Lost F-Zero Tracks Come To Nintendo Switch

F-Zero is, we can all agree, one of Nintendo‘s more neglected properties, having not seen an official entry in over 20 years. But if you haven’t seen something, it’s new to you: the company is bringing over games and tracks from the series that were previously exclusive to Japan.

On October 11 F-Zero: GP Legend will be added to Nintendo Switch Online‘s GBA section. It’s much like the other GBA F-Zero game that’s already there, but the difference is it’s based on the anime that was running at the time (yes, F-Zero got an anime, and we DID get it in America). GP Legend received a sequel game, F-Zero Climax, which was never localized. This will be its first US appearance (with Japanese menus). Unlike GP Legend, it contains a course editor which lets you save up to 30 custom tracks.

And there’s more: the NSO battle royale game F-Zero 99 has received some updates as well, the biggest news being the inclusion of five tracks that were previously only available on Nintendo‘s Super Famicom satellite distribution system, Satellaview. Nintendo almost never shares content from devices that obscure! Here’s the list of everything Nintendo added in this update, which is lengthy:

Latest update: Ver. 1.5.0 (Released October 1, 2024)

New Additions

• We have added five tracks (MUTE CITY IV, SAND STORM I, BIG BLUE II, SAND STORM II, SILENCE II) from the Ace League of the BS F-ZERO GRAND PRIX game, which was distributed exclusively on the Super Famicom satellite broadcast adapter known as Satellaview. Grand Prix Ace League has also been added.
  • The new tracks have been adjusted for F-ZERO 99.
  • Practice Mode has been expanded so that you can practice by unlocking the Ace League tracks.
  • A Grand Prix Ace League tab has been added to the leaderboard.
  • Ace League track information has been added to TRACKS and PRIX under Records in the Workshop.
  • If you complete the Grand Prix Ace League, you will receive a decal with the motif of a BS F-ZERO GRAND PRIX machine.
• A one-year anniversary event will be held. A total of 12 anniversary badges, backdrops, borders, and emotes have been prepared. During the event, if you match at least one Lucky Rank (updated daily), you can obtain one of the one-year anniversary rewards. If you collect all 12 of them, you’ll unlock a bonus decal for each machine.
  • The one-year anniversary event will be held for a limited time only. During the event, Ace League tracks will appear more frequently. You can press the L Button on the Main Menu to check the status of one-year anniversary rewards and how much time is remaining in the event.
  • One-year anniversary rewards that could not be obtained during the event period can be obtained from regular Lucky Ranks after the event ends. Unlock requirements for bonus decals will also remain in place.
  • If you obtain all the one-year anniversary items during the event period, you will revert to regular Lucky Rank rewards.
  • Any Bounty Chips from Lucky Ranks you earned before the event will be retained, and by returning to regular Lucky Ranks, you can pick up where you left off.
• As part of the one-year anniversary celebration, players will receive four new remotes as a gift when launching the game.
• Added the ability for players to set which emotes they want to enable, and added a function where they will be automatically displayed at specific times.
  • You can set which emotes to display by going to the Workshop menu and selecting EMOTES.
  • You can now also set emotes to automatically display when you KO another pilot, crash out, or finish a race.
• In addition to one-year anniversary rewards, new boost colors and Spin Effects have been added to customize your machine. New backdrops, badges, and borders have also been added for Pilot Card customization. All of these can be unlocked when certain conditions are met.
  • One default decal, four backdrops, and four borders will be added upon completion of the F-ZERO 25 training. These will automatically be added for players who have already completed the F-ZERO 25 training.
  • The new boost colors and Spin Effects can only be obtained through limited-time challenges. Press the L Button on the Main Menu for the Challenge Highlights screen where you can check limited-time challenges.
  • You can check acquisition conditions and equip new items by selecting MACHINES or PILOT CARDS from the Workshop menu.

F-Zero 99 is available to anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.