The Star Fox crew flies onto Switch 2 this June

Nintendo has gone ahead and done what it does best by surprising us all with a brand-new Star Fox Direct completely out of the blue. The presentation was dedicated to the announcement of Star Fox, a game for the Nintendo Switch 2 that presents a reimagining of Star Fox 64. And it’s coming sooner than we expected.

The 16-minute Direct kicks off with Miyamoto himself as he reminds us of Fox McCloud’s recent appearance in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. It was a brilliant addition to the cast, causing fans to speculate as to whether a Star Fox revival was in store. Turns out sometimes fan speculation is correct!

Miyamoto then passes things on to Yoshiaki Koizumi, who talks us through the new game. Star Fox is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive that’s dubbed as a cinematic take on Star Fox 64, the 1997 game for the Nintendo 64. Note: If you’re like this author and accustomed to PAL regional differences, you may know this one as Lylat Wars.

The new version of Star Fox will hit the Switch 2 on June 25. It follows Fox McCloud and his anthropomorphic crew as they seek to save the unverse from the maniacal scientist Andross. The game features a complete redesign, including newly overhauled character renders that make the team look more realistic. Each stage has also been revamped, with a fresh and quite spectacular look to them. There are also newly added cutscenes, fully voiced dialogue, and a sweeping orchestral soundtrack.

Naturally, you’ll be able to take advantage of certain Switch 2 features. Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and GameChat are present and accounted for to further immerse yourself in the game. There’s also a new 4-vs-4 multiplayer Battle Mode to give players something to chat about.

You can watch the full presentation below. We’ll be sure to talk all about this surprising news on the next episode of the Pure Nintendo Podcast, so stay tuned! In the meantime, let us know just how excited you are to take to the Arwing once again.

Below is an overview of the game’s features.

New and returning game modes

• Campaign Mode: Travel to a wide variety of planets, navigate through asteroid fields and engage in free-flying dogfights. Choose between Easy or Normal difficulty at the start and hone your skills to earn all the medals needed to unlock the Expert setting. The objectives you complete, foes you defeat and other actions you take can alter your route and what you do in each stage. Taking different routes can also affect the stages you encounter on your path through the system, so there’s always a reason to revisit each mission.
• Challenge Mode: Replay stages you’ve cleared and take on a variety of new objectives and challenges, some of which you won’t find in Campaign Mode. Challenges are available in either Normal or Expert difficulty settings.
• Battle Mode: Gather up your crew to compete in all-new 4-vs-4 dogfights, with up to eight players divided between Team Star Fox and Team Star Wolf. This mode features three stages with different objectives: secure control of a designated zone on Corneria, collect energy crystals on Fichina, or retrieve cargo from space pirates in Sector Y. Join team battles online via private matches, or match with players from near and far. With GameShare, up to four players can take to the skies locally or online through GameChat. While GameShare online is only available for Nintendo Switch 2 systems, local GameShare allows sharing of compatible games with both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems.

Additional Nintendo Switch 2 features

• Joy-Con 2 Mouse Controls: If you’re playing the game solo in Campaign Mode and/or Challenge Mode, you can swap seamlessly between button and mouse controls with the Joy-Con 2 controller. The mouse control feature allows for more intuitive aiming, and if a friend joins in, either on the same system or through GameShare via GameChat, they can assume gunner duties while you focus on flying (or vice versa!).
• GameChat Character Avatars and AR Filters: Appear as Fox McCloud or any of his crew while chatting with friends using an interactive avatar that mirrors your expressions and movements in GameChat. With the game’s AR Filters, you can also add a pair of Star Fox-like ears or a Falco-inspired beak that moves when you talk.