The graphical leap is the most dramatic Nintendo has ever achieved
Nearly thirty years after Fox McCloud first flew through the Lylat system, Nintendo has returned to Star Fox 64 once more — this time on the Switch 2 — and the result is less a reimagining than a revelation of what the original always aspired to be. The campaign, story, and mechanics remain faithful to 1997, yet the visual transformation is so complete that the game stands as the most dramatic graphical leap in Nintendo's history. It is a meditation on preservation and polish: the same journey, rendered as if seen for the first time.
- Nintendo's fourth attempt at Star Fox 64 raises the stakes immediately — this is not a gentle remaster but a visual overhaul so sweeping it redefines what the series can look like.
- The tension lies in what hasn't changed: the campaign still runs in under an hour, the story remains a simple space opera, and veterans may feel the familiar pull of diminishing returns.
- New mission select, branching achievement challenges, and fifteen levels with alternate paths work together to stretch a short game into something genuinely replayable.
- Team-based multiplayer modes replace the old deathmatch entirely, introducing objective-driven competition for up to eight players that gives the package a social life beyond the solo campaign.
- Facial avatar capture — transforming a player's live expression into a Star Fox character via webcam — arrives as the remake's most unexpected and technically impressive flourish.
- At up to $59.99, the price holds against comparable Nintendo remakes when weighed against the sheer scale of its graphical ambition and the depth of its replay mechanics.
Nintendo has revisited Star Fox 64 before — a 3DS visual refresh, a Wii U reimagining — but the Switch 2 version arrives as something categorically different. The story hasn't changed: Fox McCloud and his crew fly through the Lylat system to stop the villain Andross. What has changed is everything you see. The Arwing now bristles with individual panels and moving parts, shadows fall realistically across terrain, and the game holds a rock-solid 60fps in handheld mode at 1080p. Docked performance fluctuates slightly and doesn't reach native 4K, making handheld the sharper experience — but by any measure, this is the most dramatic visual leap any Nintendo game has ever achieved.
Beyond the graphics, the remake adds features that respect the player's time. A mission select screen lets veterans jump directly to completed levels, and a new achievement system — called Challenges — rewards specific feats while quietly pointing players toward the game's branching paths. Those branches matter: fifteen levels, most with alternate routes unlocked by meeting particular conditions, mean a single run barely scratches the surface. Completing every stage with a medal unlocks Expert difficulty, giving dedicated players a genuine reason to return.
Multiplayer has been rebuilt from the ground up. The old free-for-all deathmatch is gone, replaced by three team-based modes — capturing satellites, collecting crystals, stealing cargo — that play more like competitive sports than dogfights. A co-op mode lets one player pilot while another mans the guns, though it feels more like a curiosity than a full feature. More striking is the facial avatar capture: connect a webcam, and the game maps your expressions onto a Star Fox character in real time, ears, hat, and all. It worked reliably in testing and is unlike anything else on the platform.
At $49.99 digital and $59.99 physical, the price sits alongside other recent Nintendo remakes of comparable or longer games. The campaign is short, but the transformation is undeniable. For anyone drawn to arcade-style rail shooters, this is definitively the best Star Fox has ever been.
Nintendo has remade Star Fox 64 three times now. The original arrived on the N64 in 1997 and became one of the system's defining games. A decade later came Star Fox 64 3D for the 3DS, a straightforward visual refresh. Then came Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, which attempted something bolder—a complete reimagining of the formula. Now, on the Switch 2, the game returns again, and this time the upgrade is undeniable.
Star Fox on Switch 2 is not a new game. The story remains unchanged: Fox McCloud and his mercenary team must fly from the planet Corneria through the Lylat star system to reach the stronghold of the villain Andross and stop his invasion. The campaign structure is identical to what players experienced nearly thirty years ago. What has changed is everything you see. The blue-and-white Arwing now displays countless individual panels and moving parts. Buildings and mountains cast realistic shadows across the landscape. Clouds of metal debris drift around wrecked ships. The game runs at a rock-solid 60 frames per second in handheld mode at 1080p resolution. When docked to a television, the frame rate fluctuates between 40 and 60 fps, though the game appears to render at 1080p or 1440p rather than native 4K, resulting in sharper visuals in handheld mode than on a larger screen. Still, it represents the most dramatic visual leap any Nintendo game has ever achieved.
