New F-Zero Battle Royale Game Added to Nintendo Switch Online

A new F-Zero game was revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct, and it’s available today, but only via Nintendo Switch Online. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you will not be able to play it. If you don’t have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, the game is no extra cost. Further, you do not need the Expansion Pack tier subscription to access it. The basic tier of Nintendo Switch Online is enough to access the game, which is a 99-player battle royale game with the classic SNES art style the series is remembered for.

“The F-ZERO game returns as a 99-player battle royale,” reads an official pitch for the game. “Race on classic F-ZERO courses with machines from the original Super NES game and tear through courses in high-speed races. But be careful, your Power Meter will decrease if you crash into pilots or guard rails. If it hits zero, you’re out!”

Of course, as you could tell by it being a Nintendo Switch Online-exclusive, and being a battle royale game, it requires an online connection. There’s no way to play this game by yourself against bots. Meanwhile, if this name sounds familiar, it’s because this is not the first classic series to be given the battle royale treatment, and previous games have also included “99” in the name and been Nintendo Switch Online exclusives. 

Fan Reactions

While this is not the F-Zero return everyone was hoping for, it seems Nintendo fans are actually quite excited about this one, likely because not only does it look good, but it’s the classic style of the series. However, while everyone thinks this looks cool, there are still plenty yearning for a proper new game. 

“This is really cool and I’m glad Nintendo is actually doing something with F-Zero again after 20 years but an actual modern sequel with modern graphics, mechanics, and new tracks would be absolutely amazing,” reads one comment on the YouTube trailer above. “This looks sick! Looks 16-bit but with even more mechanics than GX. I love it,” reads a second comment.