Ok, we’re here. Star Fox has arrived for the Switch 2, and the review embargo was up on 24th June.
Whilst we don’t want to spoil it too much for ourselves, we wanted to do a bit of a round-up to understand the general consensus. How is the Star Fox critical reception?
It’s being widely praised as a technical showpiece for Nintendo’s new hardware, though its nature as a faithful reconstruction of Star Fox 64 has drawn a clear line between nostalgic purists and newcomers.
The Headlines & Scores
Nintendo Life (9/10): “An incredible remaster of Fox’s greatest adventure… some of the best visuals on Switch 2.”
IGN (8/10): “More than just a fresh coat of paint… introduces a rewarding Challenge mode, slightly improved multiplayer options, and a bevy of brand new well-made cinematics.”
Digital Foundry: “One of the best-looking games to ship on Switch 2… a smooth, polished and beautiful experience that belies the mobile chipset that powers it.”
Forbes (8/10): “A very faithful remake… although I feel newer players may find it functionally a tad old school.”
Console Creatures (8/10): “Star Fox feels like it’s on the cusp of relevance with this masterfully done remake of an iconic classic.”
So that’s a pretty promising start from some trusted sources. Digital Foundry, in particular being so positive about the technical performance is what’s got us really excited.
Key Themes in the Consensus
A Technical Showpiece
Nearly every outlet is using Star Fox to benchmark what the Switch 2 can do.
Digital Foundry highlighted the physically-based rendering, sophisticated lighting, volumetric nebula dust, and highly detailed water caustics on Corneria.
The game locked to a razor-sharp, stable 60fps at a resolution targeting 1080p. VGC echoed this, calling it “one of the best-looking Nintendo games ever.”
The Gameplay & New Controls
Under the hood, the 1997 layout remains strictly intact. The level layouts, enemy waves, and branching paths (via the classic Medal system) are exactly where veterans remember them.
However, Velan Studios added modernised control options. The game features a new Joy-Con 2 mouse mode (using pointer controls for fine-tuned aiming while flying/driving), which IGN found highly responsive during Landmaster segments, even if traditional Pro Controller layouts remain the comfort zone for old-school fans.
As Star Fox 64 is probably one of our most-played games of all-time. This is really promising news. Especially with the enhanced lore.
Expanded Lore & Fleshed-Out Cinematics
Instead of the simple, arcade-style dialogue boxes of the N64 era, the remake features fully voiced, cinematic cutscenes between missions that adjust based on your performance and chosen route.
Reviewers noted that these scenes give characters like Falco and Fox actual narrative arcs, though VGC and Mashable warned that some of the campy charm of the original has been traded for a more earnest, “Hollywood-style” cinematic tone.
Note: A few classic, meme-worthy lines (like Peppy’s “It’s quiet… too quiet”) were reportedly cut or re-recorded.
The New Multiplayer
While the single-player campaign remains a brief 30-to-45-minute sprint per run, the 8-player online competitive mode is being called the game’s secret weapon.
It features 4v4 objective-based dogfights (like airborne Capture the Flag in Sector Y or zone domination in Corneria) complete with wild power-ups like space mines and EMPs.
The game also utilises the Switch 2’s GameChat camera integration, allowing players to map animated Star Fox character masks over their actual faces during video chat.
We’re not really too worried about the multiplayer, and without a camera, won’t get to experience to animated masks. But that isn’t to say we won’t give it a try. It’s just not really the point, for us.
The Main Criticisms
Campaign Length: Critics like Cerealkillerz expressed disappointment over the lack of brand-new single-player campaigns or extra planets, noting that the content can feel sparse for modern players expecting a lengthy narrative.
Tonal Shifts: The highly detailed, somewhat “visceral/feral” new character models split opinions, and the clean, high-production voice acting means losing the low-fi, nostalgic crunch of the original performances.
UI Tweaks: Digital Foundry pointed out that the removal of flashing colour indicators on enemies when they take damage makes visual hit-feedback slightly harder to read than it was on the N64.
Truth be told, Star Fox is aimed at older players and fans of the series. Whilst it’s been glossed and polished to appeal to a modern audience.
The core campaign shouldn’t need to change or meet modern expectations. But if you’re coming in fresh, it’s easy to understand why some might feel disappointed.
Star Fox
Is a flawless, hyper-polished 1:1 gameplay translation of a 30-year-old rail shooter enough to justify a premium spot in the Switch 2’s launch window?
The consensus screams yes for preservation and pure arcade fun, but maybe not for players looking for a true, forward-looking iteration of the franchise.
We’ll have our own review up soon enough, once the game actually arrives, and we can’t wait to get stuck in.