Beyond graphics, the remake adds modest but meaningful features. Voiced cutscenes between missions show the Star Fox crew and General Pepper discussing strategy, though the story itself remains a straightforward space opera without dramatic complexity. A new mission select screen lets players jump directly into any level they've already completed, eliminating the need to restart the entire campaign to chase specific achievements. These achievements—called Challenges—ask players to accomplish specific tasks like destroying enemies in particular ways or navigating areas with fully upgraded shields. They serve both as replayability hooks and as subtle guides to finding alternate paths through levels.
The core gameplay mechanics have not changed. Players still barrel roll to deflect incoming fire, still fly under arches and through waterfalls to discover alternate routes, still manage wingmen who can be shot down or protected to earn medals. The campaign branches significantly based on player choices. Starting from Corneria, a player might normally proceed to the Meteo asteroid field, but answering Falco's challenge and flying under stone arches sends them instead to Sector Y's ship graveyard, with different enemies and a different boss. There are fifteen levels total, almost all with alternate conditions that reshape the path forward. A single run takes less than an hour, but the branching structure and multiple endings provide genuine replay value. Unlocking medals in every stage now opens an Expert difficulty mode.
Control options reflect the game's history. The default scheme uses only the left analog stick for aiming and steering simultaneously, just as the original did, and the game remains fully playable with an N64-style controller. An optional secondary mode lets players place a Joy-Con flat on a surface to use it as a mouse for steering and aiming, switching the perspective to a first-person cockpit view. This alternative is more precise but makes it harder to judge the Arwing's position relative to obstacles, and the perspective shift limits its appeal.
Multiplayer represents the most significant new content. Gone is Star Fox 64's free-for-all deathmatch mode, replaced by three team-based competitive modes where up to four players per side—human or AI—compete across different objectives. On Corneria, teams capture satellite towers. On Fichina, they collect energy crystals from falling meteorites. In Sector Y, they steal cargo and return it to their bases. Scoring comes from both fulfilling objectives and destroying enemies, creating a sports-like competitive dynamic. A new co-op mode lets one player pilot the Arwing while another serves as gunner, each using a single Joy-Con, though this feels more like a novelty than a fully realized feature.
The most striking new addition is facial avatar capture for multiplayer GameChat. With a compatible webcam connected to the Switch 2, players can transform their face into a Star Fox character—Fox, Slippy, Falco, or others—with the camera tracking facial expressions and keeping 3D elements aligned. Alternatively, players can keep their own face and add props like Fox's ears or General Pepper's hat. The technology worked reliably in testing, though it remains limited to this single game.
At $49.99 for digital and $59.99 for physical, the price invites comparison to other recent Nintendo remakes. Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door both launched at $59.99 with primarily graphical upgrades. Metroid Prime Remastered cost $39.99 for a lighter visual refresh. Star Fox's campaign is shorter than any of these, but the magnitude of its graphical transformation and expanded replayability mechanics justify the cost for players who enjoy arcade-style rail shooters. The original Star Fox 64 remains available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, but this version is demonstrably the finest the series has ever looked and played.
Citas Notables
Star Fox 64 remains the series' peak, making this new version the finest Star Fox game there is— Review verdict
The core game still holds up after nearly three decades, justifying the price to anyone who remotely enjoys arcade-style rail shooters— Review assessment
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why remake the same game a third time instead of making something new?
Because Star Fox 64 is still the peak of the series—the mechanics and level design haven't aged. When the foundation is that strong, a visual overhaul and some quality-of-life improvements can feel like a complete refresh.
But it's still just one hour of gameplay. How does that justify fifty dollars?
The branching paths and multiple endings mean you're replaying it differently each time. The new mission select and achievement challenges give you reasons to return to specific levels. It's designed for arcade-minded players who enjoy chasing high scores and unlocking everything, not for people expecting a twenty-hour campaign.
What about that mouse control mode with the Joy-Con?
It's more accurate for aiming, but switching to first-person perspective makes it harder to avoid obstacles. It feels like an interesting experiment that didn't quite land. Most players will stick with the traditional analog stick controls.
The multiplayer modes sound different from what was in Star Fox 64.
They replaced the free-for-all deathmatch with team-based objective modes—capturing towers, collecting crystals, stealing cargo. They're deeper and more strategic, almost like sports matches. It's a trade-off, not a straight upgrade.
What about that facial avatar feature?
It works surprisingly well—the camera tracks your expressions reliably and keeps the 3D elements aligned. But it's only available in this game. If Nintendo expanded it across the entire Switch 2, it could be genuinely transformative for how people interact online.
So is this worth buying if I've played the original?
If you care about how games look and feel, yes. The graphical leap is the most dramatic Nintendo has ever achieved. But if you're looking for new gameplay or a longer experience, you might want to wait for a sale.