Nintendo’s Star Fox Comeback Still Feels Like It’s Stuck In Orbit
Nintendo bringing Star Fox back for the Switch 2 should be exciting news. Fox McCloud, Arwings, barrel rolls — this is classic Nintendo DNA.
But the reveal also comes with one big question: why does this series keep circling back to the same starting point?
The new Star Fox announced for Switch 2 appears to be a very faithful remake of Star Fox 64, the 1997 Nintendo 64 game many fans still treat as the series’ high point. That makes sense commercially, sure. Star Fox 64 is beloved, easy to understand, and packed with nostalgia. But it also highlights the weird problem Nintendo has had with this franchise for decades: Star Fox is famous, but somehow still feels underdeveloped.
The series began in 1993 on the Super Nintendo as a flashy 3D space shooter that felt technically wild for its time. Nintendo even completed Star Fox 2 soon after, but that sequel never launched back then. It only officially surfaced years later on the Super NES Classic Edition in 2017, and is now playable through Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics library.
Since then, Nintendo has tried almost everything except a clean, confident modern sequel in the same lane as the original. We got detours like Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault, plus reworks and remix-style returns to familiar material. Some had interesting ideas, but none really became the new foundation for the series.
That is why this Switch 2 revival feels both cool and slightly frustrating. Star Fox has been quiet for a long time — the last major push was Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard in 2016. For Malaysian and SEA Nintendo fans, that means a whole generation of Switch players may know Fox more from Super Smash Bros. than from his own games.
There is another reason the timing feels sus in a good way. Fox McCloud recently popped up in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Japan is getting a Star Fox plush line too. That makes it look like Nintendo is warming the brand up again, not just randomly dropping a remake for old-school fans.
According to a Forbes interview cited by Polygon, the movie cameo was apparently Illumination’s idea, but Star Fox co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto was very into it. Miyamoto said he wanted to see Fox appear, and expected Nintendo might push back on mixing properties — only to find that the resistance never came. Actor Glen Powell also reportedly contacted Illumination asking to play Fox McCloud without knowing there was already a plan for the character.
Basically: people still love Star Fox. Nintendo knows the characters have value. The real issue is whether the company sees this as a proper comeback or just another nostalgia test.
For SEA players, especially those planning to jump into Switch 2 early, this could be a big deal. Nintendo’s first-party library often drives console adoption here, even when hardware pricing in Malaysia can be painful at launch. A polished Star Fox 64 remake could be an easy pickup for older fans, parents introducing kids to Nintendo classics, and younger players who want something arcade-style instead of another 100-hour open-world grind.
But bro, Nintendo cannot just keep remaking Star Fox forever. A good remake is welcome, especially if it runs beautifully and keeps that tight score-chasing energy. Still, the dream is obvious: use this to rebuild the audience, then finally make a proper new Star Fox that understands why the old games worked without being trapped by them.
If this Switch 2 release hits, Nintendo will have proof that Fox McCloud still has pull. Then the ball is in Nintendo’s court: give fans another lap around Corneria, or finally let the Arwing fly somewhere new.
Source: Polygon
