The history of Star Fox leading to the Switch 2 game, explained

If you saw Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, you’d be forgiven if your first thought were, “hey, it’s the guy from Smash Bros!” The Star Fox series has struggled to maintain momentum since its inception in 1993, with Nintendo launching fewer Fox games over the series’ lifespan than its other major franchises. Even Donkey Kong, abandoned for so long until Bananza, had spin-offs, and the ape made guest appearances in Mario Party and Mario Kart. Not so for Fox. Nintendo didn’t alternate releases between handheld and console Star Fox releases like it did for other franchises, and after 2005, there were much longer gaps between launches. Velan Studios’ Star Fox remake sees the vulpine mercenary barrel-rolling back onto the scene. It’s a muted return after years of silence and stagnation, though there are some signs it’s the start of something better.