It can be hard to review a game like Star Fox for Switch 2 (henceforth referred to as Star Fox 2026). When you’re starting from a foundation of remaking Star Fox 64, there is a base level of quality that is more or less given. What makes Star Fox 2026 interesting is not just what it adds to that underlying experience, but how it reinterprets it. From a story perspective, it takes a collection of one-liners across interchangeable branching paths, and weaves them into proper character arcs. While gameplay changes may be less obvious, they’re all thoughtful. Yes this is a remake, but it is a remake that both deeply understands the original, while also not being too afraid of it.

The core structure that Star Fox 2026 pulls from Star Fox 64 remains unchanged. This is a predominantly rail-line shooter with a story that takes alternate paths based on the player’s performance and decisions. Most levels have two (or in one case three) different endings that influence what subsequent levels the player will have access to. The bulk of what has changed here is in how this underlying network of levels is presented. In the original Star Fox 64, getting the “Mission Complete” (bad) ending for a level would lock you into a specific follow-up level. Getting the “Mission Accomplished” (good) ending would open up a different level, though the player was still allowed to opt out of this good ending and take the bad ending if they wished. The narrative would behave as if the bad ending had happened. Star Fox 2026 reworks its narrative and cutscenes so that opting into that bad ending is a cohesive narrative choice. This does have the side effect of removing one of these instances to opt into a bad ending as presumably the writers couldn’t come up with a narrative reason to justify allowing you that choice. If you’re familiar with the original, you can likely already guess which mission that is without me needing to spoil it for everyone else.

Star Fox 2026 presents us with the most obviously young and inexperienced version of Fox we’ve ever seen. Gone is the straightman upon which the rest of the cast bounces off of, and instead we get a character struggling between finding a place in his father’s shadow and getting out from under it. I had wondered prior to launch if the reinterpretation of these characters would make the sequels to Star Fox 64 feel out of place compared to this one. In the end I had the opposite opinion. I can very easily see this Fox and the Fox from Star Fox Adventures as the same character–much more so than I could compared to Star Fox 64. The same goes for Slippy who lines up much better with his incarnation in Star Fox Assault. I’d even say the same of the entirety of the Star Wolf Team.

Throughout the story, there is an underpinning of the Star Fox team needing to learn how to come together. This cohesion is reflected in your performance across the game. Compared to Star Fox 64, Star Fox 2026 is much more confident in telling you that you haven’t finished the game until you’ve found the true ending. In fact, it won't even roll credits until you do. Likewise the Star Fox team’s arc as a collection of characters expects you to work your way up to the true ending. While new players will likely encounter this arc naturally, I’d encourage experienced players to intentionally take the “bad” ending first.

Where I felt some of the biggest gameplay changes, was in the three alternate vehicle levels. The Blue Marine now feels much more distinct from the Arwing, with unique behavior for its barrel rolls that cause it to physically shift left and right, more in line with the Landmaster. The Landmaster itself feels heavier but with much more precise aim. Certain enemy and boss behaviors have also been altered. The increased focus on realism has also caused certain boss weak points to be harder to read. There are sound and visual cues but none are as obvious as the flashes from the original. In a few spots, level layouts have also been altered slightly. Corneria, for example, is more cluttered and densely packed with added obstacles. They’re all small changes that most players are unlikely to notice, but if you have enough built up muscle memory you may find yourself running into some walls you weren’t expecting.

The visual redesign for Star Fox 2026 is a massive success. This is the most visually impressive first-party title Nintendo has released as a Switch 2 exclusive thus far. Character rendering (which is all real-time, by the way) is extremely high quality, as is animation. These are the most expressive versions of these characters ever presented. I was amazed by how many reactions I could pick up on in the backgrounds of scenes. Slippy looking exasperated when General Pepper refers to his home planet of Aquas as having no strategic significance, or Falco subtly smirking to himself during mission briefings. Likewise, the levels themselves come alive with detail. One particularly charming effect was to homage the Nintendo 64 draw distance on certain large enemy ships by having them visibly decloak in front of the player. The music also deserves a special callout as both old and new pieces breathe new life into classic tunes. One surprising musical choice very late in the game even got an emotional reaction out of me for how it recontextualized a specific scene.

Beyond the core campaign is a fun but questionably light multiplayer mode. The mode consists of three stages, each with its own unique ruleset. All of these are very good, but I struggle to imagine they’ll be enough to support a community long term. Progression in multiplayer mode is limited to banner customization unlocks, about half of which are also tied to campaign achievements. Most of these come from the challenge mode, in which you can return to previously played campaign levels to take on new goals. These add some longevity to the experience, but I do wish they could be accessed within the main campaign itself rather than being limited to a dedicated mode. Finally, there is a holoviewer section that allows you to go remarkably in depth on various lore topics. These unlock as you play through the game. I was impressed by how deep some of these go, referencing some cut content and characters that wouldn’t be introduced until Star Fox 64’s sequels.

As I said at the outset, part of what I find so impressive about Star Fox 2026 is how unafraid it is to rethink how we experience these classic levels. There is a deep understanding of lore that goes far beyond Star Fox 64. In addition to hopefully opening the way for sequels of its own, there is also an awareness of where these characters need to go in existing canon. It all comes off as remarkably respectful to not just Star Fox 64, but the entire series. And underneath that is arguably the best version of the campaign that made Star Fox 64 the legend it is. It has been expanded with unlockable challenges in addition to the unlockable expert difficulty from the original. My hope is that the multiplayer is able to maintain a reasonable crowd post-launch, and that perhaps content is added to flesh out what is a very promising mode. While I’ve been down this road before, Star Fox 2026 is the most confident I’ve ever felt that we may move past the realm of remasters, remakes, and reimaginings and into the wonderful world of sequels, built on this excellent foundation.