Star Fox 64 3D - Review

3D Barrel rolls.

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Ever since playing HarmoKnight, I've been on something of a 3DS tour. While I wasn't a fan of that game, it reminded me of the many 3DS titles I own but have yet to try. One game led to another, and here we are at my sixth 3DS game review of the year—more than for Nintendo’s current console the Switch.

Up until this review, I focused on smaller, mostly indie titles that I bought as the 3DS eShop closure loomed. The more I played, the more I craved something homegrown—a first-party 3D title. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any such games left unplayed on my shelf, so I just had to buy one.

Luckily, my usual place for gaming had me covered with a selection of relatively cheap, new old stock Nintendo Selects titles. I set a budget and searched for a title that fit my criteria. As you can see, I ended up with Star Fox 64 3D. What intrigued me most was that it was the only option from a franchise that’s essentially dormant at the moment.

Although Star Fox is considered a Nintendo classic, particularly the N64 version, we haven’t seen a new release in the series since 2016’s Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. That game didn’t fare well and was on a struggling console to boot. With that baggage in mind, I was eager to experience a Star Fox game firsthand.

Without further ado, let’s about my first experience with Fox McCloud and his crew, and what I thought of it.

The Lylat star system is under attack by the mad scientist Andross and his minions. To combat the threat, General Pepper enlists the help of the brave and talented pilots of the Star Fox team: Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and team leader Fox McCloud.

Star Fox 64 3D isn’t a narrative-driven experience. Yes, there is a deeper story here—more happens than just “destroy this base for reason X”—but it’s mostly conveyed in small blurbs before or during battles, and what you get is dependent on the route you take. For example, Slippy might get shot down above a hostile planet, and you have to rescue him—or he might not.

Given how unceremoniously these narrative elements are presented and how they vary depending on your route, I didn’t find the story particularly engaging. You might, but as someone who typically enjoys a strong narrative ala God of War (2018), I didn’t. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the voice acting. I didn’t expect the game to be fully voice-acted, let alone have voice-acting at all. It does lift this flimsy narrative, and the overall presentation, up a notch. 

So, the narrative isn’t the focus or even all that interesting. What is? In typical Miyamoto fashion (he’s the producer this time around), it’s the gameplay. Star Fox is an on-rails shooter. In “Corridor mode,” you automatically fly through a linear path while enemy fighters and obstacles come your way, and you have to shoot them down and evade accordingly. In “Free Range mode,” you can freely fly around a 3D space, which is mostly used for dogfighting and boss fights I find.

It’s in these sections that the special manoeuvres, like the now-famous “barrel roll,” are most useful. With enemies able to approach from all sides in a 3D space, better flying and manoeuvrability are essential, especially during those dogfights and boss fights where you need to hit a small, constantly moving target.

Do a Barrel roll Fox! Which is actually an Aileron roll if we use the proper terminology, but I digress.

Now that we’re here, it’s time for a confession: playing this game has taught me that I’m not a fan of on-rail shooters. I had fun, yes, but it was a very basic type of fun—the kind you get because shooting at stuff and seeing a number go up is inherently enjoyable. It didn’t go deeper than that, nor was it enough to make up for the frustrations I encountered.

Corridor mode is fine, but I found it a bit mind-numbing. Yes, the level themes and obstacles change, but I didn’t notice much variation in gameplay or any big, notable set pieces that grabbed my interest. The most variety I experienced was a tank level, but the controls were cumbersome, slow, and not much fun.

Dogfighting wasn’t much fun either, mostly because I was constantly fighting the camera and controls just to position myself correctly. The first boss fight was particularly frustrating because of this. I spent most of the time struggling to keep that big lug of metal in frame only to have a second or two to get a hit in. I understand this is probably an inherent difficulty of this game type, but I found it more annoying than an enjoyable challenge.

Thankfully, I didn’t have as much trouble with the other bosses, who were mostly really cool, with striking designs and interesting attack patterns. One boss did seem too easy, going down in only 20 seconds or so, but then its defeat was revealed to be a fake-out, and a much harder and fun second phase began. It was almost as if the game was reading my mind!

