Star Fox 64 3D

In 2012, Nintendo re-released this game, along with several other earlier 3DS titles, as a digital download via the Nintendo eShop. The downloadable version was released in PAL regions on October 4, October 18 in North America, and November 1 in Japan. The game received positive reviews from critics who praised the gameplay, updated graphics and visuals and faithfulness to the original, though it was criticized for its lack of online multiplayer and limited amount of new content. A second Star Fox 64 remake, simply titled Star Fox, released on June 25, 2026.

• Title — Star Fox 64 3D • Developer — Nintendo EAD Q-Games • Publisher — Nintendo • Director — Dylan Cuthbert • Producer — Tadashi Sugiyama • Composer — Satomi Terui • Series — Star Fox • Genre — Rail shooter, shoot 'em up • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Nintendo 3DS

• Illustration — Gameplay screenshot of Star Fox 64 3D, featuring the gameplay on the top screen and the HUD on the bottom screen, with Falco asking for help With a few exceptions, the gameplay in Star Fox 64 3D is very similar to that of the original N64 version. The player controls Fox's Arwing fighter jet using the Circle Pad to steer, the shoulder buttons to bank left and right, and the four right-hand buttons to fire lasers and bombs, boost, and brake. The directional pad allows the player to perform somersaults and U-Turns, which can also be performed with combinations of other controls, and to zoom in and out from the Arwing in "All-Range Mode". The player can also enable "Gyro Controls", using the 3DS's internal gyroscope sensor to control the Arwing. Character dialogue, messages, and control information are displayed on the bottom screen. The single-player campaign features two modes: "64 Mode", which replicates the original game's objectives and difficulty, and "3DS Mode", in which difficulty and objectives have been tuned and balanced to account for the 3D perspective and gyro controls. A third "Expert" mode can be unlocked during gameplay, adding the difficulty of the original game's expert setting. Each mode separately tracks the player's scores and medals. Star Fox 64 3D also features a new multiplayer "Battle Mode", which allows players to play up to 4-player local multiplayer (via Download Play), or to battle against CPU opponents. During battles, each player's face can appear on opponents' screens in a live reaction feed from the console's internal camera. This multiplayer mode is completely separate from the single-player game and does not offer any bonus content, whereas the Nintendo 64 version allowed players to unlock the "Landmaster" tank and "on-foot" modes after completing certain requirements in the campaign. It also does not support online play.

The game is set on a group of planets in the Lylat System. The ingenious scientist Andross, a native of the fourth planet Corneria, is driven into madness and nearly destroys the planet using biological weapons. For Andross' treason, General Pepper exiles the scientist to the remote planet Venom. Five years after Andross' exile, Pepper detects unknown activity on Venom. Pepper hires the Star Fox team (consisting of the team leader James McCloud, and the team members Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar) to investigate. Upon arriving, Pigma betrays the team and as a result James ends up captured and killed by Andross, while Peppy barely escapes from Venom and returns to Corneria to tell James's son Fox McCloud about father's death. A few years passed, Andross has again invade the Lylat System, causing Pepper to call on the new Star Fox team, headed by Fox, to battle Andross and free the Lylat system once again.

At the 2010 E3 conference, Nintendo announced a remake of Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 3DS, entitled Star Fox 64 3D. There was a demo tested the same day at Nintendo E3 2010. The demonstration had controls and character dialogue displayed on the touch screen. Nintendo added a kind of control that makes use of Nintendo 3DS's gyroscope to control the Arwing in space. At E3 2011, Nintendo confirmed a multiplayer for up to four players via 3DS Download Play. At the annual E3 event during the Nintendo Q&A session held in June 2011, Miyamoto jokingly stated that he warned the developers that if Star Fox 64 3D was not the best game in the series, or did not make a lot of money, the franchise would have to be discontinued. In an interview with the Official Nintendo Magazine, the game's planner Yusuke Amano reveals the reason why online support for the game was not implemented, stating that "just making multiplayer parts of existing games playable online isn't enough to create a satisfying experience for users. The popular online games work in lots of things, so they play well online - and if we wanted to satisfy everyone who bought the game, the costs required for including online support would be vast". Amano also cited that there were other reasons, such as time limits in development, and the developers' increased focus towards the graphics, in an attempt to amplify the appeal of the Nintendo 3DS console. However, Amano also added he would not rule out the possibility of online play in a future Star Fox game.