Original Star Fox designer Takaya Imamura has said the new game's visual style is what he had in mind for the original Star Fox 64 around 30 years ago.
After the surprise announcement of Star Fox – the remake of Star Fox 64 for Nintendo Switch 2 – Imamura took to Twitter to express his excitement about the new game. However, he later made headlines that same day by weighing into the discourse surrounding the new game – that being the discussion about its visual style.
There are two camps with it: those who think it should've taken on a cartoony art style akin to Fox's appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and people who aren't cowards. Imamura made headlines by saying that he actually also prefers the Movie style, saying that despite liking the new designs, "I guess this is how it turns out if I'm not supervising... or something like that. I think the concept is good."
新作は、まさにStar Fox 64を作っていた頃に僕の頭の中で思い描いていた映像そのもの！超リアルなキャラクター表現も大好物です。とはいえ、映画版のフォックスは可愛すぎて❤️ https://t.co/uuZpudit9CMay 10, 2026
However, Imamura has since clarified his thoughts on the design, saying (translated by Genki_JPN) the character designs featured in the new Star Fox on Switch 2 are "exactly the visuals" he had in his head when making the original version of Star Fox 64. But that the movie version of the character is too cute not to love.
I understand why people are upset about the new designs, especially after the gorgeous 2D animated sequence seen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was an amazing concept piece for what Star Fox could be.
But at the same time, I think this weird swing Nintendo has made with the new Star Fox game is a great way to give it a new identity outside of just being Star Fox 64 again, especially when viewed as a homage to the original game's use of puppets to go for a more realistic look. Plus, it's not like you ever see Nintendo go for realism in its designs often, which definitely helps it stand out among the Switch 2's stacked summer lineup.
