The internet’s reaction to Nintendo’s surprise announcement of a new Star Fox game was, to put it charitably, mixed. The new game is actually in many ways an old game–a remake of Star Fox 64, with fully revamped graphics, new animated cutscenes with a more realistic style for Fox and his crew, and other bells and whistles. For those hoping for an all-new Star Fox game, it was a letdown. But take heart, Arwing aces: This appears to be part of a calculated strategy to finally make Fox McCloud the star (fox) he deserves to be.
Star Fox has never been the most popular of Nintendo’s franchises, as compared to others like Mario or Zelda. Star Fox fans widely agree that Star Fox 64 is hands-down the best game of the series, which means it peaked almost 30 years ago. Since then, the series has often felt adrift, meandering between experiments like Star Fox Command and Star Fox Guard, remakes like Star Fox 64 3D, and quasi-remakes like Star Fox Zero.
Now, it seems, Nintendo has decided that Fox deserves better, and it’s doing all it can to make him a household name. The clearest indication is his shoehorned cameo in The Super Mario Galaxy movie, which was virtually a commercial for Star Fox. After a stylish anime intro, the other characters just take a beat to openly talk about how awesome Fox is. Toad actually calls him the coolest guy he’s ever met in his life. It’s not subtle! The message is clear: Hey kids, this is Fox McCloud, and he rules.
Around the same time, rumors began to circulate about a new Star Fox game coming to Switch 2, now revealed to be this Star Fox 64 remake. But this is more promising than it might seem. For one, as mentioned, Star Fox 64 is the apex of the series. However, it’s nearly 30 years old–even the 3DS remake came out 15 years ago. On top of that, it’s tied to hardware that can be difficult to find. There are lots of potential Star Fox fans who have never tried the game, and they aren’t especially inclined to play the old version through the Switch Online emulation. A fresh coat of paint is just the thing to show that audience what the series is all about, and using Star Fox 64 is putting its best foot forward.
Then, consider the title. This game is simply Star Fox. No numbered entry, no subtitle. That’s as clear an indication as you can get that this game is intended to be a soft reboot for the series. And as a matter of canon, that makes perfect sense. Star Fox 64 was already the game with the most cohesive story, introducing the characters and the universe in a clear way. There are certain in media res elements, like the mystery of James McCloud’s disappearance or Pigma’s betrayal, that were established as having happened in the past even as we learned about them for the first time. The story was already made to be foundational for the series.
To take a step back, the timing just makes sense. A remake of Star Fox 64–reusing the same story outline and stage layouts–is the type of project that could reasonably be finished in just a few years, which is how much time Nintendo has had since the last Mario animated movie. If this is all part of a calculated push to reintroduce Fox to a new generation through the Mario Galaxy movie, followed by a game to capitalize on it, it would make sense. We don’t have any inside information on how and when these decisions were made, but it would certainly line up.
This isn’t to say the new announcement is beyond critique. For older gamers who have already played and replayed Star Fox 64, it’s understandable that this reveal is a letdown. The more-realistic character models may be offputting. And at $60 physical and $50 digital, it may be a hard price to swallow for a remake of an older game that can be completed relatively quickly. Nintendo is not known to offer budget prices, so this is characteristic of the company. But if its goal is to entice a new generation of Star Fox fans, a lower price may have been more inviting.
Those reservations aside, though, this new (old) Star Fox game may be just what the series needs. Everything surrounding the announcement, from the Mario Galaxy cameo to the pared-down title, to it being a remake of the best game in the series, suggests that Nintendo is squarely focused on giving Star Fox the best possible chance at long-term success. If it works, we may look back in 10 or 20 years and realize this was the moment Star Fox finally became a top-tier franchise for Nintendo.