Yes, Nintendo are remaking Star Fox 64 a third time; But I’m still really excited
Nintendo gave us an exclusive Star Fox direct yesterday (06/05/26) and as the self-appointed worlds biggest Star Fox fan, I feel like I have to talk about it or I’m going to explode.
2026 has been one hell of a year to be a Star Fox fan, and we aren’t even halfway through it yet. With Fox McCloud’s recent appearance in the Super Mario Galaxy movie, followed up by this new game annoucment, this is the first time since 2016 we’ve had anything from the franchise at all, following it’s previous installment Star Fox Zero, which had some… interesting ideas, but ultimately fell very flat. Lets get you up to speed with the latest from Nintendo.
Let’s start with the, uh, fox in the room. Fox and his crew have been redesigned here for the next generation, but given Fox’s redesign in the Mario movie, a lot of fans have cried foul, but remember; Illumination control the animation and art direction in the movie, and Nintendo contorl the art direction in their games. Of course they look different. Not that that’s a bad thing; these designs callback to the original SNES designs over thirty years ago when the Star Fox crew did look a lot more animalistic than they have in recent years. But is there anything new to enjoy here, or are Nintendo just bumping up the graphics and calling it a day?
Well, I’m happy to report, they aren’t. This remake is, hopefully, going to serve as a fantastic starting point for the new fans that are coming in from the Mario movie. The stages will be staying relatively the same, with major grahpical overhauls, but the real meat for the hardcore fans comes from the newer stuff they’ve added. We now have variable difficulty modes, a challenge mode for the ace pilots among us, as well as a brand new 4v4 battle mode, where we’ll be able to either control Team Star Fox or their long time rivals, Team Star Wolf, in space battles against one other. Neat!
Not only that, but we’re getting brand new cutscenes that will expand on the lore and story of Star Fox; which is great, since thats always been the part that never seems to get much attention, if I’m honest. When the direct came out, the majority of my friends messaged me and asked me how I feel, and the answer to that is.. cautiously optimistic. It’s been ten years since our last game, and while I would naturally prefer a brand new game, this is a very close second, all things considered. If you’re a Star Fox fan already, no doubt you’ll have your own opinions on this one, but for those of you who want to dip your toes in, I think this is going to be the perfect place for you. Now Nintendo, if this does well… can we get more games like Star Fox Adventures? I’ll even take Assault!
Star Fox will see its global release on Nintendo Switch 2 on the 25th June 2026. You can pre-order it here!