Star Fox 64 Remake Has Me Excited for the Series but Worried About the Game

While the series may not have gotten the same number of games as other high-profile Nintendo franchises like Legend of Zelda or Super Mario Bros., Star Fox has been a fan favorite among gamers since it debuted on the SNES over thirty years ago. Even when the franchise stepped into the background, the characters remained fixed in the gamer consciousness thanks to Fox’s enduring popularity in the Super Smash Bros. series. Still, as a fan of the older games, I’ve been dying for a genuine new entry in the series.

Having Star Fox 64 on Virtual Console is great, but I’ve already played it way too much over the years. That’s probably why I have such mixed feelings about the latest announcements regarding the series. Star Fox is coming back with a fresh coat of paint and refined gameplay. I’m very excited to dive back into the Lylat System — but the fact that the game is an overt remake of an older title instead of being a new one has me worried that the series is just revisiting the hits instead of doing something new.

I’m Really Excited That Star Fox Is Back

As someone who grew up with the series, I’m really excited to see Star Fox back in the Nintendo pipeline. The series launched on the SNES and helped lay the groundwork for 3D console gaming as we know it, all while providing a solid arcade flight sim experience. However, although three Star Fox games came out in the span of four years in the early 2000s, it wouldn’t be for another decade before fans got an entirely new adventure for the Wii U with Star Fox Zero. Another ten years have passed without any new entries in the series beyond the previously unreleased Star Fox 2 arriving on Virtual Console (alongside Star Fox and Star Fox 64), which makes it exciting that any game is coming out for the franchise.

The updated graphics and story trailers hint at a more character-driven take on the franchise. Coupled with Fox’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and his enduring popularity as a core member of the Super Smash Bros. series, it feels like Star Fox is getting a fresh chance to impress gamers and re-establish itself as one of Nintendo’s flagship properties. There’s a lot of potential for the character, especially if the series finds a way to recreate some of the epic battles of previous games with modern graphics and potential. However, as excited as I am to be getting a new Star Fox, the fact that it’s quietly a remake of Star Fox 64 has me concerned for the franchise’s future.

We Don’t Need Another Star Fox 64 Remake

Let’s get this out of the way: I love Star Fox 64. It was one of the first games I remember actually saving up money for, because I couldn’t afford to wait until another holiday or birthday to come to ask for it. I played it multiple times as a kid, gleefully discovering different paths and unique boss encounters. I loved the entire team as well as the memorable cast of minor villains and supporting characters. I’ve replayed the game in the years since, as a teenager in the 2000s, a college student in the 2010s, and recently as a father showing it off to his Super Mario Galaxy Movie-obsessed son. I think it’s a terrifically designed rail-shooter with a lot of personality and a vibrant enough sense of sci-fi color to make the polygon graphics feel charming rather than dated. I know I’m not the only gamer with a deep love for this game, which is why this is the second remake it’s gotten.

It’s also frustrating to see the first genuinely fresh entry in the series in a decade be a retread of what we’ve experienced before. The Star Fox reveal announced as part of the Nintendo Direct in May confirmed that the series is coming back with a fresh graphical overhaul, expanded cutscenes, gameplay tweaks, and new modes. However, the actual gameplay remains largely consistent with what has come before, with the Nintendo Direct confirming that the stages will be consistent with what came before. If you’ve played Star Fox 64, then the footage will look very familiar (even if it’s been suped up with modern graphics). The Star Fox reveal announced as part of the Nintendo Direct in May confirmed that the series is coming back with a fresh graphical overhaul, expanded cutscenes, gameplay tweaks, and new modes — but will ultimately still be a new version of the older game.

The actual gameplay remains largely consistent with what has come before, with the Nintendo Direct confirming that the stages will be consistent with what came before. That extends beyond the actual level layout to the missions as well. While the visuals look fantastic and there are certain tweaks that can be spotted (such as the inclusion of Katt from Star Fox 2), it looks like it’s a very fancy version of a well-worn game. There’s no way I won’t play the new Star Fox — I’m too much of a fan to miss it. However, I’m concerned that the series is still looking backwards instead of just charting a new path forward.

Taking inspiration from Star Fox 64 but designing new levels, challenges, and storylines could have really set up the series for a bigger future. That could still happen with this game — the cut-scenes, for example, hint at expanded character focus that Nintendo could use to lay seeds for future games, while the confirmed multiplayer mode could lay the groundwork for an expansive online space for the game. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m a little disappointed that playing the new Star Fox will ultimately feel too similar to Star Fox 64 instead of giving me the fresh Star Fox experience I’ve been waiting years for.