I grew up on Star Fox, and I feel fairly confident that FUR Squadron isn’t nostalgia bait. It plays more like a well-crafted homage from genuine fans who are frustrated that the series couldn’t evolve and hasn’t been resuscitated. At this point, a spin-off film from Super Mario in the style of Guardians of the Galaxy would be acceptable.

The controls in FUR Squadron are plain, but smooth. The feeling of simply flying around is a delight. Similarly, the story and challenges are pretty straightforward, but function just fine.

The VR premise was a slick justification for FUR Squadron to so closely resemble its influences, and the challenges are well-balanced. The bosses have a neat twist or two, and I most enjoyed an earlier boss that…really flips things around.

However, FUR Squadron could have done a lot more with its clever glitching concept. It doesn’t really do much more than Star Fox could to break new ground, and the pacing can be a little slow by comparison.

I would have appreciated a more elaborate angle and theme, similar to the way Entropy Centre distinguished itself from Portal. Ultimately, FUR Squadron is a brisk jog down memory lane, and that will have to be enough.

The story is tremendously short. While the game is certainly inexpensive, the campaign should only take you around half an hour to complete. As a result, it always feels a little too soon to revisit FUR Squadron’s campaign with the other pilots.

But I found no technical trouble with the Xbox port, overall. It’s also worth noting that the devs plan on revealing a sequel to the game next month, according to a new tweet. This creates plenty of room to expand the world and characters.

Final Thoughts

FUR Squadron is a short and sweet burst of energetic fan service, for a series that doesn’t get enough love. This indie homage runs well, and looks pretty. But the campaign is short, and it won’t surprise you. The optimal experience is probably still a quick run on the previous Switch version while you’re out and about.

Score: 7/10