Developed by Velan Studios in collaboration with Nintendo and published by Nintendo, Star Fox on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a complete remake of the Nintendo 64 classic “Lylat Wars” and rather than simply slapping some paint on and calling it a day this reimagining looks to modernise the experience with rebuild visuals, new cinematics and refined gameplay whilst staying true to that arcade style action that made the original a beloved title.

Regardless of whether you’re a long-time fan who grew up protecting the Lylat System or someone jumping in for the first time, you will see why Fox McCloud remains one of Nintendo’s most iconic heroes.
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The story follows Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox mercenary team, as he joins forces with Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad and Peppy Hare to stop the evil scientist Dr Andross from conquering the entire Lylat System. You’re tasked with travelling from planet to planet aboard your trusty vessel, the Arwing, where you will need to battle enemy forces, take on massive bosses and uncover more of the conflict with newly added cutscenes and mission briefings that help flesh out both the story and its characters.

While the narrative remains fairly straightforward, it’s full of charm and captures that classic Nintendo adventure feel. The relationship between Star Fox and the team was a major strength of the game, giving each character their own personality in the cockpit through constant radio chatter and interactions during missions. It isn’t one of those stories that rely on major twists or emotional moments, but it’s well-placed, memorable, and does exactly what it needs to do.

The gameplay is where Star Fox really reminded you how good classic games were. Every mission throws something different at you, whether you’re taking on waves of enemy fighters, dodging obstacles or facing off against some of the massive bosses, which, unfortunately for me, relied on more than just holding down the fire button.

I liked the updated character models and the cutscenes, which really gave a fresh feel without taking away the charm of the original. The game still captures that classic Star Fox style, but everything feels cleaner, more polished and much more modern. It’s one of those remakes where you can see lots of care has gone into keeping it true but making it memorable.

This might be the first time I will say this, but the audio really shone out to me from the moment you load the game. You get a soundtrack that does an excellent job of building excitement for the game, with energetic orchestral music that perfectly matches the fast-paced gameplay.

There is still a great mixture of classic sound effects, like your Arwing’s lasers, explosions, and the radio chatter from your teammates; all of it sounded fantastic. The voice acting added plenty of personality to the crew, and the environmental audio kept each planet feeling unique. I found everything worked together super well and never once became overwhelming, too much or not enough.

Star Fox on the Nintendo Switch 2 is exactly the kind of remake fans have been hoping for. It stays true to what made the Nintendo 64 classic so memorable while introducing enough visuals, audio and gameplay improvements to make it feel fresh for a new generation of gamers.

Whether you were revisiting the Lylat System for that sweet hit of nostalgia or experiencing Fox McCloud’s adventure for the first time, this is an easy game to recommend. It’s a fantastic reminder of why Star Fox became such an iconic Nintendo franchise, and hopefully it’s the beginning of a bright future for the series once again.