Following his high-flying appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Fox McCloud is officially back in the cockpit.
During today’s surprise Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced that Star Fox—a visually stunning, ground-up reimagining of the Nintendo 64 classic Lylat Wars, is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25th.
Promising a cinematic take on the beloved 90s shooter, the upcoming release is far more than a simple port. We saw footage of a complete visual overhaul designed to take full advantage of the Switch 2’s upgraded hardware.
From the vibrant metropolis of Corneria to the polluted oceans of Zoness, the Lylat System has never looked better. The experience is further elevated by overhauled character designs, brand-new cinematic cutscenes with fully voiced dialogue, and a sweeping orchestral soundtrack.
At its core, Star Fox retains the thrilling, fast-paced aerospace combat fans know and love. Piloting the iconic Arwing, players will deploy laser blasts, mid-air brakes, thruster boosts, and the legendary barrel roll to fend off the maniacal scientist Andross and his forces.
Campaign Mode brings back the classic branching paths system, where your performance, objectives completed, and foes defeated will actively alter your route through the star system, giving you plenty of reasons to replay. For veterans looking to test their mettle, a new Challenge Mode introduces fresh objectives and scenarios not found in the main campaign, available on Normal or the unlockable Expert difficulty.
Perhaps the most exciting addition is the all-new 4-vs-4 Battle Mode. Up to eight players can divide themselves between Team Star Fox and Team Star Wolf for intense online or local dogfights. The mode features three distinct stages, ranging from securing zones on Corneria to retrieving cargo from space pirates in Sector Y.
Thanks to Nintendo’s new GameShare feature, up to four players can join forces locally (across both Switch and Switch 2 consoles) or online (Switch 2 only).
The game also fully integrates the unique hardware of the Nintendo Switch 2. Solo players can seamlessly swap between standard button inputs and the new Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for highly intuitive aiming.
In co-op, players can split the duties, with one handling the Arwing’s flight and the other acting as the gunner.
For those utilising the console’s communication tools, Star Fox integrates with the brand-new GameChat feature. Players can use AR accessories to don virtual Star Fox ears or a Falco beak, mapping their real-life facial expressions and movements to character avatars while they strategise with their wingmates. (Come on, who doesn’t want to do this!)
The presentation boasted the sleek visuals of the new Switch 2 hardware, and the character models have been drastically updated, giving the characters a more animalistic look as opposed to the cartoony 80’s style of the original.
While we are slightly sad that we didn’t get a brand new Star Fox game, there is hope that if this one sells well, we could get a brand new current- gen Star Fox game as opposed to a full remake. For what it’s worth, if you haven’t played the original game, this is the perfect entry point to experience one of the most iconic Nintendo games, updated for today’s consoles. We look forward to seeing (and playing!) more when it releases next month.
You can catch the entire presentation below:
Star Fox takes flight exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25th.
Featured header image provided by the publisher.
