Star Fox review: A superb spaceship dogfight action shooter on Nintendo Switch 2

It’s been 33 years since the original Starfox and the Switch 2 now gets its own version of the Nintendo classic with fancy cutscenes and insane dogfighting action

This legendary sci-fi franchise returns to Nintendo’s latest console and its shiny new look and classic gameplay are a brilliant combination.

For those not in the know, the original Star Fox came out in 1993 on the SNES machine and was a bit of a wow with regards to 3D gaming at the time thanks to its then-new polygonal graphics.

You played pilot Fox McCloud, who, along with his elite squadron of mercenaries known as the Star Fox team, defended their homeworld of Corneria against the invading forces of the malevolent mad scientist Andross.

Flash forward the best part of 33 years and we have the same team of animal heroes in a somewhat rip-off Star Wars universe fighting new space battles on the Switch 2 handheld.

The result is excellent.

The very best graphics I’ve seen on the relatively new console combined with instantly recognisable gameplay and a wonderfully built universe to enjoy.

Maniacal scientist Andross is back as the big baddie and of course so is foxy hero Fox McCloud, this time with shiny detailed new cutscenes straight out of a Pixar-style movie.

And so too is the Star Wars aesthetic, as you’ll pilot X-wing spaceships – known as Arwings – into battle.

And of course, you have to basically save the universe.

The game features a variety of different modes, including Campaign Mode, where the objectives you complete, foes you defeat and other actions you take can alter your route and what you do in each stage.

In Challenge Mode, players can replay stages they’ve already cleared in the main game and take on a variety of new objectives and challenges, some of which they won’t find in Campaign Mode.

Battle Mode allows players to gather up their crew and compete in all-new 4-vs-4 dogfights, with up to eight players divided between Team Star Fox and Team Star Wolf.

The game also includes Joy-Con 2 mouse controls on the Switch 2 and a brand-new GameChat feature that puts you in the cockpit as your favourite characters from the universe.

You can appear as Fox McCloud or any of his crew while chatting with friends online, using an interactive avatar that mirrors your expressions and movements in GameChat.

That’s a great use of the new Nintendo tech.

The gameplay, with its classic inverted axis, feels as brilliant as it aways did and even beginners will quickly find themselves belting around the screen, shooting baddies in a 360-degree space dogfight.

It’s feels intuitive and looks amazingly smooth on-screen as you button bash and combine skills to take down armies of starships.

A great addition to the Switch 2 library and a must-buy for gamers.

VERDICT 5/5