F-Zero 99 Switch Review

F-Zero is back in a surprise announcement on last night’s Nintendo Direct and while it may not be the GX port or sequel die-hard fans were hoping for, it has been resurrected as F-Zero 99, a 99-player battle royal in a similar fashion to Tetris 99 and Pac Man 99. At first, I wasn’t really sure how I felt as I only really played GX on my Gamecube, and found the SNES Title a bit dated, but I decided it was worth a look and I’m so glad I strapped into the pilot’s seat on this one!

Presentation-wise, F-Zero 99 is a homage to the FX Chip era of the Super Nintendo, which is where the title debuted. Its slick pixel art style really comes together in F-Zero 99 and I like to think this would be the exhilaration and sense of speed the original Dev team was hoping for, in that sense, F-Zero 99 is a perfect homage to the franchise that may not have hit the same heights as Mario or Zelda, but definitely holds a special place in our hearts. The pixel art is beautiful, and the characters and concept art on display are the perfect retro throwback to where this series began. It runs smooth, looks great, and is chaotic at times with enemy racers and explosions going off all over the place.

So what’s it all about? F-Zero 99 sees you racing against 99 other players online in a battle royale-style scenario where players can be eliminated by either not making the qualification, or being brutally knocked out with spin attacks and ramming. There are a myriad of game modes to keep you entertained, with the main mode being F-Zero 99 mode, which sees you earn tickets to compete in Mini Grand Prix and Major Grand Prix to increase your rankings. These modes are on a timed basis, allowing you to collect tickets and upgrades in between events, as well as competing in other special timed events such as team battles, where you aim to defeat as many players on the other team as possible, and pro circuit mode, taking on the toughest courses the game has to offer.

You race around a variety of courses (which you vote on pre-match) that are varied and interesting while ramming and jostling your way ahead of the pack. When players ram each other, they drop a gold pickup which can be collected to get enough boost to ride the sky road, a shortcut above the track with it’s own boosts and easier corners. Don’t expect a free ride, however, as other players will still do their best to spin attack you and hinder your efforts on the sky road. All these little details help make the game balanced, as people at the back of the pack will have more opportunities to get up on the sky road, while people at the front wont have pickup opportunities, instead, relying on their power and health management to keep them in pole position.

The Main Grand Prix is the ultimate goal and you need 3 tickets to enter. I found myself very surprised at the amount of strategy involved in these races as you not only have to navigate the courses at high speed, but you can sacrifice health for a boost, gaining several critical positions at the risk of being eliminated yourself. I found my first 3 Mini Grand Prix events were “Did Not Finish” due to being taken out by other competitive players. None of my defeats felt cheap, however, and I learned that I needed to sometimes finish in a lower place with effective health management, rather than go blazing to a higher position. This experience helped me achieve a great placement in the main Grand Prix, landing me on the leaderboard.

And what do we do it for? Fame, Fortune, and some sweet customization options to set yourself aside from the rest of the grid! You can customize your vehicle, pilot card, and display badges of your best exploits while racing. It’s a rewarding loop that kept me going back for more adrenaline-fueled races and nail-biting finishes, enhanced by the game’s slick handling, easy-to-pick-up controls, and gentle introduction to the world of F-zero 99.

F-Zero 99 is a fantastic use of the F-Zero brand, it honours the source material, adds new mechanics and gameplay features, and it an absolute blast to play. The game is free to anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online account and because of this, not only is it an easy recommendation for fans and newcomers alike, it could very easily show Nintendo that we are ready for a mainstream entry to this underrated and amazing IP. I’ll see you on the Big Blue.