Because of these annoyances, I only did two runs of the campaign. The idea of multiple routes is neat and adds replayability, but I wasn’t interested in exploring them because I was pretty much done with what was on offer. 

On a more positive note, I was pleasantly surprised by the tutorial section, or “training mode” as the game calls it. Before starting the campaign, you have to complete this practice mission, which covers the controls, special manoeuvres, and different control setups. You can adjust settings like the gyro controls or whether you want to invert the axis and try them out then and there. 

I found this to be a very good tutorial. Initially, I was a bit annoyed because it delayed me from getting to the “actual game,” but as it went on, I saw its purpose. There’s more going on in this game than you might think, and this tutorial eases you into it without any penalties, allowing you to practice and adjust things as long as you want. Very nice and very welcoming to new players just like all the other quality-of-life changes that were implemented. 

This tutorial and the control adjustments are some of the quality-of-life changes that this remake implemented. Another change I immediately recognized and appreciated was the ability to save between missions. No longer do you have to blast through an entire path in one sitting. You can play a level or two, put the game down, and pick it back up later without having to start from level 1.

The title is also more forgiving about game-overs. If you run out of lives, you get the option to opt out or restart the level from the beginning. These are welcome and much-needed changes for modern audiences and gaming conventions.

This 3DS remake includes some new content on top of those quality-of-life updates, such as a new, more balanced difficulty and a multiplayer mode called Battle Mode. There’s no online functionality in which you and up to four others can play. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to try it, so I can’t comment any further on it.

I can comment on the Score Attack mode. After your first run, you can replay levels and try to earn a high score. I did this twice, and while it’s never been my sort of thing, I had more fun with it than I expected. That’s as much of an endorsement as I can give such a mode.

The big new feature, at least to me, is the gyro controls. Since the success of the Wii, Nintendo has included gyro controls in all their consoles. I haven’t encountered many 3DS titles that use this tech—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is the only one that comes to mind—and I was intrigued by its inclusion here. This was another reason I bought the remake instead of playing the original on Nintendo Switch Online.

I’m disappointed to report that I turned the gyro controls off after one level. My issue wasn’t with the implementation or accuracy but with the inherent problem of using gyro controls on a handheld: you’re constantly moving the screen you’re focusing on, which makes the game unnecessarily difficult. 

I’m sure the new “3DS mode” was designed with this extra challenge in mind, but I still found it too annoying to continue playing with the gyro controls. Not to mention that if you have the 3D effect on, the screen will undoubtedly go out of focus. I thus highly encourage you to turn the 3D off when using the gyro option. 

That would be a shame because an unfocused view does a disservice to the nice visual upgrade this remake offers. The character models are more rounded compared to their jagged N64 originals, and there’s more detail overall. It leads to a well-looking game that doesn’t forget its roots. 

In level graphical comparison between the N64 original and this 3D remake.
Credit: NeoGamer - The Video Game Archive

For example, the opening and closing of the characters’ mouths are still reminiscent of Supermarionation—a deliberate choice Miyamoto made for the N64 original, inspired by his fondness for Thunderbirds. It's not something I expected Miyamoto to know about, let alone like. As a Thunderbirds fan myself, I approve.

As for the music, there isn’t much to say. It’s memorable enough to close this review with but not for me to give it a lot of time. It’s often triumphant and gives off a “sci-fi soundtrack” vibe, but that’s about all I can say. It’s not bad, and very fitting for this game, but it’s not something I’d play in the background while writing.

Conclusion

While I’m always happy to experience a Nintendo classic, I can’t say I’m fond of what I played in Star Fox 64 3D. It’s a well-made update of a title that has earned its status as a classic based on its quality. It’s a true on-rails shooter that encourages you to replay it to find new paths and improve your score, with this remake offering improved visuals, lots of quality-of-life updates and some nifty new features such as the gyro controls.

This is a good game—but I’ve learned that on-rails shooters like this aren’t my cup of tea. I enjoyed shooting down enemy ships, but it lacked the depth in both narrative and gameplay needed to hold my attention for more than 10–15 minutes. It scratched that basic itch for “fun,” but did nothing more, and I don’t think I’ll be revisiting it or the Star Fox series again.