Star Fox Old Vs. New Designs Compared – Which Do You Prefer?

The rumours were true! Star Fox is indeed returning to Nintendo consoles on 25th June in another Star Fox 64 remake.

In yesterday’s surprise Direct, Nintendo billed this one as a “cinematic take” on the N64 on-rails classic, complete with a visual overhaul, fresh multiplayer modes, and, of course, some character redesigns.

“Fox and company have a more animal-like design in this game,” Koizumi announced in the presentation, and he’s not wrong. Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy are more detailed than ever before. You can see every hair, tooth, feather, and whatever sheen covers Slippy’s skin.

It’ll take some getting used to, no doubt, but opinion is already divided. A brief look at social media sees the debate run the full gamut from ‘It looks amazing!’ to ‘MY EYES!‘ We’ve even seen the odd ‘Ugly Sonic’ comparison thrown around.

All this is to say, some of us are torn on the Star Fox squad’s Switch 2 redesign. Below, we’ve assembled a side-by-side gallery of the team’s appearance in the OG Star Fox 64, its 3DS remake, the last time we saw them in their own game (2016’s Star Fox Zero), and what they look like now, with a poll for each so you can pick your fave.

Let’s barrel roll right into it, starting with the leader of the pack…

Fox McCloud

Switch 2 Fox looks a lot more… fox-like. The eyes are smaller, the face shape is more rounded, and his eyebrows and signature white streak look newly trimmed. It actually looks a tad closer to those original SNES puppets.

Falco Lombardi

Similar changes have been made to make Falco look a little more birdy. His beak is probably the biggest change here, shrinking right down to more accurately match the size of his head. Likewise, his eyes are a lot smaller, and the surrounding red patch isn’t quite as vibrant.

We’ve got to give it to those feathers, though; that’s some detail!

Slippy Toad

Slippy looks adorable! The Switch 2 design goes all-in on the toad’s shiny skin, making things look that bit wetter than previous designs. The eyes have also been moved down to a more natural position, while the signature head-wide mouth remains intact.

Peppy Hare

Peppy is probably the least impacted of the bunch. Much like Fox, the fur density is an eye-catching change, with more colour variety from his snout up to his ears, but everything else looks rather similar to his Zero design.

A little eye shrink and perhaps a couple more whiskers, but this is basically the same old Peppy.

Andross

Ol’ Andross has had quite the glow-up. The scientific simian now looks much more monkey-like, complete with crooked teeth and some impressive facial hair.

Also, check out those rocket boosters on the neck and robotic finger tips.

Arwing

Okay, this one isn’t a character, as such, but we’ve got to see how the Arwings have evolved, too.

It’s basically business as usual for the new Switch 2 design. There are a few extra details crammed in here and there, and some bonus yellow stickers for a pop of colour, but things have stayed pretty steady since the ’90s.

There’s your rundown of each member of the Star Fox squad, but now it’s time for the ultimate question: What do you make of the redesign as a whole?

Are you a fan of the new look, or is the whole thing a little too uncanny for your liking? Jet down to the comments and let us know.