It's impressive just how perfect Star Fox (2026) is for the nostalgic mind

Nostalgia is one of the more tricky things we all struggle with – especially when it comes to our media.

For example, I love Donkey Kong 64. I love it dearly. And even though everyone tells me it's a bad game, and I know in my heart that it has problems, I still love it every time I revisit it. My love for the game from when I was a kid has broken me beyond repair.

Star Fox 64, on the other hand, is a nostalgic game for me that's also a stone-cold classic. It's one of the premiere achievements of the 64 era, and a game people look back on with love and reverence. (I do have a lot of loving nostalgia for Star Fox Adventures, but we're not talking about that today). In fact, the only major problem people have with Star Fox 64 (and by association, the 2026 remake we're talking about here today) is that Nintendo refuses to make a new game in the series, and has instead opted to re-release the old one over and over again.

But the thing is ... Star Fox (2026) isn't just Star Fox 64 but 29 years later. Star Fox (2026) is exactly what I thought Star Fox 64 was when I was marrying the game's muddy 3D graphics with my childhood imagination. It's a memory that doesn't really exist made manifest.

Over the last week, I've played through each of Star Fox (2026)'s routes a handful of times, and gotten the normal difficulty medals in each stage. I've taken down Andross' many forms, I've grounded Star Wolf and his crew of idiots, and I've been saved by the legendary James McCloud. And it all looks, feels, sounds, and performs beautifully.

Every time I've played a stage this last week, I've caught a new detail that's either reimagined from the original, or built especially for this version. It's incredible how much these tiny additions to each stage add so much detail the the world, even when you fly by them in an instant. Sometimes they add new revelations, like signs in Corneria that really make it feel like a city. And other times they are simply perfect recreations from the original, scaled up in astounding ways. Like, of course that's what the satellite antenna would look like off the 64.

Look, I want a new Star Fox game as much as any other longtime Star Fox fan. And I have to believe that this game is simply a gateway drug to recapture some of us old heads, sure, but also to bring in a bunch of kids who just met Fox for the first time through the Super Mario Galaxy movie. But my desire for something new doesn't make this Star Fox any less perfect.

If there's anything missing here, it's more reasons to replay what is a very short game. Sure there are medals, and there are challenges and things to keep levels fresh, but I wouldn't have minded a remixed version of the routes, or a completely new route that was optional. I even heard the Giant Bomb crew suggest a roguelite mode that used the existing stages, and that's another great idea. But those thoughts are all sprinkles on what is already a great experience, so I'm not too bothered.

So who is Star Fox (2026) for? Well, I think it's for everyone. I think it's for that kid you know that loves sci-fi, or spaceships, or airplanes. I think it's a good budget gift when you can't afford to buy your niece or nephew a full price Switch game, but still want to get them something they'll enjoy. And I think it's for the 30 something "kid" that stopped believing we'd ever see Star Fox again. Any of those folks would be delighted to unwrap this version of Star Fox – especially that last one, if I'm any indication.