How much room is there for a legendary game be improved after several iterations? Velan Studios says “plenty” and proves it with Star Fox (2026).
Back in the cockpit
Only so many games in existence can reintroduce themselves so many times and still get a warm reception. Star Fox is among the few that bring loveable characters, unique gameplay, and historical relevance. Many times before the game has been released in various states of upgraded form. The 2026 Switch 2 release is the end-all be-all for the iconic series starter. The narrative implementation alone would have been enough to make this the definitive version of Star Fox, however Velan Studios and Nintendo seem to have felt it was time to give the game all the bells and whistles. With a multi-layered challenge mode, online multiplayer dogfighting, and new controls to play with, there is little more to ask for from the most recent iteration.
Fans of the former Star Fox games will love the faithful recreations of the campaign missions with some extra add-ins to keep things fresh. Everything will feel very familiar, but with a level of polish that matches, if not exceeds, Star Fox 64 3D. While loyal fans will enjoy these similarities, there is plenty new to enjoy too that creates an upgraded experience for long-time players, and modernizes to appeal to larger audiences.
Plot a course
Star Fox is, and has always been, meant to be played several times. The player has the ability to choose not only what they do in a mission that can change their next mission options, but can even chose which of the next available missions they’d like to play to create their own path to Venom. Each mission has its own clear reason for existing, standing out against the rest in its gameplay. Even those that are similar such as Sector X, Y, and Z have varying enemies and style of boss battles. There aren’t just two or three set routes for the player to take, but rather 25 possible ways to have played by the time the player reaches the final mission.
The reason Star Fox in this form has never become stale for most is due to the gameplay variation between missions. The different style of boss fights, the grounded Landmaster missions, the horrible Blue-Marine mission, the All-Range Mode missions, and even more styles of play such a focus on shooting buttons or flying through specific targets. Yes, unfortunately the Aquas mission and featuring the Blue-Marine still exists and has proven impossible to cure. Still, having one poor mission out of 16 isn’t too bad at all. It is perhaps more bearable than ever, but will persist to be almost everybody’s least favorite mission. Every other mission also feels upgraded, with the All-Range Mode dogfights making players feel like true ace pilots thanks to the tightest controls ever to be implemented in Star Fox.
Heroes come back
There’s a fox, falcon, hare, and toad in the room that need to be addressed. All of the characters in Star Fox have been redesigned, and recast. New faces, new bodies, and new voices can be hard to get used to, but quite shockingly, these ones weren’t. Over the course of a few hours, my brain replaced the designs I’ve known my entire life and began to see the new ones as normal. The original voice actors from Star Fox 64 are still clear in my head, but the voice acting in Star Fox (2026) is much better than many may expect. With the voice acting industry being what it currently is (anime archetypes to the front of the line,) it is hard to be hopeful for even decent performances these days. The new cast really plays into their characters though, filling out their personalities at a crucial time.
Star Fox finally has a complete narrative, detailing the purpose and order of events for the team’s offensive against Andross. Not only is there an animated prequal that finally shows the fate of James McCloud, but every mission has a pre/post-mission cutscene. Character interactions in-mission both between the main cast and some extras create a more interlaced world of relationships. The dossier on the menu also helps to fill in the gaps where things go unexplained in the story, making it easier to understand events that take place before the events of the game. Never before have the origins of Star Fox been so explicit.
Rounded aerodynamics
The new features are where the game really expands. The dossier, challenge mode, and multiplayer are all natural additions alongside the evolution of the series. They’re all easy to access through the main menu, and bring three individual bonuses of different weights for different crowds.
The dossier, as discussed previously, contains information on everything you encounter in the game other than the small enemy units. Locations, characters, technology, and bosses are all given complete backgrounds for players to dive into. It only takes a few playthroughs of the story to fully fill it out, but reading the extra information that the main narrative doesn’t fully explain is a satisfying bonus for competition of each mission. It is especially fulfilling for long time fans of the series that have waited for this kind of depth for decades.
The challenge mode makes fantastic use of the level design without changing much at all from the original missions. With each being only a few minutes long, the challenge mode adds to the replayability of the game by allowing players to choose a single mission to target for special task completions. Those that succeed in these challenges will even be able to take on a more challenging difficulty with all new challenges.
The multiplayer may be the best part of the new iteration of Star Fox. The new weapons and flight controls combined with brand new maps make for an immersive dogfighting experience that gives a rush like few other multiplayer games. Being a Nintendo exclusive may prevent this title from seeing mainstream popularity with online multiplayer gamers, but if expanded could be a highlight experience for the Switch 2 so far. Currently there are only three maps and three modes. All of them have their value, however each of the three modes is attached to just one of the three maps for the moment. This means only three possible ways to play multiplayer, a far cry from the may possibilities that Star Fox is known to present. This limiting factor can make the multiplayer gameplay feel repetitive after just a bit of time with it. If new maps and modes, or even just maps, are added to the game it can increase longevity and attention for the newest Star Fox.
Star Fox to the stars
Star Fox don’t just bring hope to the Lylat System, they bring hope to us all. Hope for new beginnings and hope for the future. Now more than ever, there is room for Star Fox to have a true future. It is a chance for both Star Fox and Velan Sudios to have their best days just ahead. As a remake, Star Fox (2026) is of the best you could ask for. As a complete experience, it’ll draw hours from the completionists. As Star Fox, it’s the best there has ever been. The most hopeful part of me believes that Star Fox may only just be taking flight. If this is the form it will be in for the foreseeable future, then it may have been worth the decades of waiting to finally get it.
9 — SUPERB
Star Fox is out now on Switch 2.
