After a decade in hyper-sleep, Fox McCloud and the rest of the Star Fox squadron return later this month in the reimagined Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2. The newest Star Fox game is (infamously) another remake of Star Fox 64, but it also feels like the setup for something bigger down the line. After all, why introduce Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and release a high-gloss remake shortly after if there aren’t grander plans?
Star Fox games have often served as technical showcases for Nintendo’s hardware, illustrating how a 16-bit game system can render polygonal graphics or how a tiny handheld can display engrossing stereoscopic 3D visuals. The most recent Star Fox games were explorations of how to use the Wii U Gamepad to complement familiar space-shooter gameplay.
Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 similarly feels like a tech test, showing off innovations like Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and the Switch 2 camera. Graphically, the game is gorgeous. The Star Fox squadron is rendered with high-definition detail in all-new cutscenes that bring a deeper narrative and more believable characterizations to the game. In between missions, players see new interactions between Fox and friends that reinforce the personalities of the crew. While playing the game during a recent hands-on event, I was struck by how effective these scenes were. The rivalry between Fox and the cocksure Falco Lombardi, for example, really shines in these narrative cutaways.
Gameplay-wise, little appears to have changed from the game(s) the new Star Fox is based on. After a brief training session, I piloted Fox McCloud’s Arwing across the surface of Corneria on a mission that felt nearly identical to the opening of Star Fox 64. Of course, it was rendered in much greater detail, with sharper environments and more believable explosive effects. The camera sometimes luxuriates on the Arwing itself, showing the ship’s battle damage and transforming wings. It is, for lack of a better word, cool to see the Arwing looking this good.
The next mission on this particular playthrough sent Fox to the asteroid field Meteo. Again, there weren’t many new surprises here, but the Switch 2 is capable of rendering a much denser, more lively version of the familiar space mission. Piloting a spaceship through Meteo felt more terrifying than ever.
During a second run through the first Corneria mission, I explored the alternate hard route that led to Sector Y — though I didn’t get to actually play it. The allure of branching, unlockable paths is still present in the new Star Fox, and I can’t wait to revisit its secrets and deep replayability.
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