Star Fox Preview: Once more with mouse pointer

Star Fox 64 returns... again... though it may be new for a bunch of you.

My opening statement may shock half of you: I’ve never played Star Fox 64. Or Lylat Wars, or whatever you call it where you’re from. Or, at least, I don’t think I have; the likes of Everspace and Starlink Battle for Atlas have confused my ever-ageing mind. I’ve definitely played through Star Fox content inside Starlink (and decided it wasn’t worth it, if that helps); lo and behold, I wasn’t crazy about Star Fox Zero.

At any rate, Nintendo Australia was kind enough to invite me over to its offices to try out an hour or so of hands-on time with the upcoming remake (remake, remake?) in three different modes: its campaign in single-player, it’s campaign in local co-op, and a couple of matches of 4v4 locally-based multiplayer.

I won’t guess at how many people reading will be shocked at my next statement, but I’d be happy to guess that it’s everyone who’s already played Star Fox 64 before: this new(ish) Star Fox can be incredibly fun… under the right circumstances.

Star Fox single-player campaign preview

This is the same campaign you (may) know and love. Branching paths, on-rails missions, all-range segments, and Falco generally being a dick. For the purposes of our hands-on preview, we were able to play through three of Star Fox‘s opening missions, though under specific circumstances (ie, “don’t fly through those rings Falco just taunted you to do,” etc). 

In on-rails segments, you’re locked into forward travel but able to control where your Arwing appears on screen by flying up, down, left, and right. You can boost and brake, and are able to tilt your ship for faster movement left or right. Finally, you’re able to perform a somersault move that lets you get out of tough spots. Star Fox‘s world famous barrel roll is performing by double-tapping the tilt button, and will ricochet enemy attacks.

This is combined with combat; pressing the attack button will fire off a single lazer, though you can hold the button and charge up a shot that can also lock-on to an opponent. Your main lazers can be upgraded for more firepower, as can shields — this, plus repairs to your Arwing and boosting your shield strength is all accomplished by flying through hoops and collecting pick ups. 

All-range mode opens up the experience to an off-rails experience that is exponentially more enjoyable. You add a u-turn to your list of moves and have free range to dip, dodge, dive, and fire at any target you choose. This style of gameplay is what the likes of Everspace and Starlink tried (successfully, I might add) to emulate, and without the need for the on-rails stuff either. There may for a reason for that…

On top of all this, Star Fox is a game made by Nintendo, so expect smooth as silk visuals in docked mode on your TV (the only way we were allowed to experience our hands-on time), fantastically engaging music, and a wholly polished package. This remains Star Fox 64 at its core though, so be warned that the campaign’s runtime won’t be very long; branching mission paths are designed to pad things out, but that may only work for some players.

Star Fox co-op campaign preview

In addition to single-player action, we journos will also paired up and given the chance to replay certain missions in local co-op mode. Here, you and a partner will take a Joy-Con 2 each and decide whether you’re flying an Arwing or in charge of its weapons systems. The person firing will hold their Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode, firing at baddies in the same fashion you would in a first-person shooter.

In all honesty, co-op mode is too fiddly for me. It wasn’t fun because you’re ultimately only in control of half the experience — arguably less so when on-rails — and that means you’ll need to really work at communication with your partner. The need to use two Joy-Con 2s without support for Pro Controllers and the like means I’ll be avoiding co-op mode at all cost; I’d rather play by myself if I’m being brutally honest. 

Star Fox 4v4 multiplayer preview

That changes when we talk about multiplayer though. Here, there are no rails to be seen and it’s you and three mates squaring off in all-range mode against four opponents. It feels almost like a Task Force Operation inside Star Trek Online, with your goal not just the elimination of opponents, but the completion of sub-objectives along the way.

In addition to just condensing the best gameplay bits of Star Fox 64 up in a nice little package, players can also take advantage of their Switch 2 camera and create on-screen avatars that blend their movements with a complete or partial avatar. While debating keeping my face coupled with Falco’s beak on screen in GameChat, or just turning into Falco himself, was fun at the time, this is another feature I wouldn’t actually consider using when playing at home.

The long and short of Star Fox on Switch 2 is whether or not you’ve played Star Fox 64 before. If you have, you know what you’re in for, decide on a purchase accordingly. If you’re new to the game, just be aware that it’s a small, yet mighty package. You’ll ultimately need to decide if its $100 AUD price tag is for you.

Expect Star Fox on Switch 2 from 25 June.

Star Fox 25 June 2026 Switch 2   Buy on Switch 2: Nintendo eShop, Amazon