Star Fox (2026): the comeback we waited ten years for, and it does more than just resurrect Star Fox 64

Star Fox Zero launched on Wii U in 2016. That was ten years ago. It was also on Nintendo's worst-selling console since the Virtual Boy, with gyroscope controls nobody had asked for. The franchise went quiet after that, while Fox McCloud collected Smash Bros trophies and nothing else. Then the Super Mario Galaxy movie slipped a Fox cameo into its cast, Nintendo confirmed a new game, and on June 25, 2026, Star Fox returns on Switch 2.

It's a remake of Star Fox 64. It's also more than that.

What it is

Star Fox (2026) is a complete rebuild of Star Fox 64 (1997) by Nintendo EPD, exclusive to Switch 2. Not a remaster, a reconstruction: environments rebuilt from scratch, new art direction, fully voiced dialogue, and the original synthetic soundtrack replaced by a full orchestral recording.

The campaign structure stays true to 1997: same branching paths, same planets, same objectives. Nintendo didn't rewrite Star Fox 64. They rebuilt it at Switch 2 resolution and capability.

That choice has divided the community since the announcement. There are those for whom it's Star Fox 64 so it'll be good no matter what, and those who felt ten years of absence should translate into something genuinely new. Both positions are defensible. The honest answer is that Nintendo is playing it safe on a franchise that hasn't had real commercial success since 1997, and playing it safe on Star Fox in 2026 means starting from Star Fox 64.

What's genuinely new

The argument against "it's just SF64 again" rests on four concrete points.

The first is the playable prologue as James McCloud, Fox's father. This is new narrative content, not a cutscene: a playable mission that illuminates existing lore. For a series whose backstory has always been implied rather than shown, that's a meaningful addition.

The second is Challenge Mode: new objectives layered onto already-completed levels. Not new levels, but a layer of replayability built for players who know Star Fox 64 by heart and want something to sink their teeth into.

The third is Battle Mode: 4v4 online dogfights, Team Star Fox versus Team Star Wolf, across three arenas (Corneria, Fichina, Sector Y). Private match support, cross-play with Switch players joining via GameShare.

The fourth is the cinematics. The original had dialogue exchanges during missions, a few lines per character, without context or development. The 2026 version has complete narrative sequences between missions. For those who always wanted to know what happens between the gameplay moments, this is exactly what they were waiting for.

The controls

This is probably the most interesting surprise from what we've seen. Star Fox 2026 offers four distinct control modes.

Standard Joy-Con 2. Mouse precision mode using Switch 2 capabilities: aim with the mouse while steering the Arwing with the stick. Two-player pilot-and-gunner co-op mode on a single Joy-Con pair. And, for absolute purists, N64 controller support via Switch Online: same controller, same layout, like 1997.

Each of these options addresses a different audience. The mouse creates a precision experience that didn't exist in the original. The co-op adds a local dimension absent from the base game. The N64 controller support is the clearest possible signal that Nintendo knows exactly who this game is for.

The new character designs

The character designs have been the loudest discussion topic since the announcement. Fox, Falco, Slippy, Peppy have all been redesigned, and the community reacted with the usual mix of initial shock and gradual acceptance.

What's become clear after some time: the designs reference the original artwork from the SNES and N64 box art, that organic puppet quality the N64 models could only approximate. On Switch 2, the graphical capabilities allow that style to be rendered with a fidelity the original hardware couldn't have approached. Most people who had a negative reaction at announcement have softened their position after seeing more footage.

Fox and Falco remain the most divisive. Slippy and Peppy are generally better received. General Pepper seems to generate unanimous positive reactions.

The sound

Hajime Hirasawa's original soundtrack was synthetic, rooted in N64 hardware limitations. The full orchestral re-recording for the 2026 version is one of the most anticipated additions. Remaking Star Fox 64 with a real orchestra rather than digital synthesis is a decision that changes the emotional reading of the game without touching its structure.

The fully voiced dialogue completes this audio work. Star Fox 64 had voice acting that was memorable for the wrong reasons as much as the right ones. What the 2026 version does with it will be one of the first things analyzed at launch.

The question that stays open

The commercial success or failure of this game will probably decide the franchise's fate for the next decade. The community is aware of that stakes. If Star Fox 2026 sells well on Switch 2, Nintendo will have the data to justify a genuinely new game. If it doesn't, Fox McCloud goes back into Smash Bros and that's that.

The logic behind the remake choice is readable: Star Fox 64 is the best-selling game in the series, it's the entry point most of the audience knows, and Switch 2 is the most accessible console Nintendo has ever launched. Reintroducing the franchise with its strongest title on its biggest platform is a defensible strategy, even if it disappoints fans who wanted a true sequel.

Physical preorders on Amazon US were running low before launch. That's a positive signal, not a guarantee.

What we're waiting for on June 25

Star Fox 64 is one of the best games of its era: a tight, rhythmic rail shooter with replayability built into its branching paths and alternative routes. The 2026 version starts from that foundation and adds enough to avoid being a simple remaster at full price.

The James McCloud mission, online dogfights, mouse precision, cinematics that finally develop what the characters do when they're not flying: that's a list of concrete additions on a foundation we already know is solid.

The franchise was missed. The remake is an honest way to bring it back. And if the game works, maybe we'll finally get what we actually wanted: a real sequel.