It’s Not Perfect, But Star Fox 64 Has Never Felt Better

I know it’s a meme that Nintendo has remade Star Fox 64 several times over the years, but there’s a reason why: it’s an absolute classic.

The first time I played Star Fox was at my friend’s house, and I fell in love instantly. When I collected money from my neighbors and relatives to mow the lawn, I bought it and played it non-stop. Fast forward decades later, and I still play it regularly. It’s my comfort game, whether it’s on my TV or playing in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch as my wife and I are about to catch a red-eye flight home after our honeymoon.

Despite its iconic status, the Star Fox franchise has been in flux for a while. Part of the reason is that, instead of creating something new, Nintendo keeps rehashing the past. With the release of Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2, there are nine games in the Star Fox franchise. Four of them are remakes or remakes of Star Fox 64, itself an expanded version of the original Super Nintendo game from 1993. The franchise has been in dire need of a forward for a long time.

Enter the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, featuring Fox McCloud himself in a surprisingly prominent role, kicking off the promising return of the Star Fox franchise. Hey, we saw you recently with Metroid Prime 4 finally released, so why Star Fox? The good news is that Star Fox is back. The “bad” news is that it’s Star Fox 64 again, but hey, that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Star Fox 64 Has Never Looked or Felt Better

The last time we thought about Star Fox 64 was the infamous Star Fox Zero for the Nintendo Wii U.

Does Zero deserve some credit for trying something new? Yes. Did they fall on their faces? And yes. There’s a reason why the Star Fox franchise hasn’t seen a new release in a decade, and Zero is a big reason why. Indeed, Shigeru Miyamoto explained years ago that they couldn’t find new ideas compelling enough to make them worth their while. However, when you look at some of the recent releases from Nintendo, especially Mario sports games for the Nintendo Switch, you can’t help but wonder what Fox McCloud and company did to deserve the cold shoulder.

Turns out it took Glen Powell who plays Fox in the new Mario movie to get the game out of Nintendo’s vault. Don’t go in expecting that compelling new idea, though. At its core, the gameplay of Star Fox has not changed since Star Fox 64. The presentation, however, has been updated. I was iffy on more cinematic experiences, too. I mean, it’s Star Fox 64; did we really need to give this a full story introduction?

Yes, actually, we did. Much has been made of the game’s character design, but the truth is, it didn’t bother me. Star Fox looks really good, sometimes giving off a Star Wars-esque vibe, especially in the final moments of its campaign. The cutscenes between missions do a good job of filling in the gaps from the original, emphasizing who the Star Fox team is and what’s going on in the Lylat system.

Best of all, though, the gameplay supports it. Playing Star Fox is like riding a bike: casual, relaxed, and fun. The Arwing has never felt better to control, and I didn’t feel the rust I was expecting since I used to play with the Switch 2’s Pro Controller. This is how I want to play Star Fox going forward.

There’s an Amazing Amount of Fun Content in Star Fox

I am lucky that there is a lot of content to be found on Star Fox. Beyond your rail shooter, which takes you through various stages (and it’s still as fun as ever, mind you), there’s more content waiting even after defeating Andross and the credits roll.

You will be able to go back and complete different objectives throughout each mission. Star Fox is already one of the most replayable games for the Nintendo Switch 2, but adding in these bonus objectives, as well as unlocking more difficulty, helps keep each run fresh and exciting. They aren’t as playable as something Roguelike, but it’s still a noticeable difference compared to the real experience.

One feature that won me over surprisingly is the multiplayer game. After playing the multiplayer modes of Star Fox 64 for an hour or so in a friend’s basement, which was way too long if you ask me, I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular here. Instead, I wish more Star Fox characters had flesh.

It’s a testament to how well the gameplay works here. Sure, Star Fox isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, but why does it need to? It has already been done in the past, and we have seen how that “good” works. It’s a real puzzle that comes with the game on Switch 2. The franchise certainly needs something fresh and new, but for what serves as an introduction to the series for many, this is a great place to start.

Let’s Talk About Voice Performance Changes…

There is a very big elephant in the room when it comes to Star Fox, however, and it’s voice acting.

It was impossible to keep the original voice actors since Star Fox 64 is almost 30 years old. New voice acting was given, and in some cases, like Andross and Fox, it works very well. However, everywhere, there is great disappointment, and there are several reasons for it.

Star Fox 64’s dialogue is a wonderful combination of ’90’s flair with a sense of urgency that emphasizes the importance of each action. You really get asked by the veteran leadership from Peppy, Falco’s carefree attitude, and Slippy’s ambition, even if it is the end of many jokes. These characters are still spelled the same (for the most part, why can’t we say words like “crud” in 2026, Nintendo?), but the delivery isn’t the same.

A more extreme nature was assigned to the game’s administrators, and they were absolutely amazing. Exaggerations, silly rants, one-liners, and even teasing were all played out in the day. That’s not the case here, as all the bosses sound low, toned down, and impersonal. Macbeth’s boss, for example, lacks his trademark southern and iconic lines. For a game that does such a good job of staying true to and improving on the source material, this is a huge mistake.

The return of Star Fox is very welcome, and the gameplay still holds up even after all these years. Surprisingly, the replayability of the game we’ve been playing for nearly three decades is even better, thanks to fun multiplayer modes and additional challenges. It’s a shame, however, that given the advanced presentation of the game’s story and cutscenes, the voice acting fades, especially since that’s one of the highlights of Star Fox 64. As it stands, this is a great relaunch of the franchise and hopefully will help kickstart the return of Star Fox.

Released

June 25, 2026

The ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence

Engineer(s).

Nintendo

Publisher

Nintendo

Many players

Online Co-Op

• 

Good and bad

• Presentation has never felt better.
• Gameplay has grown tremendously over the years.
• There’s a lot to see and do after the credits roll for the first, second, and even third time.

• The voice acting misses the mark.
• It’s still Star Fox 64. Again.
• Is there really enough bang for the buck here?