Key Takeaways

  • Star Fox (2026) is a faithful remake of Star Fox 64, developed by Velan Studios exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, and it scores an 82 on Metacritic.
  • The game looks and plays better than any Star Fox in franchise history, with 60fps, fully voiced cinematics, and a new orchestral score.
  • Critics and fans love it, but the controversy is real: this is the third time Nintendo has retold the same Star Fox 64 story instead of making something new.

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Star Fox hasn’t had a real game since Star Fox Zero back in 2016. And that one… I don’t know anybody who finished it. So when Nintendo announced a full remake of Star Fox 64 for Switch 2, I had a reaction I genuinely wasn’t expecting: actual excitement.

Let me be upfront. I’m a PlayStation guy. I don’t own a Switch 2, and until recently it wasn’t on my radar. But Star Fox 64 on the Nintendo 64? That game is locked into my memory somewhere between Goldeneye and wrestling games. The voice acting, the branching paths, Fox McCloud screaming about barrel rolls before it was an internet thing, Peppy being an anxious mess in your ear the whole time. That game was a legitimately great rail shooter and it deserved a proper follow-up for about 30 years.

It kind of got one. Kind of.

What Is This Star Fox Game?

Star Fox (2026) is a ground-up remake of Star Fox 64, developed by Velan Studios — the team behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit — and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Switch 2. It launched on June 25 for $49.99 digital and $59.99 physical. According to the Wikipedia rundown, Nintendo is calling this a “cinematic take” on the Lylat Wars, and they’re not wrong. Everything that made the original feel like a Saturday morning cartoon got a full HD treatment with live orchestral scoring, fully voiced cinematics, and expanded character writing.

The core of it is the same: Fox McCloud in an Arwing, branching planetary routes, the same iconic boss fights, and all the dialogue you memorized as a kid. But Velan rebuilt it from the ground up visually and added a new Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming system for cockpit control, plus a new online multiplayer mode. Fox also appeared in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earlier this year, which clearly built some hype going into launch.

The official overview trailer. Yeah, it looks great.

What Velan Studios Got Right

By every account I’ve read, the game plays exactly how it should. The 60fps is reportedly buttery smooth, the visual redesign is genuinely jaw-dropping compared to what came before, and the Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming inside the cockpit sounds clever and natural rather than gimmicky. Reviews describe it as the most visually impressive first-party Switch 2 exclusive so far.

The character writing got meaningful upgrades too. Peppy, Slippy, and Falco actually feel like distinct characters now, not just guys yelling “do a barrel roll” at you from a side window. The expanded cinematics give the Lylat Wars a little more weight, and the orchestral score sounds like something out of a real film. Critics gave it an 82 on Metacritic and an 84 on OpenCritic, making it the second-best-reviewed game in franchise history. Famitsu gave it four scores averaging out to 8.5. That’s a real endorsement.

For a franchise that’s been effectively dormant since a game most people wrote off immediately, launching with production values this high is a statement. Velan did right by Fox McCloud.

The One Complaint Everyone Has

Here’s what’s eating at people, and I get it. This is a remake of Star Fox 64. Again. Not a sequel. Not an original story. Not even a reimagining of the plot — the same stages, the same Lylat Wars, the same campaign beats. The 3DS remake already did this in 2011. That’s two do-overs on a story from 1997 without anyone at Nintendo apparently willing to move the franchise forward.

And on top of that, some features from the original are actually missing here. Local split-screen multiplayer is gone. CPU battles in the battle mode are gone. For anyone who spent half of a Nintendo 64 childhood in four-player Arwing dogfights, that’s a real regression, not a remake upgrade.

The fan discourse has been nuanced. People love the game. But they can’t shake the feeling that Nintendo played it too safe with a franchise that deserved something genuinely new. June has been a stacked month for gaming overall — we also covered GTA 6 preorders going live the same day Star Fox dropped, which tells you something about the competition for attention. And Star Fox held its own.

Is It Worth Buying a Switch 2 For?

I’ve been watching the Switch 2 lineup from the outside and honestly, Star Fox alone isn’t enough to push me over. But it’s the first game that actually made me think about it, and that’s not nothing.

If you already have a Switch 2, this sounds like an easy buy. The game fills a real gap in the lineup, it’s legitimately great by the numbers, and nostalgia aside, it plays like a first-class production. That’s worth $50.

If you’re on the fence about the console itself, Star Fox might end up being your favorite game on it — but you’re still building the full case for a $450+ purchase. I don’t think one 82-Metacritic remake of a game from 1997 gets you there on its own.

That said, the franchise is alive again. Fox McCloud is relevant. Kids who grew up watching The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are going to play this and fall in love with the character. The next Star Fox, if there is one, gets to be something original. This one just had to prove the IP was worth coming back to. Mission complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Star Fox (2026) a sequel or a remake?

It’s a remake of Star Fox 64 (1997). The story, stages, and campaign structure follow the original Lylat Wars closely, with upgraded visuals, fully voiced cinematics, a new orchestral score, and new multiplayer features. It is not an original story or a continuation of the franchise timeline.

Who developed Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2?

Velan Studios, a studio based in Troy, New York, developed Star Fox 2026 under Nintendo’s publishing and oversight. Velan was previously known for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and Knockout City.

What Metacritic score did Star Fox Switch 2 get?

Star Fox scored an 82 on Metacritic and an 84 on OpenCritic as of launch week, making it the second-best-reviewed game in the Star Fox franchise’s history behind the original Star Fox 64.

Does Star Fox Switch 2 have multiplayer?

Yes, but with some notable cuts. The 2026 version adds a new online multiplayer mode, but local split-screen and CPU battle options from the original were removed, which frustrated some longtime fans of the franchise.

How long is Star Fox Switch 2?

Like Star Fox 64, the base campaign can be completed in a few hours, but the branching route structure means multiple playthroughs are needed to see all paths and reach the true ending on Venom. Most players report 4-8 hours to see everything.