Star Fox-inspired game launches for PS5 and PC this August.

Star Fox fans are in for a treat this year. With Fox McCloud hitting the big screen and making a comeback on the Switch 2, what’s a furry mercenary fan to do without the latest console? Dive into Wild Blue Skies instead.

Chuhai Labs and Balor Games have announced that Wild Blue Skies, an on-rails dogfighting action game reminiscent of Fox McCloud’s escapades, is set to launch on August 13 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

In Wild Blue Skies, players will follow Bowie Stray, a dogman, and his squad of elite pilots known as the Blue Bombers as they take on Grimclaw’s intergalactic forces. The game aims for a lighthearted, Saturday morning cartoon vibe. Influences include “classic on-rails aerial shooters from the N64 and PS1 era,” evoking memories of Star Fox 64, along with lesser-known titles like Omega Boost and Novastorm.

The game shares several features with Nintendo’s franchise, including secret paths in its on-rails levels, a scoring system to boost replayability, and text box banter with squadmates. And yes, you can perform a barrel roll. From the aiming reticle to the spaceship designs, everything is designed to evoke a familiar journey through the Lylat System. Chuhai Labs, the studio behind this title, previously gained attention with the well-received roguelike Cursed to Golf.

However, Wild Blue Skies faces a significant challenge with the upcoming release of the next installment in Nintendo’s iconic sci-fi series. A remake of Star Fox 64 was recently announced and is set to launch on June 25. When Wild Blue Skies was first revealed, there hadn’t been any new Star Fox content for a while, but now the competition is heating up.

On the bright side, Wild Blue Skies offers something fresh: it’s not just another remake of a game that many players have already experienced. The Star Fox series has struggled to carve out a distinct identity since Star Fox 64, often revisiting the same concepts (this latest remake marks arguably the fifth iteration of Star Fox 64). While there was the unique Star Fox Adventures—a Zelda-style action-adventure that strayed from rail shooting—subsequent entries have faced criticism for not evolving beyond the N64 classic. We’ll see if Wild Blue Skies can outshine its more established competitor this August.

Nintendo’s new take on Star Fox 64 is visually stunning—perhaps that’s all it needs.