STACK #260 June 2026

FEATURE GAMING

Star Fox (2026) is the fifth series entry based on the original game’s story DYK?

another GameCube release, 2005’s Star Fox: Assault , which saw more of a return to the on-rails shooting that the series was renowned for, paired with third-person ground play. Handhelds didn’t miss out on the Foxy fun, with 2006’s DS outing Star Fox Command adding strategic aspects to the mix, and 2011’s Star Fox 64 3D for the 3DS updating the N64 release. After skipping the mega-successful Wii generation, 2016 saw the arrival of Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. Created by PlatinumGames, it was a reimagining of Star Fox 64 , and came with a bonus tower defense game, Star Fox Guard . Then, crickets – until now… Star Fox returns! Yes, Star Fox is back this month, promising all the action that we love from the legendary N64 version, bigger and better than ever. This reboot is set to expand on facets such as level design, story, and character design, as well as tweaking the gameplay to suit the Switch 2 hardware, while embracing the series strong rail shooter

New system, new game In 1997, the Nintendo 64 saw the release of the next franchise game, known as Star Fox 64 in Japan and the USA, and Lylat Wars in PAL regions. It expanded upon the cinematic storytelling and introduced branching mission paths to further gameplay variation. At release, the game came packaged with an exciting new

technology at the time, known as the Rumble Pak (sic). This was a piece of hardware that plugged into the N64 controller’s expansion port and provided physical feedback at specific points in the game. We take this

tech for granted nowadays but can thank Nintendo for introducing us to in-game shakes. Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars also introduced many memorable quotes, with “Do a barrel roll!” becoming one of gaming’s most famous memes – and that was when memes weren’t even a thing! Into the 2000s Fox McCloud next graced out screens in 2002’s Star Fox Adventures on the GameCube.

heritage. It will even support the Switch 2’s mouse mode for targeting. There’s also set to be a strong multiplayer presence, with competitive Star Fox

vs. Star Wolf action, as well as campaign co-op pilot/gunner play. Look out Andross, Fox and his team are back, and they’re coming for you!

• Star Fox is out Jun25

Developed by Rare, it took a different tack by giving us an almost Zelda-styled action adventure. It was followed by

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Kirby Air Riders, Star Wars Outlaws: Gold Edition

31