In online spaces where people talk about video games, the necessity (or lack thereof) of remakes is pretty well-worn discourse. Any given remake needs to have some reason to exist beyond just being new, so the argument goes. If we are to accept that framing with regards to Nintendo's new Star Fox reboot for Switch 2, I'd say the multiplayer mode is a solid enough reason to exist.

Between playing the new online Battle Mode at a preview event a few weeks ago and then getting some more hands-on time with it during the review process, I've come away thinking that it's much more than just a tacked-on bonus for this Star Fox 64 remake. While Battle Mode is ultimately too limited in scope to become anyone's new multiplayer obsession, matches are big and chaotic enough (thanks to some added Mario Kart elements) to make it a worthwhile diversion once you're done racking up high scores and collecting medals in the single-player campaign.

'Star Fox' battle mode is a frenzied take on dogfighting

Star Fox for Switch 2 is far from the first game in the series to experiment with competitive multiplayer. Its chief inspiration, Star Fox 64, had a very basic split-screen dogfighting mode that is a source of nostalgia for some, but, frankly, it was never the appeal of that game for me. Some later entries, like Assault for GameCube and the 3DS version of 64, expanded on the number of modes and vehicles, but the Switch 2 reboot is the first time since Command for the Nintendo DS that the series has allowed online play.

Given its history, Star Fox for Switch 2 is easily the most the franchise has ever delivered on the potential of online dogfighting with strangers or the homies. Battles take place between two teams of four, with one team stepping into the boots of team Star Fox, and the other inhabiting the role of the rival crew Star Wolf. These battles take place in extremely large arenas full of obstacles to maneuver around, enemy NPC ships that you can shoot down for small point bonuses, and wormholes that you can use to quickly teleport around.

It can be a lot to take in at first, and you might find yourself getting shot down frequently if you get a little too adventurous before learning how the game works. The skies of the Lylat System aren't especially forgiving.

Given that the single-player modes in Star Fox are entirely beholden to a game from 1997, Battle Mode is the main avenue for the developers at Velan Studios to flex their creative muscles. That's done primarily via random weapon pick-ups a la Mario Kart; you don't know what you're getting until you've collected it, and it's gone once you use it. These can range from small drones that accompany your craft and augment your weapon fire, a quick teleport you can activate at will, homing cluster missiles, or my personal favorite, a giant f***-you laser beam that just wipes out anything it touches.

At its best, Battle Mode feels like Mario Kart in the air. A rough stretch can quickly turn around if you happen to collect the right weapon, and that can snowball into a come-from-behind victory if enough things go right. All of that combines with truly excellent flight mechanics to make something that's tremendously easy to pick up and play for a few minutes, provided you've at least played the tutorial for this game.

But there just isn't enough of it

Star Fox for Switch 2 fills a nice little niche for multiplayer dogfighting that's more approachable and family-friendly than something like Ace Combat or any of the myriad online military sims you can play on PC. Sadly, in accordance with the game's relatively low $50 price tag, there just isn't a ton of it to chew on.

Specifically, there are only three modes:

1. Capture a zone of the map before the enemy does

2. Avoid falling meteorites and collect pick-ups from their impact craters to score points

3. Steal cargo from space pirates and carry it to your enemy base

That'd be a decent enough selection of modes if not for the fact that each one is tied to a certain map, meaning there are a total of three maps in Battle Mode. Nintendo and Velan have also not indicated any plans for DLC, so there's a good possibility that this is all we'll get. While all three maps are fun enough to play on their own, it's just too meager an offering to be something that anyone but a handful of die-hards will want to play for longer than a couple of weeks.

In a vacuum, that's not a bad thing. I'm always in favor of games being intentional with scope and not demanding that players give over their entire lives to them. I don't need Star Fox to be the next Fortnite. But this is the first Star Fox game in a decade, and the first good one in much longer than that, so it's kind of a bummer that Battle Mode is as good as it is while also being extremely limited.

But hey, at least you can also use a webcam to plaster an AR Falco model that roughly follows your facial movements in GameChat lobbies. That's funny, if nothing else.