Nintendo’s N64 revival makes perfect sense for Switch 2

Nintendo is all about the N64 this year. But why?

Despite the impact of tariffs and component prices, the first 16 months of the Nintendo Switch 2 have been impressive. The system itself is highly capable and able to hold its own against the PlayStation and Xbox when its portability is factored in. The software lineup has also been strong, particularly in the absence of new mainline Mario or Zelda games. Titles like Pokémon Pokopia, Donkey Kong Bananza, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and Mario Kart World have given the platform a solid foundation of games that will likely sell for years to come.

That makes two of this year’s tentpole titles stand out even more. It’s a seemingly odd strategy to showcase a powerful new console through games associated with the late 1990s. But that’s exactly what Nintendo is doing. Star Fox, a remake of a 29-year-old Nintendo 64 game, was one of this year’s big summer titles. And this year’s big autumn release is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a remake of a 28-year-old game.

Both games are already playable through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, and both have previously been remade for Nintendo 3DS. And yet, Nintendo is rebuilding them again for its latest hardware.

To be fair, the appetite for small stereoscopic screens isn’t particularly ravenous these days. The N64 originals, meanwhile, have idiosyncratic controls by modern standards and frame rates that make them an acquired taste.

But why these games, and why now?

Grown up

Whether by luck or good judgement on Nintendo’s part, the N64 generation – the kids who played these games the first time around – is now making the purchasing decisions. Someone who was ten in 1998 is 38 today. Some now have (as much as anyone can these days) the discretionary income to revisit formative experiences, and perhaps even their own kids to share them with.

A lavish remake offers the chance to recapture the excitement of playing these games for the first time, with visuals that live up to our memories of them. It’s a cliché to say a remake looks how you remember the original, but there’s truth in it.

These releases should also be considered against the recent increases to the Switch 2’s price. The system is still young, and its cost may make it a harder sell heading into the holiday season. For long-time Switch owners, a rebuilt classic could be the concrete reason to upgrade. Higher prices will almost certainly make buyers more selective, but nostalgia and franchise fandom can attract attention, as long as the remakes demonstrate enough value to justify the purchase. Can you put a price on revisiting your childhood, dear customer?

Powered up

Familiar games can also make the leap in power between hardware generations much more visible to new owners. Reworking recognisable games gives players an immediate reference point, allowing them to see what has changed and how technology has progressed. Improvements to animation, lighting, sound and performance are a way to show off the Nintendo Switch 2’s capabilities.

New marquee titles take a long time to develop and refine, and Nintendo is famously unhurried in its pursuit of perfection. The benefit of returning to older titles is that their structure and design are already in place, providing a proven foundation for modernisation. Early 3D games are particularly promising candidates, with core gameplay that can still hold up once freed from the limitations of old hardware.

Nintendo’s changes to Ocarina of Time, for example, include revised camera control, new jump and run commands, expanded dialogue and voiced cutscenes. Star Fox also offers new control options, including Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. These are more than cosmetic touch-ups, but the aim is to smooth and enhance a familiar experience. For all the N64 controller’s influence, no one really wants to be wrestling with one in 2026.

Star Fox, developed by Velan Studios, shows how well this approach can work. The visual overhaul and added cinematics give a familiar game a fresh sense of spectacle, while the branching routes and score-chasing that made the original so engaging remain intact.

It’s also an example of how Nintendo can entrust a major property to an external partner. Partnerships with the likes of Velan and Grezzo – the latter having developed both Zelda remakes and a new game – can help flesh out Nintendo’s release schedule and preserve internal capacity for other projects, like the big hitters we all want to see.

Scaled up

And let’s not forget the work these two games in particular are doing away from the console itself. For Star Fox, Fox McCloud’s surprise appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie feels like a piece of IP manoeuvring aimed at rebooting the franchise. I, for one, hope it works.

For Zelda, we also have a movie on the way. Although it will reportedly tell a new story, it will almost certainly use the franchise’s recurring themes, iconography and characters. The remake of Ocarina of Time is sure to complement that experience and gives Nintendo a ready-made game for people who see the film.

Nintendo is no stranger to remaking and repackaging old games. But these proven designs provide a relatively safe showcase for visible technological upgrades, with an appeal aimed squarely at nostalgic players with income to spend. The prospect of cinema-sized exposure makes the proposition even more attractive.

Ultimately, the success of these remakes depends on rekindling returning players’ excitement while giving newcomers a reason to join in. If nostalgia is real currency, Nintendo is about to find out how far it stretches at today’s prices.