrella. Because of the sheer number of beloved properties they have, not all of them can get the attention that Mario and Link do. This means that sometimes we have to wait a long time to see some of our favourites, as fans of F-Zero and Kid Icarus know rather well. I’ve spent most of my adult life wanting exciting new adventures for Fox McCloud, and thankfully my time has finally come. Star Fox is finally here, bringing my beloved Lylat Wars into the modern era.
Star Fox is a remake of the Nintendo 64 Star Fox game, which is an all timer in my eyes. The game follows Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Falco (the pilots of Star Fox) as they take on the forces of Andross across the Lylat system. Whereas in the original game you’d have very short statements from General Pepper before stages and a physical manual to fill in plot details, now there are actual cutscenes bringing the world to life. You get to see more of this delightful animal mercenary group and their banter this way, which is as charming as ever.
If you haven’t played a Star Fox game before, they’re for the most part on-rails space shooters. You control Fox in his Arwing, as various robots and bioweapons try to shoot you out of the sky. You’ll be using your lasers to blast them to bits before they can try and touch you, which you can do the old fashioned way by aiming or use your handy lock on.
There’s so much more to piloting the Arwing than just shooting though, with all sorts of manoeuvres you can utilise to outfly your foes. Boosting and braking is important for dodging some hazards, but if you’re feeling fancy you can also barrel roll to deflect laser fire coming your way. You can even pull out a loop the loop in desperate situations, which is great when you’re being tailed and taking fire from behind.
There are a real variety of stages you’ll need to complete in order to take down Andross, all with different obstacles and enemies. In one stage you’ll need to navigate a dangerous asteroid field, then before you know it you’ll be fighting to survive on a molten planet where your shields constantly drain. Some planets even have you piloting different vehicles, like the Landmaster tank or the Blue-Marine submarine.
Of all the missions throughout Star Fox though, my favourites are the dog fighting ones where you fight in All Range Mode. These stages allow you to freely move in a square arena instead of following a set path, and throw the evil Star Wolf pilots at you in four on four combat. It’s here where the spaceship battles really shine, with tense standoffs and plenty of situations where you’ll have to back up your squad and save them from destruction.
A complete playthrough of Star Fox will take you one to two hours, but part of the joy of the game is replaying it. There are plenty of different routes to take to your destination Venom, as long as you know how to unlock new paths. Most planets feature hidden objectives (which are usually made pretty clear if you listen to your crewmates) which take you to more exciting and often more difficult planets. I played the original version of this game every day for a month without getting bored, and I can already tell that I’ll be doing the same thing on the Switch 2.
There are loads of new elements that have been added to Star Fox this time around, but the first things you’ll notice are the visuals. This might be the single prettiest game in the Switch 2’s library, and this means that each planet and space base is brought to life beautifully. Some have already been complaining about the new models for Fox and the gang, but these puppet inspired animals are full of character and lovely to look at. You can even become them too, using your Nintendo Switch 2 camera in silly V-tuber fashion. It uses the Switch 2 hardware in other fun ways too, allowing mouse control if that’s more your style.
There’s also plenty of actual new content in Star Fox, like the side missions. Each stage has two lists of missions to complete while playing it, tasking you with uncovering certain secrets, shooting down loads of foes, and all manner of other objectives. These are really fun, and also allow you to replay levels at any time instead of having to navigate to them on a playthrough.
Another fantastic addition is the multiplayer mode, which exceeds expectations whether you play with bots, friends, or randoms online. These 4 on 4 contests see you testing your piloting mettle in proper dogfights, while trying to capture objectives or collect cargo from space pirates. There are all sorts of power ups and twists that are thrown your way as you fight to be the best squad, and it’s much more than a throwaway mode you’ll play once and never again.
Star Fox is a better version of one of my favourite games of all time, so it’s fair to say I love it. It does have some almost insignificant issues though, like how much effort it takes to unlock the harder difficulty mode. There’s also one stage I don’t like as much as the others, which is about as mild a complaint as you could ever make.
Star Fox is a fantastic reimagining of a game that was already an all timer, with gorgeous visuals and loads of extra content. The multiplayer mode is so much better than it has any right to be, the new side missions give you more to do, and you can even pretend to be your favourite member of the crew. If you loved Lylat Wars on the Nintendo 64 then you’ll still be blown away all these years later, and if this is your first time in an Arwing then you’ve got some magic waiting for you.
