If you caught a glimpse of Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, you might have instinctively thought, “hey, it’s the guy from Smash Bros!” It is a fair reaction. For a major Nintendo franchise, the Star Fox series has struggled to maintain momentum since its 1993 debut, often suffering from long gaps between entries and a lack of the spin-off consistency enjoyed by stablemates like Donkey Kong.
Now, the vulpine mercenary is barrel-rolling back into the spotlight on Nintendo Switch 2. Velan Studios’ new Star Fox remake serves as a muted return for the franchise, though it offers a potential foundation for the series to regain its footing.
A Geometric Legacy
The franchise first made waves four years before Final Fantasy 7, when Nintendo and Argonaut launched Star Fox on the Super Nintendo. It was one of the company’s earliest forays into 3D gaming. While the jagged, geometrical visuals look rudimentary today, the game proved that traditional level design could function in 3D spaces, establishing Nintendo as a serious contender in graphical performance. The game also famously reflected series creator Shigeru Miyamoto’s affection for puppet dramas, a visual influence that appears to have inspired the aesthetic direction of this latest Switch 2 release.
While Star Fox 64 was well-received, it was the game that arguably defined the series' mechanical peak. It expanded the scope of the original by introducing over a dozen planets and more than two dozen potential routes—a significant upgrade over the original’s three-path structure.
From Adventures to Command
The series has rarely stayed in one lane. In 2002, Star Fox Adventures took a sharp turn away from flight sims, shifting toward an action-adventure style reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda. It introduced Krystal, a mysterious magical fox girl, and focused on ground-based gameplay among dinosaur tribes rather than Arwing dogfights. The result was a polarizing mix of praise for its ambition and criticism for its departure from the core formula.
Nintendo later attempted a strategy-heavy approach with 2006's Star Fox Command on the Nintendo DS. By moving from free-flight combat to touchscreen-based positioning, the game offered a fresh tactical layer while maintaining the series' signature branching paths. It also served as a narrative milestone, featuring General Pepper’s retirement and Peppy’s transition into a leadership role.
The Modern Era
Ambitious experimentation eventually slowed. Star Fox 64 3D arrived on the 3DS in 2011 as a straightforward update, and 2016’s Star Fox Zero for the Wii U attempted to blend the classic Star Fox 64 formula with new vehicle transformations and experimental control schemes. It launched alongside Star Fox Guard, a tower-defense title that was largely criticized for being bland and overly brief.
In 2026, the series finds itself returning to familiar territory. The new Star Fox on Switch 2 continues the tradition of revisiting the classic war against Andross. While the game provides some lore—including background on industrial planets like Macbeth—it remains, at its core, a retelling of the established conflict. For players looking to get the most out of this latest iteration, there is plenty to discover beyond the initial credits, proving that while the series has been quiet, the fundamentals of the cockpit experience remain intact.