F-Zero 99 announced as Nintendo’s next battle royale title, out today

Nintendo Switch Online members, as with all 99 games, get the game for free.

Image: Nintendo

The Nintendo Direct dropped today and it came with some great news across the board, no matter what you’re into. During the presentation, as we talked about earlier this past week during a leak, they also showed off F-ZERO 99, a modern take on the SNES classic.

Just like with Nintendo’s prior “99” games, F-Zero 99 is a chaotic, fast-paced take on the original game. Sticking with pixel graphics of the bygone era, the game pits 99 players on a single course.

Unlike Super Mario Bros. 35, the caveat here is that you’re all racing together and trying to avoid each other. Crashing into other players or walls will eventually get you eliminated.

So, not only are you going at high speeds, you have to manage your power for boosts and health. When players collide and get eliminated, they leave behind Super Sparks, which can be collected and used for a new way to play.

When they’re used, it opens up an alternate route above the other players called the Skyway. It’s essentially a non-congested, less windy road that gives you an edge against the other competitors.

The game will support the usual controller options. But, they call out that it supports the Super NES Controller for the Nintendo Switch as well.

You can unlock customization options for your cars by completing goals. This unlocks anything from new colors and decals to the color your vehicle makes when it boosts.

While Nintendo still offers Tetris 99, the other games in the 99 line have all ended support.

Super Mario Bros. 35, for instance, was only offered as part of Mario’s 35th anniversary and closed not long after it became available. I’m still bitter about that one, honestly.

Pac-Man 99, on the other hand, is still active until October 8th, 2023. After that, it’s going to eat its last pellet and become another ghost dumped onto Nintendo’s pile of lost media.

Conversely, Tetris 99 was the first of its kind and is still going strong. It’s hard to place any rhyme or reason to what Nintendo is going to do next.

F-Zero 99 was announced today and it’s available also today. What a fantastic surprise for Nintendo Switch Online members. Hopefully it lasts longer than Super Mario Bros. 35.