Star Fox, the remake of the 1997’s Star Fox 64, released on June 25th, 2026. After obtaining a Metacritic score of 82 at the time of this writing and topping several charts, Nintendo seems to have a grasp on what remakes mean for them. Sure, remakes are far from a new concept in the video game industry; however, Nintendo has historically been an outlier. While they have never shied away from a port, HD version, or remaster, they’ve been relatively conservation on full-blown remakes…until now. With what seems to be a successful reboot of the Star Fox franchise, what are some lessons Nintendo can take from the game and leverage it to ensure the success of perhaps one of their largest gambles: the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake?
After introducing Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Nintendo strategically announced and released a Star Fox game. They decide to remake Star Fox 64, which arguably is the most beloved title in the franchise. Nintendo was poised to strike the iron while it’s hot: sales from nostalgic Millennials and new fans drawn in from the movie. Nintendo put in sincere and honorable effort into this remake, and while development teams will differ, it gave me a sense of where Nintendo may be headed with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time… or at least had me brainstorming what I wanted (and didn’t) want to see repeated.
What Worked
Positive standouts from Star Fox were the graphics, music and sound, and voice acting. Nintendo didn’t just upres those polygons, they gave this game a complete face lift. The lighting, textures, and detail were impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed cruising above the waters of Corneria and took screenshots obsessively when the Arwings soared through the Lylat system. The world of Star Fox became real in this remake, and this is one absolutely that Nintendo will undoubtedly apply to Ocarina of Time.
The same goes for music and sound, which is one of the cornerstones of a game named after an instrument. In Star Fox, Nintendo gave the soundtrack the orchestral treatment and even spiced up some tunes, especially during epic boss fights. This showed that Nintendo wanted to keep the original scores for familiarity but modernized it and scaled it to match the sense of grandeur that Star Fox deserved. For Ocarina of Time, I hope and expect Nintendo to treat the soundtrack with as much respect. I want original scores and maybe a few fresh tunes or remixes sprinkled in.
Voice acting is something that can go either way for Ocarina of Time; however, I still wanted to highlight this win for Star Fox. The lines were primarily copy and paste from the original title; however, the performances proved better than expected. With that said, it is possible that Nintendo will add voice acting to Ocarina of Time since they’ve added it to the more recent entries like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom while maintaining a silent protagonist. The performances in Star Fox could be a steppingstone and vote of confidence if Nintendo does include voice acting in the Ocarina of Time remake.
Speaking of performances, one thing I definitely want to see in Ocarina of Time are added cut scenes. I appreciated the additional context between levels in Star Fox. It provided insight to character personalities and their relationships with one another. While still pretty surface level in scope, I think this is a step in the right direction. I hope Nintendo learns from Star Fox and includes additional cut scenes for Ocarina of Time, although I hope there will be a bit more “meat” in the scenes. For example, I would love a flashback to when Link’s mother flees from the war and leaves her son with the Great Deku Tree and one that further fleshes out the first time Link sees Ganondorf.
What I’d Rather See
Every coin has two sides, so the first thing I want to revisit are those cut scenes. While grateful they were added for Star Fox, I want to reiterate that I want fleshed out cut scenes for the Ocarina of Time remake. The primary disappointment I had in Star Fox was that, while the prologue focused on Fox’s father, James McCloud and what happened at Venom, there seemed to be little payout by the end. Fox barely mentions his father throughout the entire game. During my runs, I only saw him discuss his father once, and in that scene, Fox cared more about doing things his own way. To avoid spoilers, I will simply say that if you unlock the Good Ending, you get a touching moment; however, the lack of continued investment with exploring the loss of Fox’s father caused the Good Ending to fall a little flat.
Another thing Nintendo did in Star Fox that I do NOT want to see in the Ocarina of Time remake is the lack of differentiation from the original title. In Star Fox, all the items and enemies were in the same exact locations as the N64 version. It didn’t bother me that much in a rails shooter like Star Fox; however, it would not translate as well for veterans who boot up the Ocarina of Time remake when a huge theme includes exploration.
If you played Star Fox, what are elements you hope Nintendo brings to the Ocarina of Time remake and what elements do you hope they avoid? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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