Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2 preview: Star Fox 64 remade

For a long stretch, I genuinely stopped counting how many times I finished Star Fox 64. It was the sort of game I’d roll straight back to the start the moment the credits ended, trying to push my score higher while sniffing out every hidden route on the way to the final showdown with Andross. After that peak, though, the series drifted. No matter what Nintendo, Rare, Namco, Platinum, or any of the other teams have attempted since, nothing has quite recreated the spark of that N64 classic.

Last month, Nintendo announced Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2, a remake of Star Fox 64 featuring refreshed visuals, new voice work, added cinematics, extra challenges, and expanded multiplayer. I travelled to New York to get an hour with the newest entry, and-so far-it’s doing enough right to feel like it belongs.

Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2: training and early campaign beats

Before I touched the opening of the story campaign, I ran through the training mode, which is split across several sections. Once I’d got comfortable with the modern controller layout-complete with one-button options for somersaults and U-turns-a short cutscene played showing the squad wrapping up the simulation and shifting into the campaign’s opening.

From there, the campaign starts by letting you watch the exchange between Fox and General Pepper leading into the first sortie on Corneria. The briefing feels far less like a blunt checklist this time, and does a much better job of explaining what’s unfolding across the galaxy. After the introductory cutscene where the team reports in, Corneria kicks off.

In motion, Star Fox looks superb, and Corneria in particular is a treat. The ships and environments are packed with detail, and they sit nicely alongside the sharp pacing, strong original designs, and the series’ trademark frantic action. Better still, it plays as well as it ever has-if you’ve put in the hours before, it doesn’t take long for muscle memory to take over.

I was able to run Corneria twice: first on the standard route, then on the 'good' track where you fly under the arches and tail Falco through the waterfall. Dropping the Granga in All-Range Mode took me under a minute, which is really just another way of saying it feels extremely faithful to the original. The "secret" fight with the Attack Carrier after the waterfall remains in place as well.

Corneria routes, co-op controls, and the warp zone via Meteo

On that second Corneria run, I played in co-op: I handled steering with a Pro Controller, while my partner used a Joy-Con in Mouse mode to aim and fire. That setup demands real coordination and a sense of where the other person is about to move, which makes it a tougher way to play. I’m not convinced it’ll be my main way to experience the game, but having the choice is welcome.

Afterwards, I moved on to Meteo, the asteroid field that serves as mission two on the bottom path. Seeing meteors ricochet off one another still looks impressive, even now, and I enjoyed checking out the updated designs for some of the stranger enemy types in this section. Rather than continuing all the way to the Meteo Crusher boss, I unlocked the alternate route by using the warp gates to reach the warp zone. With the area’s kaleidoscopic effect, the warp zone becomes a striking, colourful spectacle in this version.

Between stages, the cutscenes also do more to underline the wider push against Andross. They even have General Pepper explicitly acknowledging the branching routes, and-when you’re given a choice-clearly outlining what each potential mission involves. After Meteo’s warp zone, I’d normally be headed to Katina to back up Bill (one of my personal favourites), but the cutscene frames each selectable mission with its own stakes, making the decision feel more meaningful.

Battle Mode rebuilt: online, GameShare, and objectives across three maps

I wanted nothing more than to keep pushing through the campaign, but my time shifted over to the multiplayer portion. As much as I’ll always think of Star Fox 64’s campaign as the main event, its multiplayer Battle Mode was a staple at gatherings with friends-even if it was undeniably barebones, even after unlocking the special on-foot option.

On Switch 2, Nintendo has overhauled multiplayer entirely, with online play or GameShare for up to eight players. It also goes beyond simple deathmatch: Battle Mode now offers three maps, each built around its own objectives.

On Corneria, the goal is to capture and hold zones across the arena. On Fichina, you’re tasked with gathering energy crystals. I played a couple of matches in Sector Y, which drops you into a huge All-Range Mode space packed with NPCs alongside the other players. Split into two teams of four (Star Fox versus Star Wolf), we took out pirates smuggling cargo, then collected it and delivered it back to our bases.

We didn’t have the full eight human players, so bots filled the remaining slots-and they were far better than I expected. More than once, I was taken out by the opposing team’s AI. In terms of how it expands on Star Fox 64’s Battle Mode, this rework develops the idea in a lot of meaningful ways. I’m already looking forward to spending hours matchmaking here.

Many of Nintendo’s decisions around Star Fox on Switch 2 are likely to split opinion, but I’m broadly in favour of what the developers appear to have achieved. The series has been out of the cultural conversation long enough that several generations now think of Fox, Falco, and Wolf primarily as Super Smash Bros. characters, rather than leads of their own series. With that in mind, returning the story to the starting point for this iteration of Star Fox makes sense. The more substantial cutscenes and what seems to be a big increase in dialogue should give both newcomers and returning players a clearer sense of who these characters are, how they relate to one another, and how the story develops throughout this adventure. I’m hoping this instalment works as a reminder of a well-liked storyline before Nintendo eventually steers it somewhere new.

The Japanese box art for Star Fox (1993) on Super Famicom and the keyart for Star Fox (2026) on Switch 2

And then there’s the other hot-button topic: the character designs. I’ll be honest-Fox and Falco in particular threw me the first time I saw them, especially when set against the sleeker Fox design from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Nintendo didn’t do itself any favours by opening the announcement Direct with footage from that film). Over the following weeks, though, I’ve warmed to the new look. That shift started when it clicked that these designs are largely intended as a tribute to the original SNES puppets from Star Fox, which becomes especially clear when you compare the Japanese Super Famicom box art with the Switch 2 key art.

Beyond the reference point, seeing the models in motion within the game itself is what ultimately sold me: they genuinely look good. That’s true in the cinematics, but it’s most convincing when their faces appear during gameplay to deliver a line. I honestly think that once players get used to the redesign-much like people had to adjust to Donkey Kong last year-this take on the cast will be widely regarded as a strong one.

As this preview probably makes obvious, I had a brilliant time with Star Fox. As someone who completed Star Fox 64 to 100% years ago, I really wanted to try some of the new Challenge mode, but the campaign, co-op, and competitive multiplayer all felt like they were landing the right notes. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve played through Star Fox 64’s story over the years, but I can guarantee that number is about to climb substantially when this remake arrives on Switch 2 on June 25.