Out of nowhere, Nintendo has released a fifteen-minute Star Fox Direct where it revealed a fully reimagined Star Fox 64 remake simply titled “Star Fox”, which will release exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 in June.
Star Fox 64 (known as Lylat Wars in PAL regions) is the second mainline entry in the sci-fi rail shooter series that saw Nintendo take the series entirely in-house following its debut from Argonaut Software. The game was a massive success, becoming one of the most successful Nintendo 64 titles and a Nintendo 3DS remake titled Star Fox 64 3D in 2011, and a separate reimagining in the form of Star Fox Zero for the Nintendo Wii U in 2016.
Now, fresh off his cinematic debut in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Fox McCloud is back with his team of anthropomorphic pilots with yet another reimagining of their iconic 1997 outing, but this seems to be the most ambitious one yet. Sporting a brand new, highly detailed art style, tons of new story content, and entirely remade levels and mechanics, Nintendo seems to be preparing this “Star Fox” as the best jumping on point for newly converted Team Star Fox fans.
The surprise Direct showcased a multitude of new, fully voice acted and spectacularly animated story sequences, alongside a new multiplayer mode that will allow two teams of four players to compete in dogfights as either the Fox’s crew or his rival Wolf O’Donnell’s team. The new Star Fox looks to also make use of the Switch 2 controls with two players taking control by sharing Joy-Cons. For those using GameChat with compatible USB cameras you can also appear as Fox or crew while chatting with friends. Don’t just embrace Star Fox, you can be him!
If you’re less excited about the augmented reality filters and more about the lore, Nintendo delivered. The Direct concluded with the first look at a never before seen prologue cinematic showcasing the betrayal of Fox’s father, which is referenced several times in the original game.
Per Nintendo tradition at this point, we have yet to learn which team exactly is behind this remake, however it seems to have original designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s blessing. It won’t be a long wait either, with the game releasing at the end of next month.
Star Fox will release on June 25, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.
