Star Fox Returns on Switch 2: The N64 Lylat Wars Remake Arrives 30 Years On

[Chris81]

Nintendo released Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2 in the final week of June, a remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 title Lylat Wars known as Star Fox 64 in North America. The remake gives Fox McCloud and his Arwing crew full modern visual treatment while preserving the original's rail shooter structure across the Lylat System. Reviews have broadly praised the visual overhaul and the preservation of the original's intensely quotable dialogue, with Nintendo having resisted the temptation to fundamentally redesign mechanics that still hold up.

The release ends a franchise drought that has lasted over a decade, with Star Fox Zero on Wii U in 2016 being widely considered a misfire and Star Fox Guard a forgettable accompaniment. The Switch 2 version adds gyro controls as an option, a new multiplayer dogfight mode utilising the console's local wireless and online capabilities, and a visual fidelity upgrade that makes the Corneria City opening sequence look considerably more impressive than players who remember the N64 original might expect.

Donkey Kong 64 was simultaneously confirmed as coming to Nintendo Switch Online, a vault addition that had been requested by fans for years and had been held back due to a Rare Jetpac licensing complication that Nintendo has apparently resolved. The combination of the Star Fox remake launch and the DK64 announcement gave Nintendo two significant positive gaming stories in the same week, with GTA 6 pre-orders and Sony's State of Play also generating conversation, making June one of the more active gaming months of the year despite a relatively quiet release calendar overall.

Upcoming games - June 2026www.nintendo.com

[ParallelSelf34]

Do a barrel roll is still one of the most quotable lines in gaming history and the remake preserved it with exactly the delivery the original had. Some things should never be touched

[Rachel93]

Lylat Wars on N64 was one of the first games that genuinely felt like piloting a fighter craft rather than pointing a sprite at things. The remake making that same sensation work on modern hardware was the real challenge and apparently they nailed it