Since its reveal, my admittedly cynical reaction to the Star Fox 64 remake has been one of indifference. I have affection for Star Fox 64, but I played it a lot back in 1997 and enjoyed the 3DS remake in 2011. Unlike many Nintendo 64 games, it’s one I think is still fun to play today without the need for a remake. And I was hoping for something new from the franchise for its Switch debut.
Embarrassingly, however, playing through the demo turned me around and made me confront and embrace my nostalgia. Turns out I like Star Fox 64 more than I realized and the updated soundtrack is phenomenal.
The free demo includes the tutorial, which has some fun character interactions as the team trains together in VR, and Star Fox 64’s second level, Meteo, which takes place in a dense asteroid field. Controlling Fox’s Arwing feels great and the new visuals add to the epic scale of space battles. I felt like a kid again, blasting my way through Start Fox 64 for the fifth time like it was 1997 all over again, and now I want to play the whole thing.
