Does Fox McCloud deserve another turn in the Arwing?

Step into the cockpit and fly across the stars and skies with Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team! With the Lylat system under attack by evil scientist Andross, it’s up to you and the squad to fend off his forces. Blast your way through enemies in a fast-paced adventure that will have you tearing through space, soaring across planets, and shooting loads of foes out of the sky at every turn. Featuring new fully voiced dialogue, an epic orchestral soundtrack, and a complete visual overhaul for the Nintendo Switch 2 system.

The original Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars, as I remember it being in the UK) was the first N64 game I had. I opened it on Christmas Day back in 1997 and it blew my mind. The Rumble Pak with the N64 controller was so fierce and I knew then that it’d almost be impossible to go back to games without rumble. The original didn’t have a save system other than saving what medals you had earned on playthroughs, so you had to technically do a whole playthrough in one sitting or have to start all over if you turn off/reset the system.

This naturally got fixed in the 3DS port which upped the visuals a bit but lacked the rumble as a result of being on the handheld. Star Fox Zero was a reimagining but didn’t quite hit the mark either and it looked like the end for Fox McCloud and the rest of the Star Fox team. Then out of nowhere, Fox turned up in the Super Mario Galaxy movie and rumours soon started to surface that a new game was in development.

What we ended up with is another remake of Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars with much improved visuals, smooth framerates but also changing the overall tone of the game with its more realistic looking characters and cutscenes that are more dramatic overall. I won’t spoil things too much, but they did add a new piece of music at the end sequence that made that whole section very emotional. Kudos to the orchestra for creating a truly powerful moment there.

The game handles like you remember and the levels haven’t had much changed to them in terms of design. You can still take alternate routes, find shortcuts and get different endings depending on how you reach Venom. The game itself isn’t particularly long but replaying the game for alternate paths and planets will extend it a little bit. I played the original a lot back in the day so it was great to see the levels all getting a make-over and introducing the game to a new generation.

Not everyone will agree with the new visual style of the Star Fox members, but I personally like it. Voice acting is also impressive, even Slippy is bearable this time around. Interesting point…both James McCloud and Andross have the same voice-actor. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

There’s also a 2 player co-op mode and multiplayer battles that add a little something extra to the experience. Mouse controls for those who want it as well.

The Verdict

Star Fox takes me right back to Christmas Day 1997, hits me right in the nostalgia. It does well to reignite the love for the series and I really hope this means we will end up with a proper sequel down the line.

Score: 9.0