Star Fox 64 art director: Switch 2 visuals ‘bring tears’

Takaya Imamura, the art director on the original Star Fox 64, reacted on X to footage from the Switch 2 demo, writing that the remake’s improved visuals “bring tears to my eyes.” Imamura previously led the visual direction for the 1997 game.

His comments followed public demos and trailers showing updated graphics for the Switch 2 version. The demo modernizes the 1997 title with higher-resolution textures, updated lighting and more detailed models while retaining the original’s core gameplay and mission structure.

In a machine-translated post on X, Imamura reflected on technical limits of the Nintendo 64 era, writing: “Back in the Nintendo 64 days, it was a struggle to get people to understand the difference between pre-rendered graphics and real-time CG.” He added that many players assumed polished cutscenes on other platforms simply reflected those consoles’ capabilities.

Imamura said the original Star Fox 64 aimed to create in-game presentations that matched the impact of pre-rendered sequences while keeping the qualities of real-time graphics. He wrote that the graphical improvements in the Switch 2 edition move the project closer to that goal.

Developer notes and released footage show the demo keeps familiar levels and mission flow from the 1997 release but includes some new content intended to expand the package. The visual changes in the demo are visible in textures, lighting, model detail and particle effects.

Imamura also commented on character design, noting he likes the new game’s take on Fox McCloud but prefers the movie version of the character. That version made a cameo in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a detail Nintendo confirmed before the film’s release.

Imamura is widely credited with shaping the look and presentation of the original game. The demo and released footage provide players the opportunity to compare the updated real-time visuals on modern hardware with the presentation from the N64 era.