F-Zero: Racing in the Early Super Nintendo Years
At the dawn of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES for short), two games were released. The first being Super Mario World, a game that needs no introduction. The other was a new kind of high speed futuristic racing game called F-Zero. Many know the F-Zero series as being a high speed and strategic racing game where it’s not just about winning, it’s about survival.
Sadly, the F-Zero has been dominant for quite some time, with the last game in the series being in 2004. It’s been so long that some gamers know the game’s main protagonist (Captain Falcon) as “That fast guy from Super Smash Bros that’s not Sonic.”, or “That one course from Mario Kart 8”. I think it’s safe to say that’s a sign we’re overdue for a new game in the series, but I want to go back to the series’ beginnings as there’s a ton to cover here.
Also I really want to review F-Zero X and F-Zero GX in the future and I think it would be weird to do those without covering the original, even if that’s never stopped me before.
F-Zero is a futuristic racing game released in 1990 as a launch title for the SNES. With the tagline on the box saying “The Race of the 26th Century”. F-Zero plays in a pseudo-3D environment thanks to the power of “Mode 7 Scrolling”. Mode 7 combined scaling with a positioning layer, to simulate 3D environments. This was only possible with the power of the Super Nintendo and could not be done on older systems like the NES or SEGA Genesis/MegaDrive. This showed the power of the Super Nintendo and made for a perfect launch game to show off what the Super Nintendo could do. Looking at this game made Nintendo’s audience go “I NEED IT!”. One of those rare moments that make you go “This is the future of gaming, right here!”
So how does F-Zero play? F-Zero has you control a machine that can hit supersonic speeds. The game has you select from 4 different cars, each with their own stats such as one might have a higher max speed but at the cost of acceleration. F-Zero feels like it’s kind of on ice but you get used to it as you get a feel for the controls, no one said 26th century racing was going to be easy. You’re going to be bumping into some walls the first time playing this. There are boosts and ramps players can launch off of to get shortcuts at the risk of falling off the track and getting an advantage in a race, of course the goal of the game is to place first place.
One thing that makes F-Zero stand out from other racing games is a “Power” meter that serves as a health meter. Hitting walls makes your health go down. Fall off the track or lose all your health and it’s a lost life. Lose all your lives and it’s game over. I can’t recall any other racing game at this time that had lives so you know the stakes are higher in the future of racing.
Overall F-Zero is a great game to show off what the Super Nintendo can do in its early stages. High speed action, an energetic soundtrack, and much more. The series would get more additions such as F-Zero X on the Nintendo 64, and F-Zero GX on the Gamecube. But as I said before, those will be for another day. It’s sometimes great to go back to a game’s roots and see where some of the pillars of ideas come from, and F-Zero is no different.
