After rumors that, evidently, date back to July 2022, Nintendo announced a new Star Fox game a few weeks ago! Well, maybe “new” isn’t the best descriptor, as it’s a remake of Star Fox 64, the series’ most popular entry. Our last voyage through the Lylat System transpired in 2016’s Star Fox Zero. Save for a guest role in 2018’s Starlink: Battle for Atlas and a reliable presence in the Super Smash Bros. series, it’s been crickets from Fox McCloud and his cohorts until this year.
Image: Nintendo. Roughly one year ago I shared my thoughts on the then-upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza (which I’ve had on the brain again for a retrospective I’m writing). Since another Nintendo hero’s now leaving a hiatus, let’s chat about him.
Everybody was shocked by Fox’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, right? As it turns out, his inclusion was pitched by Illumination, series steward Shigeru Miyamoto liked it, and so did the other relevant parties at Nintendo. Fox’s silver screen breakthrough even echoes Donkey Kong’s in 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an act that presaged his grand comeback via Bananza. Moreover, their guest appearances show how valued they are; “dead” franchises wouldn’t land so much space in such massive projects. For what flaws the Galaxy Movie apparently has (I haven’t watched it yet), it was nice seeing Fox’s hibernation end.
Star Fox is a seminal series. Starting on the Super NES in 1993, its inaugural outing was reimagined on the Nintendo 64 four years later. Afterwards, Rare developed Star Fox Adventures and then Bandai Namco gave us Star Fox: Assault. Capping them off was Star Fox Command, the 2006 Nintendo DS title made in collaboration with Q-Games—home to Dylan Cuthbert, a programmer on the first Star Fox. Then the series entered a drought, which lifted in 2011 with Q-Games’ Star Fox 64 3D, a remake of its N64 namesake. In 2016, Nintendo and PlatinumGames spawned Star Fox Zero, a reimagining of SF64, and a spin-off, Star Fox Guard. There’s also Star Fox 2, a long-lost follow-up to the original that triumphantly received an official release in 2017. Finally, another game’s on the horizon: Star Fox, another Star Fox 64 remake for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Image: Nintendo. I’ll henceforth call this game “Star Fox ‘26” for clarity’s sake.
Reading that rundown probably clued you in to an issue with Star Fox: half the series shares the same basic story. Now, I don’t quite have the history with Star Fox 64 that most of my generation does, but it is a great game—the best in the franchise, most would argue. Oddly enough, however, I’d actually credit Command for making me a fan; it’s the first entry I beat, and I spent a lotta time playing it since my DS library at the time was tiny. Despite its issues and weirdness, it teased how diverse the cast is and how large Star Fox’s universe can be. When I think of the franchise, what springs to mind is Star Fox 64 through Command, a tale of a greenhorn mercenary team leader growing into the shoes of his legendary, late father.
That speaks to a quality Star Fox once held that I revere: unlike other Nintendo leads, Fox kept growing as a person. Constantly retelling his origin is antithetical to that. Consequently, Star Fox ‘26 isn’t enticing to me; that its level design is identical to SF64’s accentuates my apathy. I mean, I own Star Fox 64 thrice; ‘26 is inessential. I’m sure a copy will wind up in my collection, and I’m equally sure I’ll have fun with it, but I can’t justify buying it immediately (especially when I have a large backlog I’d rather chip away at).
Image: Nintendo. Star Fox ‘26 feels like a weird contrast to how Miyamoto treats F-Zero, a Super NES series he believes needs new, compelling ideas (and whose hiatus ended after two decades with F-Zero 99 in 2023). It’s also underwhelming following Bananza, a wildly ambitious undertaking that venerates its predecessors.
Regardless, this is one occasion where I don’t mind that Nintendo’s retelling Star Fox 64 (64 3D is the other; a sequel would’ve been preferable, but handheld remakes of their legacy titles is a tradition). We’re nearly a decade removed from the unengaging Zero, a flop most never played. Again, a blockbuster film just featured Fox prominently mere months ago. The 1993 and 1997 games are readily available on the Nintendo Classics apps, yes. But they might look antiquated to kids who’re otherwise eager to sample his adventures—anecdotally, I wasn’t interested in NES games as a tyke in the wake of newer, “better” Super NES and Nintendo 64 fare. Ensuring everybody has an accessible entryway into Star Fox is worthwhile. Giving Star Fox ‘26 an easier difficulty and mouse controls feeds into that; its cheaper price also helps. Meanwhile, the expert difficulty, challenge mode, and new cutscenes at least add some value for veterans.
