Classic Nintendo Racer F-Zero Returns As A…Battle Royale

A retro-styled track in F-Zero 99, with many cars upon it.

Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku

During today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed that the classic high-speed futuristic racer F-Zero will make a return as a…battle royale speedster.

Dubbed F-Zero 99, the game puts you against 98 other racers in a bid for the first place trophy. Featuring iconic courses and recognizable vehicles from the OG SNES game, F-Zero 99 brings its retro aesthetic to the Nintendo Switch console. Be careful as you race, though, because should your machine take too much damage, and its power meter completely deplete by crashing into other cars or guardrails, then you’ll simply explode right on the raceway. Ouch.

Nintendo

That same power meter, however, can be reserved for a temporary speed boost to zip you passed the competition. And if you collect enough super sparks, yellow orbs that spawn after vehicles collide with each other, then you’ll soar onto an ethereal track known as the skyway. This blue raceway, floating just above the main track, gives you the best chance to jump into a better position.

There are also in-game goals you can complete to unlock more cosmetic options for your vehicles, though they appear to largely be reskins so far.

F-Zero 99 is obviously quite reminiscent of other Nintendo Switch Online battle royale offerings such as Pac-Man 99 and Tetris 99, both of which put you against 98 players to become the last one standing in their respective gameplay challenges. Who knows which other classic licenses the company is currently turning into a mass brawl.

F-Zero 99 will be available exclusively for active Nintendo Switch Online members later today. NSO, the company’s relatively cheaper subscription service that grants you access to online gaming and classic games, is also how you can play Pac-Man 99 (before it shuts down on October 8) and Tetris 99.

Buy Nintendo Switch Online: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Fan-Made Bloodborne Kart Racer Finally Lands Release Date

Last year, the creators of Bloodborne PSX, a popular fan-made demake of From Software’s beloved 2015 action role-playing game, Bloodborne (see on Amazon), made headlines announcing their next project: Bloodborne Kart. At the time, developer Lillith Walther told Kotaku that the racing game would be released “when it’s ready.” Well, the time is close at hand, because a new Bloodborne Kart trailer revealed that it’s out for free on January 31, 2024.

Yesterday, the three-person development team shared new details on Bloodborne Kart in the form of a fancy release date trailer on their official X (formerly Twitter) accounts. According to the devs, the game will have a single-player campaign, local splitscreen, and a competitive battle mode, which is rad as hell. The fan-made game will include 16 tracks set “on the streets of Yharnam and beyond,” 12 playable racers including the stoic hunter Lady Maria, and even boss fights.

Here’s the release date trailer.

Lilith Walther / FanSoftware

Bloodborne Kart was a meme that was born from a fake joke leak that was posted anonymously in 2017 that spun out of control,” the team wrote in a post on their official website. “This community in-joke spawned fanart, mods and of course fan games. This fan game will be released as the logical conclusion of the six-year communal art project.”

Read More: Fan Ports PlayStation Classic, Dares Sony To Shut Him Down And Make Its Own

With any exciting fan-made work comes the fear that the copyright owners will pull the plug on the project. This phenomenon has happened so often throughout the years that some advise those working on fan games to stay hush about their rad passion project and avoid a potential cease-and-desist letter from the IP’s original owners. The possibility of Bloodborne Kart suffering a similar fate isn’t lost on Walther.

“The nervousness over the project getting taken down is always present, but there isn’t anything I can really do about it except hope it doesn’t happen,” Walther told Kotaku. “If it happens it happens.”

Here’s hoping that Sony and FromSoftware’s lawyers will be chill about Bloodborne Kart when it finally launches early next year.

See Bloodborne 2015 on Amazon