The Switch 2 technically launched with an F-Zero game, as F-Zero GX was available on Nintendo Switch Online’s premium tier as part of the GameCube lineup. But if you’re looking for a new F-Zero or Wipeout, the console has a spiritual successor that costs just $14.99: Shin’en’s Fast Fusion.
Fast Fusion pits you in futuristic sci-fi hovercraft races where you fly forward at hundreds of miles per hour. Races are all about managing boosts by collecting coins to build your boost meter and driving over boost zones on the tracks themselves. (You can boost into opponents to make them spin out to earn some extra coins, which never gets old.)
The game looks great — it’s the first time I’ve been really wowed by the Switch 2’s graphics. The tracks are thrilling, with rolling hills and tight turns that sometimes make you feel like you’re on a roller coaster, especially when you’re barreling ahead at super-fast speeds. They all feel distinct, too: In one, you’ll drive over a sandy desert as whale-like creatures jump above you. A course in space forced me to dodge meteors falling on the track. One stage set around a volcano was filled with magma.
There’s no online multiplayer, so you’re probably going to be competing mostly against computer opponents. They can be tough, even at the lowest difficulty — sometimes it even feels like they can unfairly rubber-band ahead of you. But as I got more familiar with the tracks, knowing when to boost, and learning where to find alternate rounds, I found I was better at keeping up. Fortunately, you don’t have to get first place in a cup to get a good chunk of in-game currency you can use to buy new tracks or vehicles. And you can play local multiplayer, if you want to take on your friends at home.
If you tire of cups, there are a few other fun modes to play and earn money from. My favorite was “Super Hero Mode,” where you have to get first place in a track without blowing up — with the added twist that your boost meter is also a shield meter, similar to F-Zero. It creates an exciting risk-reward dynamic, and I wish there was a mode where you had to complete a whole cup that way.
The game’s vehicles are much less interesting than the levels. They all looked pretty generic to me. You can pay a small fee to “fuse” vehicles together to make better racers, though I honestly couldn’t tell that much of a difference between the different options.
Fast Fusion isn’t exactly the same as F-Zero, and I really wish Nintendo would make a brand-new entry in that series. (F-Zero 99 doesn’t quite count. Sorry, Wes.) And I’m not getting my hopes up for a new Wipeout game anytime soon. For now, Fast Fusion scratches the high-speed sci-fi racing itch, and it’s a great showcase for what’s possible with the Switch 2 — and what a new F-Zero might, someday, possibly look like.
Fast Fusion is available now on the Nintendo Switch 2.