Yes, ‘26 feels like a “safe” release. But it nevertheless upholds another attribute I commend Star Fox for: redesigning its cast with every entry. The results were certainly polarizing this time, though! Some adore the remake’s more animalistic takes; others find ‘em off-putting. Apologies for my uncharacteristic indecision, but I’m honestly unsure where I stand on the matter. Falco’s the guy whose redesign I’m iffiest on, though some of his peers look okay. Still, I appreciate that these more detailed designs evoke puppets, another Star Fox hallmark—even if they’re far removed from the cartoony, comforting Jim Henson mold. If these makeovers don’t click with you, though, it’s fine to be disappointed. Where Donkey Kong’s new look is consistent across all media, Fox’s film and ‘26 designs strangely clash. More pressingly, Star Fox 64, the unsightly Command, and Zero previously directed the look of the brand; ‘26 will presumably follow suit, at least until a newer game supplants it.
Image: Nintendo. Former franchise artist Takaya Imamura is happy the crew’s back, even if he seems to prefer Illumination’s depictions. Argonaut Games, the Star Fox 1 and 2 devs, are also thrilled.
My main question is, who’s developing Star Fox ‘26? Curiously, its lip sync matches the English voices, not the Japanese ones. A Nintendo Power homage has even been discovered. Does that mean a western team’s handling this romp? I ask because Star Fox lacks a dedicated studio. That’s a problem; Donkey Kong went eleven years without a new, standalone adventure since nobody was free to make one. Thankfully, that isn’t an unsolvable issue. Miyamoto internally champions his babies; since he’ll never give up on Star Fox, neither will Nintendo. And the fruits of his efforts for Donkey Kong are paying off! Now lovingly in the hands of Nintendo EPD, the ape’s enjoying a level of success he hasn’t had since Donkey Kong Country, his groundbreaking Super NES classic. Whoever’s helming this Lylat rodeo, I hope Nintendo’s establishing a reliable team to guide the franchise forward.
Star Fox ‘26 is out next month. We’ll have a better handle on the series’ standing soon. With oncoming plushies and a special Nintendo Music release, it’s clear Nintendo wants Star Fox’s latest revival to succeed; we’re gonna see the mammal’s mug plenty in the coming weeks.
Image: Nintendo. Gotta admit that it is cool to finally see James McCloud’s ill-fated Venom mission. Young Fox’s paw prints on his Arwing tastefully elevates the scene.
Who knows—maybe this is simply phase one of a Star Fox resurgence? I’ve seen speculation that Star Fox ‘26 is a stopgap meant to capitalize on the movie and build hype for a new game. Other rumors assert an Adventures-style title is coming. I can’t speak to their legitimacy, and it’s always good to be skeptical. Nevertheless, I’m feeling optimistic for the pilots! As long as Star Fox ‘26 is fun and sells decently, more missions should come Mr. McCloud’s way. In the meantime, it’s just nice seeing the quartet be an active part of the Nintendo empire again.
And while hypothetical follow-ups may segue into a new timeline, Nintendo still sees value in Star Fox Adventures through Command. Smash Bros. never forgot them; Kyrstal reemerged as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate, suggesting she fared respectably in the Smash Ballot (we know her Rare stablemate, King K. Rool, did). Slippy mentions Sauria, the Adventures planet, in the Star Fox Zero – The Battle Begins promotional animation. Star Fox ‘26’s own Nintendo Direct honored Adventures in its curtailed franchise recap, and I’m sure it and Assault will crash the Nintendo Classics roster eventually. Even if the events of those games aren’t integrated into a new continuity, I’m reasonably confident elements from them will return.
Image: Nintendo. James’ Top Gun shades are neat, and watching Pigma be an unapologetic dirtbag is always delightful. Makes me want to replay Assault and Command.
Plus, all of this hoopla has rekindled my interest in Star Fox. Because of my visceral distaste for Zero, my copy of its companion game sat neglected on my shelf for a decade—and now Guard’s finally enjoying the warm embrace of my Wii U. I’m also thinking I’ll boot up Star Fox 1 and 2 soon, so I can finally say I’ve tried the whole franchise. Maybe I’ll even replay Star Fox 64 again, or get the four or so endings I missed in Command. The sky’s the limit! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Star Fox ‘26 reminded me that Star Fox is cool, something I’m grateful for.
Image: Nintendo. Yes, it’s fair to criticize Nintendo’s handling of Star Fox, but a remake does beat a hiatus. Let’s pray ‘26 closes the book on Lylat Wars redos, though.
Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
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