Star Fox (2026) Review - I've Been Waiting For You Star Fox
How many times have we done this now?
One of the primary points of criticism that I noticed when Star Fox (2026) was announced was that we’d seen this all before. From the original Star Fox on the SNES, to a remake on the N64 in Lylat Wars, to 3DS remasters, reimaginings on the Wii U, and more. Now, in 2026, we’re getting yet another remake of the classic adventure, and, understandably, fans were a bit bemused. At what point are we going to get a true follow-up? And what point are we going to advance the plot? At what point does the Star Fox IP get out of first gear? And yes, all of those are valid questions, and yes, we’re getting another remake, but let me be clear – Star Fox (2026 is the greatest rendition of the classic adventure that we’ve experienced, and the best springboard we’ve ever had for what could come next.
If you’ve been around the block with the Star Fox titles, then the core narrative of Star Fox (2026) is very familiar to you; only Nintendo and their development partner Velan Studios have done a superb job of adding layers to the cake. There’s nothing new; we’re not twisting the narrative in a modern retelling to steer things in a wild new direction. No, Star Fox (2026) adds some beautiful cutscenes that depict the growing escalation in the conflict with Andross, the burgeoning camaraderie between the members of Star Fox, and the texture to the plot that was lacking in more simplistic takes on the game previously. By no means does the work done make Star Fox into a weighty narrative experience. No, there are no Kojima-length or even Square-Enix-scaled cutscenes to be found here, but what has been added helps to lay the foundational elements for something that could be much more in subsequent titles.
Once again, Star Fox (2026) follows the exploits of Fox McCloud and his team at Star Fox, who have been enlisted to fight off the forces of Andross and his army, who have invaded the Lylat system. The war rages, the conflict taking the crew across the Lylat System, fighting in a range of conflicts against Andross’ legion of airbound combatants, including some menacing leaders in some seriously extravagant vessels. There are more than 20 different combinations and permutations of level sequences that the player can follow on their way to attempt to thwart Andross, and different endings are available, dependent on the decisions you make mid-level.
The levels themselves are vastly different, and facilitate the need for precise steering, and high-quality shooting in the beloved Arwing, but also different approaches to gameplay should you be behind the wheel of the ground-based Landmaster, or even the submersible, the Blue Marine. Depending on the level you’re in, the story (and location) may dictate that you will change vehicles, keeping things fresh. Although a full playthrough of the game, regardless of the chosen path, may take a little more than 45 minutes to complete, Star Fox does a great job of ensuring that there is always something new for players to check out, or cool variables in the mix to keep the gameplay interesting.
Standard arwing-based gameplay is simple enough to control. Flight is mapped to the left analog stick, and repeated button inputs allow for rapid shooting. For targeted strikes, the player only needs to hold down the shoot button (A), and the charged shot will zoom after its locked-on target. You’ve got a range of evasive maneuvers available that will allow Fox and his team to spin their opponents out of the sky, mostly linked to the D-Pad and right and left triggers, while you can also brake and boost to shake your opponents as well. For greater crowd control, you might need to utilise a bomb or collect power-ups mid-level to boost the output of your standard shots to thin the swarming masses faster. When in control of your alternative vehicles, much of the same functionality remains, but is tweaked to fit the setting.
The campaign can be played solo or with a friend in co-op play via either Gameshare, or locally, where one player controls the movement of the ship, and the other is behind the gun using the second Joy-Con 2 controller with mouse controls. If you are capable of coordinating properly with the other player, the latter option is a wonderful experience, and really allows both players to focus and master their crafts. I’m sure it’s bound to lead to some epic fights too, as you don’t blitz the previous high-score or miss the all-important target to take the alternate path.
Beyond the campaign, you will also be able to take to the skies in a range of multiplayer skirmishes in ‘Battle Mode’. The pool of levels, and the range of experiences, are unfortunately quite limited, and it’s a shame that Velan weren’t able to stretch their legs in the multiplayer realm further, given the previous works. Battle Mode can agan be played via Gameshare (online or local), in online play, or against a range of bots, in tower defence style levels, and more. It’s not a robust suite of options, but what’s there works really well, and will give you and friends/family a few hours of fun, before the formula begins to wear itself a bit thin. Finally, you can also opt into the game’s ‘Challenge Mode’ where you can repeat any completed level, taking on a range of different objectives on either normal or expert difficulty levels. These can range of simple tasks like defeating a certain number of enemies in a single shot, finishing the level in a certain time, take out a certain number of enemies, and more.
It wouldn’t be a 2026 remake without a glow-up, and despite expectations being set one way based upon the recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the look of Star Fox, and his crew is quite different, but different good. Each of team Star Fox looks and feels like an appropriate evolution of their several decades-old core designs. Star Wolf, Andross, and the wider antagonistic crew are equally well developed, and all paired with modern technology, look exceptional. Where I was less impressed was in the voice acting. Star Fox’s earlier renditions had a ’90s camp that still held up quite well in the present day, but the 2026 release isn’t as punchy and feels quite flat in its final delivery.
Star Fox (2026) is an exceptional remake of a beloved classic. While there are some smaller weaknesses, and there’s an obvious opportunity lost to go much bigger in scope, there’s a foundation here that is going to serve the franchise incredibly well if Nintendo wishes to stick with it further in the near future. Perhaps now we can finally go beyond this initial story; Velan clearly has the skills to do it, and do it supremely well.
Star Fox was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch 2, with a code kindly provided by Nintendo Australia.
