Out of nowhere, Nintendo shadow-dropped a Direct livestream last night, revealing a new game with no prior tease or buildup. if you haven’t caught on by now, it is utterly impossible to predict what Nintendo is going to do, though leaks can help when you get them — the method of announcement was unexpected, but the game itself has been rumored for months.
It is Star Fox, the first appearance in ten years for Nintendo’s intergalactic hotshot and his crew of assorted space animals. It’s simply called Star Fox with no subtitle because it’s basically Star Fox 64, a game Nintendo remade already on the 3DS. Nintendo may be playing it safe here because the last few original attempts at Star Fox games haven’t gone well. Star Fox Zero, released for Wii U in 2016, was a critical and commercial disaster. Star Fox 64 is still considered the best game in the series.
In terns of gameplay, there are no real surprises. Star Fox for Switch 2 is so much like Star Fox 64 that you can actually use the Switch’s N64 controller to play it. But the new version will also have mouse control support, and two players can now play simultaneously by controlling the ship’s movement and the guns separately. There will be both local and online multiplayer modes, and the game will gift you Star Fox AR filters for your face that you can use anywhere, even on other games.
If you’re wondering if Fox’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie provided any motivation behind this remake, they haven’t stated that directly, but…it probably did. Miyamoto led with mentioning Fox’s role and then showing the super-cool 2D-animated sequence that introduced him, in its entirety. Perhaps that was a mistake because he followed it up with how Fox looks in the game — a completely different, very grounded take that looks like a real fox stuffed into a cockpit.
To be fair, the realistic appearances of the crew are impressive for the capabilities of the system. But making them look like real animals just feels off to me, given the outlandish circumstances they’re in. Takaya Imamura, the man who created Fox McCloud, also prefers the movie design. “I guess this is how it turns out if I’m not supervising…or something like that,” he tweeted. “Personally, I prefer the movie version, but I thought this one was good in its own way, with a clear direction!”
Nintendo said they were going to start pricing their physical games $10 higher than their digital ones and they meant it — Star Fox will cost $49.99 on the eShop and $59.99 on the Target shelf. But if you hunt around, you may be able to find a physical preorder for $50 — some larger outlets like Walmart are offering a reduced price.
Star Fox for Switch 2 is coming very soon…in less than two months from now. The barrel rolls begin again June 25.
