There is something special about Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2.
Yes, it tells a story we’ve already heard but it’s never been told quite like this.
New cinematics, challenges and quality-of-life improvements had me repeatedly diving into the Lylat Wars to find every alternate path, every cutscene and of course, the game’s true ending.
Long story short, Star Fox’s campaign is polished with a capital ‘P’.
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Taking Flight
Flying an Arwing has never felt, looked or sounded this good.
And, with some extra content, its online multiplayer could rival the joy of Splatoon.
I jumped into two, one-hour long multiplayer sessions with fellow reviewers and, after a few particularly tense matches which came down to the wire, I left itching to play more with friends.
There are only three maps (Corneria, Fichina and Sector X) and each is tied to a single game type.
Corneria is your classic king of the hill, Sector X plays like capture the flag and Fichina has you dodging then collecting meteors that fall from the sky.
Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It
Completing the objective earns you points (+100) but so does shooting down opposing players (+30 points) and shooting random groups of rival starships whizzing all over the battlefield (+5). Everything contributes to your final score and, like Splatoon, it means there’s always something you can be doing to wrack up points.
Power ups litter the battlefield and having a forcefield, mines or rockets ready to deploy can change the outcome of any dogfight. Desperately weaving between rock pillars on Corneria (which look like the 12 Apostles) and trying to shake a pursuing pilot with somersaults and u-turns is exhilarating; the stakes feel so much higher when you’re being hunted by a friend rather than campaign dogfights with team Star Wolf.
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Fun With Friends
All of this is to say, Star Fox’s multiplayer is elite. It will be the reason I will keep coming back to the game if Nintendo adds more maps and modes. As fun as they are, three maps won’t hold anyone’s attention forever and the apparent lack of any ranking system hurts. How hard would it be to bring in a classic Halo or Rocket League system that has you starting as a rookie and fighting to earn the title of best fighter pilot in the galaxy?
Thankfully, there is a mountain of collectibles to hunt.
There are 140 banners and icons to earn for customising your online gamertag and more than 40 avatars and accessories to change your appearance while using GameChat with friends.
I don’t know why this isn’t in every Nintendo game. It is simple Nintendo fun at its finest. Sure, embodying Andross’ floating head is a novelty but it’s also unique, and it makes it worth booting up GameChat 100 times over. You’re restricted to roleplaying as Fox, Falco, Slippy, Peppy, Wolf, Pigma, Leon and Andrew during matches which is disappointing but understandable. I’d love to do the same in Mario Kart, Splatoon and Smash one day.
The Main Mission
Finally, the campaign. I’ve deliberately left Star Fox’s story mode until last because there’s only so much you can say about levels that are more than 30 years old.
For someone like me (who never owned the Nintendo 64 classic) they were downright awesome. Fox’s Arwing controls better than ever, the planets are downright gorgeous (good luck stopping yourself from taking screenshots of every one) and while it’s no God of War, the transitions from cinematics to gameplay are almost seamless.
I’ve never been a fan of Star Fox but these cutscenes won me over. They add so much to the characters, give more context to choosing branching paths and after a while you stop noticing how weird Fox and Falco look.
More than anything, I hope Nintendo gives Valen Studios the reins on a true, original sequel.
Mercury Steam proved what could be done with Metroid Dread after their remake of Metroid 2.
It’s time for Star Fox to grow beyond 64.
Quest Daily scores Star Fox:
9/10
Early access to Star Fox was provided to the writer by Nintendo.
