A Parent’s Guide to Star Fox

Star Fox at a glance:

• Star Fox is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+ a Content Descriptor for Mild Fantasy Violence
• Star Fox is an on-rails shooter where you pilot a ship, defeat enemies, and defend the Lylat System.
• Star Fox also includes an online multiplayer Battle Mode.

My brother was turning 10-years-old when he opened his brand new Nintendo 64, complete with Star Fox 64. The deal my parents made with him was this: He always got to play first, but he had to let me (his 8-year-old little brother) play, too.

Over time, my brother became more interested in Cool Guy stuff; like “music” and “having friends”. Meanwhile, I became more interested in video games… and his Nintendo 64 eventually made its way into my sticky hands.

Meanwhile, Star Fox 64 was possibly the first console game I ever became truly obsessed with. So, my inner child jumped at the thought of a full, top-to-bottom remake for the Nintendo Switch 2.

This is why I’m here now to help you decide if Star Fox is appropriate for your kids. Read on for everything you need to know.

What is Star Fox Rated?

The ESRB rating for Star Fox is E10+ for Everyone 10+, with a Content Descriptor assigned for Mild Fantasy Violence. Star Fox also includes an Interactive Element for Users Interact, indicating that players can communicate while playing together online.

ESRB’s Rating Summery provides more detail on what led to the rating assignment, such as fast paced content “with multiple ships/enemies chasing or bombarding players at once; battles are highlighted by frequent laser fire, radio chatter, and explosions.”

There’s sometimes a tendency to think that a game’s rating assignment is related to its difficulty or playability. But the rating is entirely dependent on the content of a game and the context in which it is presented to the player. So, even with an E10+ rating some younger players may find some of Star Fox too challenging to enjoy.

Fortunately, Nintendo included various settings to change the difficulty, including the ability to give Fox’s ship more shield to absorb damage.

Where Can You Play Star Fox and How Much Does It Cost?

Star Fox is available on the Nintendo Switch 2 console and costs $59.99 for a physical edition, or $49.99 for the digital version. Note that both versions of the game are exactly the same.

What Is Star Fox About?

Star Fox puts you and your kids in the cockpits of Fox McCloud and his team of anthropomorphic comrades as they defend the Lylat System from the (obviously!) evil Dr. Andross.

Andross, a horrible villain responsible for the presumed death of Fox’s father, was banished to planet Venom at the far end of the solar system. But like all evil doctors, Andross spent this time concocting plans to take over. Fox and his team, dubbed “Star Fox” will fly, drive, and submarine across the Lylat system to stop Andross’ plan.

How Does Star Fox Play?

If you’re around my age, your back probably hurts,  but you also may remember how Star Fox (for the Super Nintendo) or Star Fox 64 functioned. The new iteration of Star Fox is very much the same. Players will take control of the Star Fox team’s various vehicles in “on-rails” segments.

In most levels, players will be controlling the Arwing, flying through space and above planets’ surfaces. While the Arwing moves forward automatically in most levels, you and your kids will control what the vehicle does in that space. Blasting baddies with lasers and bombs, flying through rings to power-up, and rescuing your teammates are all key elements of the gameplay.

While you and your family will have little control over movement, you can accelerate, boost, and occasionally influence a branching path to alternate bosses and levels.

The only wrinkle to this comes in some boss fights and dog fighting levels. Players have increased control over maneuvers and direction in these levels. The gameplay is more open-ended too, centering around accomplishing specific objectives in the map or battling key enemies.

Star Fox also includes two multiplayer modes:

• You and your kids can get together with up to 8 players for team-based online, competitive battles.
• There’s also a co-op that can be player online or offline. In this mode, you and your kids can play through campaign missions together, each controlling different aspects of the vehicles. You can play through the entire campaign as a team with one player aiming and shooting, while another steers the vehicle.

How to Make Sure Your Home Planet is Safe and Appropriate

You may not have an arsenal on par with the Star Fox team at your disposal, but there are tons of weighty resources you can leverage to ensure you and your family have appropriate experiences playing video games.

First and foremost, check those ESRB ratings! Even if you think the Rating Category says everything you need, you may find some additional insight by checking the Content Descriptors and Interactive Elements. Every physical game even has a Rating Summary assigned, which provides even more details on what you can expect from a game.

I like to think of the ratings as the best first step to deciding what’s appropriate. But sometimes, you’ll inevitably need more information. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of written previews, streams, trailers, and gameplay videos for most games. Some games (including Star Fox!) even have free demos for you to try a game our before committing to a purchase.

Beyond just age appropriateness, it’s also helpful to make sure there are some established and well understood household rules for everyone in the family. Check out ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide for more on how to pick appropriate games, manage screen time, protect personal information, and more.

To back up those rules, make sure you also have parental controls set. You can block games by age rating, manage communications/online play with others, limit when and for how long your kids can play, and block purchases. We have step-by-step parental controls guides at ParentalTools.org.

Lastly… have fun! There’s no better way to understand and manage your kids’ video game experiences than by playing as a family.