Nintendo fans stunned as N64 classic makes surprise return

One of Nintendo’s most beloved Nintendo 64 titles is getting a native PC release, but neither Nintendo nor the developers behind the original game are the ones responsible for the upcoming port.

A beta for a PC version of Star Fox 64, the sequel to the 1993 Super Nintendo Entertainment System title Star Fox, was recently shown off by speedrunner Rakanai over on YouTube.

The port is being developed by Harbour Masters 64, the same group that developed Ship of Harkinian - a native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

So, you probably have some questions - first and foremost of which is likely to be “Why bother? Can’t you already just emulate Star Fox 64 on PC anyway?”

Yes, you can just emulate this game. But Starship (as Harbour Masters 64 has dubbed it) is a native PC port of Star Fox 64. You don’t emulate the title, you download a .exe file and play it without the need for an emulator.

Ok, so, why is that a big deal? Well, a native port of Star Fox 64 comes with a lot of extra bonuses - such as ultrawide support, modding support, and (most importantly) a higher framerate.

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Almost all N64 titles are sub-20fps, Star Fox 64 included, whereas Rakanai’s playthrough of the native PC port proves that Starship can already hit 60fps. Considering this is only a beta, the full release might even be able to hit something beyond that.

Now, the final issue. Is Nintendo not going to sue developers Harbour Masters 64 into the ground for even attempting something like this?

Well, as their native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time proves, no.

Starship doesn't use anything proprietary to Nintendo, nor is it trying to skirt copyright protection. You’ll still need a legal Star Fox 64 ROM to use it, but outside of that… there’s not actually anything Nintendo can do to stop Harbour Masters 64. This is all completely legal.

Starship should be available for download in December (according to what the dev team has told Rakanai), so expect to see a full release in a matter of days.

Merry Christmas, Star Fox fans.