Star Fox Direct 5/6/2026 Review: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

To the surprise of everyone, Nintendo has shadowdropped a brand new Direct in early May that gives this long-lasting sci-fi shooter a brand new game. I was not expecting a mini direct close to June, but it is welcome nonetheless. 

 

To start the Direct off, Miyamoto briefly talked a bit about the Super Mario Galaxy movie and showcased that Fox McCloud himself, portrayed by Glenn Powell, was in the movie with an important role. Because of this, Nintendo has revealed a brand new Star Fox game, exclusively on the Switch 2, with the movie showcasing Fox in the spotlight, which is bound to draw more attention.

The game’s director, Yoshiaki Koizumi, showcases the game in full, with the reveal that the new game is based on Star Fox 64. Right off the bat, the graphics and the landscape of the game are remarkable, to say the least. The character designs, however, are divisive to say the least. They went with a more realistic look for the characters that honestly look a bit too realistic for a franchise such as this. The voices, luckily, match the character's personality and their new looks.

Because this is a remake of Star Fox 64, the controls and the stages remain the same, with a lot of upgraded visuals. Fly your Arwing through almost every level, or take a different approach with the Landmaster tank or the Blue Marine submarine, blasting the enemies into dust, and engage with bosses as you try to stop the evil mad scientist Andross from ruling the Laylat System. Featuring the characters of Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy, this legendary band of mercenaries is ready to once again save the Laylat system, and they’re gonna do it in style. 

 

With some of the levels, you can change the outcome in battle by clearing certain missions that help unlock new planets, paths, and even new endings to the game. How you play and how you traverse through the story is entirely up to you. There are even new cutscenes that help expand on the story like never before. Complete with a difficulty setting that’s sure to give long-time flyers a new challenge with the game. 

 

Speaking of challenges, there's even a bonus challenge mode that lets you replay through stages that have already been cleared. 

 

For fans of multiplayer modes, Star Fox won’t disappoint as you handle 4v4 dogfights through 3 stages, each with their own objectives and victory conditions. This mode can be completed with your friends or with random strangers all over the world. And thanks to the power of Gameshare, you can even share the game with your friends locally, even if they don’t have a Switch 2. Gamechat is also available in this mode. They even confirmed that you can use Mouse controls for playing by yourself or by couch co-op, with one player flying and the other shooting.

After it’s all said and done, Yoshiaki Koizumi has revealed that Star Fox will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25th, 2026. He then reveals some bonuses for the game, such as a face tracker with any of the Star Fox or Star Wolf teams for multiplayer mode, for anything the Switch 2 has provided, working similarly to a Vtuber face tracker. There's also controller compatibility with the N64 controller for Switch, just to feel the nostalgia of playing the game, just like the old days of the N64.

 

Last but not least, Koizumi has presented a cutscene that depicts the prologue of the game, featuring Fox’s father, James McCloud, and his original Star Fox team, en route to the planet Venom. It’s a nice look for those who have played the game’s previous versions before, but it also introduces the setting of the game to a new generation of players.

In conclusion, the new Star Fox game is shaping up to be a major selling point for the Switch 2, even if the story has been told before. From high-flying fights to branching story paths, the character interactions between and during missions. Sure, this was shadowdropped without any warning whatsoever, but this game looks to be a welcome addition to the Switch 2’s library. I would have preferred an original story, though.

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8.5/10