Nintendo finally gave fans a proper look at the new Star Fox game, a Nintendo Switch 2 remake of the classic N64 title, Lylat Wars, and while the new visuals impress, many fans are on the fence, if not actively falling off the wrong side, when it comes to the new ‘realistic’ character designs. In many ways, the reaction has been exactly what you'd expect from the internet, being shown slightly different, new, and polished versions of Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare… the whole gang. The reveal has, to put it mildly, been absolute chaos.
The new game, Star Fox, will release on 25 June and comes with some neat Switch 2 bells and whistles, including three game modes: Campaign, Challenge and Battle. But it's the new realistic visual design and, in particular, the revamped character designs that are grabbing the headlines.
Fox gets a makeover
The strongest reactions seem aimed at Fox and Falco, with fans picking apart everything from the fur textures to the proportions of Fox's face and, oddly, boots and legs. One Reddit thread, Fabulous_Mud_4814, simply labelled the redesigns "ugly overall" and commented how “The realistic textures don’t make them appealing in the slightest”. While over on X one user, @AdriWindGB, believes the designs were “literally been perfected in Star Fox Zero” and questioned why they had to change.
There's definitely a weird, uncanny-valley look to the new character designs, which lean into visible fur details and more textured materials, and for many players, that clashes with the fast, colourful arcade energy of classic Star Fox games. The old designs were simple and sharp, almost toy-like, whereas these feel closer to movie creatures or high-end puppets.
But the backlash isn't universal, far from it, because another section of Star Fox fans think this is the most personality the series has had in years. Some players have pointed out that the redesigns actually feel closer to the original SNES-era promo art and puppets, which had that same slightly scrappy sci-fi look. “I ADORE the new designs!” writes untouchedsock on Reddit, “It makes me think more of the SNES art and the comic”.
Back on Reddit Substantial_Zone2701 comments, “I honestly loved them right away. I love how animalistic they look, while keeping the expressiveness of the old cartoony style”. Wolf in particular seems to be going down well, with fans saying the rougher textures make the villain cast look more intimidating, while Peppy and Slippy are somehow emerging from the discourse relatively unscathed, which might be the biggest surprise of all.
When is nostalgia bad?
The reaction to this Star Fox remake taps into a broader conversation around Nintendo nostalgia and how much companies should modernise iconic characters in the first place. Every redesign is now treated like a cultural event, especially for dormant series like Star Fox Zero, where fans have spent years imagining what a comeback should look like.
And now Nintendo has finally shown them one, everyone suddenly realises they all pictured something completely different. And this despite the fact that the new game has some interesting modern ideas beyond the character designs, for example, there’s support for Joy-Con 2 Mouse Controls, and two players can co-op using GameShare, one flying the other shooting. Most impressive yet, though, and something that brings together new character design and new tech is the GameChat Character Avatars feature, where the in-game characters mimic your expressions and movements.
