Another return to the Star Fox 64 blueprint? Sure. Nintendo has sent this crew through the Lylat System so many times that the Arwing probably has a frequent-flyer account. But the reason this campaign refuses to retire is simple: when Star Fox clicks, it absolutely sings.

This Switch 2 release does not pretend to be the bold new chapter fans have been begging for. It is a cinematic, controller-friendly revival of the classic route: blast through enemy fire, save squadmates from their own terrible positioning, hunt alternate paths, chase medals, and occasionally wonder why Slippy treats danger like a team-building exercise.

Star Fox 64 has never looked this slick

The biggest upgrade is presentation. Star Fox has always had the bones of a tiny space opera, and this version finally gives the team enough cinematic swagger to make the story beats land. The new cutscenes add context between missions without turning General Pepper into a PowerPoint villain.

The final stretch even leans into big starfighter drama, with enough space-movie energy to make you sit up straighter. More importantly, the controls are excellent. Boosting, braking, banking, and locking onto enemies all feel readable and responsive on the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Old muscle memory wakes up fast; new players get a clean explanation for why “do a barrel roll” became gamer scripture.

The old route still has replay fuel

The campaign is still compact, but Nintendo leans into what made the original so sticky: replayability. Branching paths, mission objectives, score chasing, extra challenges, and harder difficulties give each run a reason to exist after the credits roll.

It is not suddenly an infinite content treadmill wearing fox ears. Instead, it offers focused reasons to jump back in: clear a missed objective, find a better route, or prove that last crash was definitely the controller’s fault. It was not, but we support your healing journey.

Multiplayer is a pleasant surprise

The unexpected win is multiplayer. Star Fox 64’s old multiplayer was the thing you played when nobody wanted to pick a better option. Here, the improved handling makes dogfights snappier, clearer, and more enjoyable than expected.

It is not deep enough to become your new forever competitive game, but it works well enough that I wanted more maps, more modes, and more excuses to be an absolute menace in an Arwing. That is a good problem, even if it feels like the appetizer escaped before the main course arrived.

The voice acting misses the comms channel

The biggest disappointment is the new voice work. Recasting was inevitable, and some performances land fine, especially Fox and Andross. The problem is that Star Fox dialogue needs a very specific flavor of glorious nonsense.

The original performances were urgent, cheesy, quotable, and loud in exactly the right Saturday-morning-space-battle way. Here, several deliveries feel flatter, especially the bosses, who should be chewing scenery like it owes them money. When an iconic line lands without sparkle, the nostalgia engine sputters.

Verdict: a great reintroduction, not the future yet

Star Fox on Switch 2 is not the bold new chapter the franchise eventually needs, but it is a strong reintroduction. It looks terrific, controls beautifully, and finds enough replay hooks to make another lap through familiar space worthwhile. For longtime fans, it is comfort food with cleaner engines. For newcomers, it is probably the best way to understand why people still talk about this fox, bird, hare, and frog like old coworkers.

The uneven voice acting keeps it from being definitive, and yes, it is Star Fox 64 again. But if Nintendo needed a safe way to prove the squad still has lift, this does the job. Now let Fox fly somewhere new next time. The galaxy is big. The barrel rolls can travel.