Nintendo has shadow-dropped a Star Fox Direct, announcing a full remake of the classic 1997 Nintendo 64 title Star Fox 64, launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25, 2026. The game was announced in a surprise Nintendo Direct on May 6, 2026, which itself was announced just ten minutes before it aired, with legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto opening the presentation alongside Yoshiaki Koizumi in a move that signalled the internal significance of the project. The announcement ends nearly a decade of dormancy for the Star Fox franchise following the poor reception of Star Fox Zero on Wii U, and arrives on the back of Fox McCloud’s recent guest appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Nintendo describes the remake as a cinematic take on the original, featuring fully voiced dialogue, a sweeping orchestral soundtrack, all-new cutscenes, and redesigned characters with a more animal-like aesthetic. Nearly everything appears to have been rebuilt from scratch, with new pre-mission briefings and cutscenes designed to flesh out the characters and the world of the Lylat System, while the core on-rails shooter gameplay and stage structure from Star Fox 64 remain faithful to the original. Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad all return with refreshed character designs that modernize their appearances for Switch 2 hardware. One of the most significant story additions is a new prologue depicting the final mission of James McCloud, Fox’s father. The prologue covers the mission where James travels to Venom alongside Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar, only for Pigma to betray the team, leading James to sacrifice himself so Peppy can escape and warn General Pepper about Andross’s army.
On the multiplayer front, the game introduces an all-new 4v4 Battle Mode with up to eight players divided between Team Star Fox and Team Star Wolf, featuring three stages with different objectives including securing zone control on Corneria, collecting energy crystals on Fichina, or retrieving cargo from space pirates in Sector Y. The game also takes full advantage of Switch 2-exclusive features. Players can use Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for precise flying and aiming, and a two-player co-op mode allows one player to use the mouse while the other holds the Joy-Con normally. A unique GameChat integration allows players to use Fox McCloud or any Star Fox crew member as an animated avatar that mirrors their facial expressions and movements during online sessions, with augmented reality filters also available during gameplay. GameShare support extends local multiplayer access to both Nintendo Switch 2 and original Nintendo Switch systems, broadening the game’s reach beyond Switch 2 owners alone.
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