After having a surprise cameo in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” Nintendo’s Fox McCloud is riding that high (and his Arwing) into a remake of “Star Fox 64″ the classic space shooter originally released in 1997.
The SNES’ “Star Fox” (1993) introduced gamers to the brave pilot Fox McCloud and his squadron teammates Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad and Falco Lombardi as they flew through space and defeated galactic bad guys. The graphics weren’t much at the time, but players fell in love with the anthropomorphic animals and the on-rails shooting mechanics. Nintendo followed that up four years later with “Star Fox 64” on the Nintendo 64, which improved the graphics, added a multiplayer mode and gave voices to the characters to further bring them to life.
“Star Fox 64” became the ninth best-selling game on the Nintendo 64 and turned Fox McCloud into one of Nintendo’s early mascots. He joined the cast of brawlers in Nintendo’s original “Super Smash Bros.” fighting game (alongside Mario, Donkey Kong, Pikachu and more) and returned for every iteration. “Star Fox 64” got a handheld remake for the 3DS in 2011, and now it’s back once again on the Switch 2.
The latest remake of “Star Fox” takes things even further. The graphics are cutting edge, like something you’d see in an animated movie. Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy have never looked (or sounded) this good — it’s a giant leap from the polygonal days of the SNES and N64. All the lasers, bombs and explosions that Fox’s Arwing navigates look ultra high-definition without turning into the overwhelming bullet-hell of other shooters. The battlegrounds, like Corneria’s sprawling forest city or a desolate asteroid field in outer space, make you feel like you’re actually soaring through the sky and put you into the cockpit of an ace pilot.
And on the Switch 2, you won’t be alone in your Arwing. Two players can control Fox’s ship, with one person steering and the other shooting. Both people will have to be in sync to take down enemy ships and barrel-roll their way to avoid incoming fire. There’s also a four-player battle mode where players can team up as Star Fox or the evil Star Wolf team and engage in massive dogfights through space.
It’s been 10 years since Fox last suited up for takeoff in the Wii U’s “Star Fox Zero,” and even though the Switch 2 remake isn’t a new story, it’s a welcome return for the pilot. Whether you’re a seasoned aviator or a rookie flyer, the Switch 2’s “Star Fox” is one of the most graphically and technically impressive remakes that Nintendo has ever made. After moviegoers saw the surprise inclusion of Fox in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” it’s no surprise that Nintendo wanted to follow up his big-screen debut with a top-notch remake. Hopefully that means we’ll get a new “Star Fox” adventure soon, whether that’s in theaters or on consoles.