It was May 2026, Wednesday, 2 AM Moscow time. Nintendo posted an announcement in the Nintendo Today app and on social network X (banned in Russia) — exactly 10 minutes before the broadcast began. No press releases, no leaks a week prior, no ceremonies. Just: “Star Fox Direct starts in 10 minutes.” 10 minutes. That’s about how long it took for fans to collectively lose their minds.

The series had been dormant for 9 years. The last release — Star Fox 2 in 2017 — was technically a 1995 game, bundled with a retro console. Before that came Star Fox Zero in 2016, which critics met with lukewarm reception and players largely ignored due to the Wii U gamepad controls. Fox McCloud had become a character Nintendo placed in Smash Bros. more often than giving him his own games. And now — a sudden return.

No Preludes: Just Star Fox

The game is called exactly that: Star Fox. No number, no subtitle, no “Remastered” in parentheses — which in itself is a statement of intent. Nintendo clearly wants to reboot the series from scratch, reset perceptions, and remind everyone: this is a classic that deserves its own name.

At its core is a remake of Star Fox 64, the iconic 1997 game for Nintendo 64 that many still consider the gold standard of rail shooters. The same structure, the same Andross as the main villain, the same branching routes through planets. But “at its core” is the key phrase: Nintendo didn’t just polish textures; they reimagined almost everything.

Where Did the Game Come From — and Why Now

Rumors of a new Star Fox circulated alongside leaks about a remake of Ocarina of Time. There was talk of a “retro-styled” game for Switch 2, but no one expected such a quick release: less than 2 months from announcement to launch. Nintendo clearly kept the game secret longer than usual, and the surprise effect worked perfectly.

Notably, Fox McCloud recently appeared in the animated film “Super Mario: Galactic Movie” (April 2026), which many saw as a deliberate “warming up” of the audience. A classic Nintendo move: you think it’s just a cameo, but it’s marketing preparation for a big announcement.

How the Game Looks and Sounds

The first thing that stands out in the trailers is the new character art direction. Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad no longer look like cartoon toys — they have proportions as close to real animals as possible. Calling it “realistic” is a stretch, but the break from their pixelated predecessors is huge.

Beyond visuals, the game features a full orchestral soundtrack — replacing the original’s MIDI scores. And if anyone doubted whether it was worth listening to the remastered SF64 music, the trailers already provide the answer.

Story and Presentation: Finally, Proper Cutscenes

Star Fox 64 told its story through short on-screen dialogues and sparse briefings. The 2026 remake adds full cinematic cutscenes — including, perhaps, the most anticipated: a prologue about the failed mission of James McCloud, Fox’s father. In the original, this story existed in literally two lines from Peppy — now it’s a full scene.

All dialogue in the campaign is now voiced. For a series where voice lines were always more of a feature than the norm, this is a significant step forward. Veterans will be curious which actors return to their roles — Nintendo has not officially revealed this yet.

The campaign structure remains the same: mission results determine the route through the Lylat System, ensuring replayability and multiple full playthroughs. There are also secret paths.

Gameplay: Rails, Arenas, and a New Challenge Mode

The core mechanic is the classic rail shooter. You fly through a level corridor at a fixed speed, destroy enemies, collect power-ups, and search for secret routes. The barrel roll to reflect shots, the loop to dodge — it’s all there.

Vehicles are preserved: Arwing (air fighter — main mode), Landmaster (tank for ground missions), and Blue-Marine (submarine for underwater levels). Charged shot hits an area, bomb is AOE. Nothing extra, everything in its place.

All-Range Mode — an invention of the original SF64 — also returns: in certain scenarios (usually bosses), the linear level turns into an open arena with full control.

New addition — Challenge Mode: completed campaign levels can be replayed with additional objectives. 2 difficulty levels, separate from Expert mode. It’s something between Halo’s challenges and arcade reward systems — sounds like a good solution for those who want to squeeze everything out of the game after finishing it.

3 difficulty levels in the main campaign plus a separate Expert — that’s 4 playthrough options for different types of players.

Multiplayer

Star Fox 64 offered four-player split-screen — and it was a real celebration for those who remember the era of couch co-op. The remake takes a logical step: Battle Mode is a 4 vs. 4 online battle, totaling eight players simultaneously. Three maps, three types of objectives: zone capture, crystal collection, cargo delivery.

Both random online matchmaking and custom lobbies with invitations are supported. Additionally, Battle Mode can be played locally via GameShare: only one copy of the game is needed to connect up to 4 people on different Switch 2 consoles.

Switch 2: The Console as Part of the Game

Nintendo rarely misses an opportunity to showcase its hardware capabilities through key releases, and Star Fox is no exception.

• GameShare allows co-op campaign play without a second copy of the game — one player controls (pilot), the other shoots (gunner).
• Mouse Mode — aiming with a mouse via Joy-Con 2 placed on a flat surface. Works in campaign and Challenge Mode, switchable on the fly.
• GameChat + camera — one of the most unexpected features: by connecting a USB camera, you can replace your face in the video call window with an avatar of Fox or his team that mimics your facial expressions in real time. It’s absurd, it’s niche, but it’s exactly in the spirit of the series — SF64 characters always communicated through such face frames.
• Nintendo Switch Online N64 controller is compatible with the game — for those who want full immersion in 1997.

Price, Platforms, Availability

Star Fox is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, with no cross-gen release on the original Switch.

Pricing reflects Nintendo’s new policy: digital version — $49.99, physical — $59.99. The $10 difference for the cartridge is officially “production costs.” A controversial practice, but the market is getting used to it.

What’s Next?

According to rumors, alongside this remake, a completely new game in the series is in development. The SF64 remake looks like a deliberate “test of love”: bring the audience back to the roots, remind them why Fox deserves his own franchise, and — if sales numbers are convincing — give the green light to an original project.

In a way, this is exactly what happened with Metroid. First, they reminded everyone with a remake, then released something bigger. If the analogy holds, fans of the series have every reason to look to the future with cautious optimism.

On June 25, Fox McCloud takes off again. For the first time in nearly a decade — and, by all appearances, for real.