Star Fox Controls — Full List

Default Arwing Controls

Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 ships with a modern flight layout built around the Joy-Con 2 and Pro Controller, while keeping every signature maneuver from Star Fox 64. The left stick banks and pitches your Arwing; the right stick rotates the camera in all-range stages. ZR boosts forward and ZL brakes, consuming the blue boost meter shown beside your shield. Mastering boost management is essential on stages like Solar, where heat and distance punish reckless flying.

Combat Actions

• A — Fire laser. Hold to charge, lock on, release, then press again for a homing charged shot.
• Y — Deploy smart bomb. Press Y a second time to detonate early for area damage.
• L / R — Tilt left or right to slip through narrow gaps and align wingmate rescue lines.
• Double-tap L or R — Barrel roll. Timed correctly, barrel rolls deflect incoming fire and are mandatory for Expert Mode survival.
• D-pad Up — Somersault loop. Useful for shaking pursuers in all-range dogfights such as Sector Y.
• D-pad Down + stick — U-turn in all-range mode only. Critical when Star Wolf ambushes you on the hard route.

Boost, Brake, and Shield

The boost meter refills automatically when you are not boosting or braking. Empty the bar and you are locked to cruise speed until it recovers. Your shield ring absorbs damage before hull integrity drops; silver and gold rings from pickups restore shield and sometimes extend the boost bar. On Expert difficulty, a single unshielded hit can cost a wingmate, so pair barrel rolls with brake taps when salvos track your six.

Menus and Interface

Press + to pause and access the mission map, audio settings, and control remapping. The pause screen shows wingmate status, bomb inventory, and current medal score threshold. Press − during briefing cutscenes to skip, or hold to view the Holoviewer mission log in Challenge mode. From the title screen, Campaign, Challenge, Battle Mode, and Options are selected with the A button; co-op and GameShare entries appear once a second controller or GameChat session is detected.

Radio and Formation

When Peppy, Falco, or Slippy call out an objective, tap any D-pad direction to acknowledge. Doing so can reveal hidden arches on Corneria or remind you to destroy radar buoys on Zoness. ROB 64 tracks your route branch in the corner HUD; cross-check it against the route map if you are hunting the true ending.

Charged Shots and Bombs

Charged shots are the backbone of medal runs. Hold A until the lock-on reticle pulses, release, and tap A again to launch a homing bolt that chews through fighter squadrons and staggers bosses like Granga and Shogun. Smart bombs clear entire swarms — conserve them for enclosed sections such as the Sector X hatch sequence or the final Andross gauntlet. Bomb pickups drop from defeated carriers and silver rings; the HUD shows remaining inventory beside the shield meter.

Legacy Preset and Gyro

Players returning from N64 or 3DS can enable the Legacy preset: X boosts, B brakes, and ZL/ZR tilt. Optional gyro aiming adds fine pitch adjustment similar to Splatoon — disable it in Control Settings if you prefer pure stick play. Neither gyro nor Legacy affects Battle Mode, which uses a simplified combat layout focused on team score objectives.

Quick Reference Table

Input	Action	Notes
Left stick	Steer Arwing	Also used in Landmaster (see vehicle controls)
Right stick	Camera (all-range)	Free-look in Sector Y, Zoness, Bolse
A (tap)	Laser fire	Hold for charge shot
Y	Smart bomb	Double-tap Y to detonate
ZR / ZL	Boost / Brake	Legacy: X / B
Double L or R	Barrel roll	Invincibility frames on impact
D-pad	Radio reply	Any direction confirms
+	Pause / Options	Remap buttons here

For ground and underwater missions, switch to the dedicated Landmaster and Blue-Marine controls. For two-player pilot and gunner roles with Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming, read the co-op and mouse guide. Campaign co-op over GameShare is covered in the multiplayer co-op section.

Related Guides

• Vehicle Controls Landmaster tank and Blue-Marine sub handling
• Co-Op & Mouse Controls Pilot/gunner split play and Joy-Con 2 mouse mode
• Controls Training Practice maneuvers before the hard route
• Weapons & Upgrades Laser tiers, bombs, and charge shot damage