By all accounts, 2026’s remake of Star Fox has been a success. Critically, the game has garnered praise from both critics and the community, pulling comparatives of an 81% critic rating and 8.1 user score on Metacritic, as well as a respectable 34/40 from the legendary Famitsu magazine. Saleswise, I imagine Nintendo is pleased with the results as well. Star Fox has never been a huge seller, but sales have been strong for a traditionally underselling franchise. Not to mention the lower purchase price will likely lead to strong long-term sales. One has to imagine that Nintendo is, at the very least, pleased with the results of this remake of a Nintendo 64 classic.

While I had a good time with Star Fox 2026, I can’t help but be more excited about the possibility of what comes next. My peers are brainstorming whether a followup to Star Fox should adhere to the rail shooter formula, try something like a Mass Effect-esque action adventure game, or perhaps something in-between. Personally I prefer the series stick to its rail shooter roots, but I don’t truly mind. The thing I care the most about, is Star Fox finally telling a new story.

To be honest, when I first saw the announcement for the 2026 remake of Star Fox 64, I couldn’t help but sigh. Star Fox is now essentially stuck in a Groundhog Day-esque loop of telling the same story across the same set of levels, which debuted in the very first Star Fox game for the SNES. Star Fox 64 brought a lot to the table, but the levels and story is all lifted directly from the SNES original. Then 2011 brought us Star Fox 64 3D which was a direct remake and porting of the N64 classic to the 3D handheld. Next up came 2016’s ill-fated Star Fox Zero, and while the game certainly got… “creative” with the controls, the game itself is yet another romp through Corneria, Titania, Zoness, and all the other stages we have become so intimately familiar with. 

With the 2026 remake, Star Fox is now on the 5th instance of telling the same stories, exploring the same planets. I’m ready for something new, and I hope that the success of this latest entry, paired with Fox’s inclusion in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, hints that Nintendo is interested in bringing the franchise back for stories that aren’t the same retelling of Fox avenging his dad against Andross for the very first time. I think we have that angle well-covered by this point.

I do understand that the original Star Fox tales have a bit of a sordid past. I personally love Star Fox Command and Assault, but it is understandable that the unique controls of Command and frankly terrible on-foot missions of Assault have dissuaded people. Not to mention the extreme polarity towards Rare’s Star Fox Adventures. So while I do understand Nintendo’s hesitance to tell any further original stories in the Star Fox universe considering the reactions to those they have told, I do believe the time is now. Why else would Star Fox 2026 put such a focus on refreshing the cinematics, and expanding the story? It seems a waste to do so, just for the franchise to be ignored for another half-decade til Nintendo decides to do another remake.

I truly think the time is now for a brand new Star Fox game, telling a brand new story, and I hope Nintendo is on the same page.

Featured Image: Nintendo of America