I read a comment about Star Racer somewhere that I quite liked, the gist being that it’s the latest in the ‘F*** it, I’ll do it myself’ genre. This describes a release where an indie developer has decided to fill a gap left open by a bigger studio.

The clamour for a new mainline entry in the F-Zero series has touched on melodrama for years. On one side, there’s the constant demands calling for something…anything new (my voice included). In response, figures from Nintendo have developed an ascetic attitude, often responding with something along the lines of ‘What would be the point?’

Excuses have ranged from the cost of a new game being prohibitive to a more famous idea that the series has been effectively bled dry, that only a clever new idea on the formula would justify another day at the intergalactic races. Ironically, back in 2023, when we first became aware of Star Racer thanks to its Kickstarter, Nintendo had, indeed, just announced and launched the multiplayer-focused F-Zero 99.

I’ll inevitably then have to compare these two games a little — Star Racer and F-Zero 99 — the indie upstart versus its Nintendo-led rival. After all, they’re both pixel-art inspired retro takes on Nintendo’s futuristic second (or third?) favourite racer.

At first glance, both seem inspired by the franchise’s SNES heyday while incorporating gameplay evolutions from later games like the spin attack and — after the completion of one lap — the ability to boost at the cost of some health.

The battle-royale element of 99 may make the following statement more overt, but both these games are something a little more than just ‘mere racers’ – they’re more like ‘survival racers’. Not everyone gets to cross the finish line, and balancing health is a huge part of the risk-reward buzz of the experience.

Before going on, let’s first acknowledge Star Racer’s ‘clever new idea’. Here, flying has entered the mix too, transforming the gameplay into something like a racing F-Zero/Star Fox hybrid – for better or worse. More on this in a second.

F-Zero games have a steep learning curve, and my first impression of Star Racer was appropriately daunting. The first minute or so — as I smashed into the walls at 800kph, pinballed between barriers, and fell off tracks hopelessly out of control while the other 15 drivers sped off into the distance — I was convinced I was in over my head. But with four difficulty settings available and the lesson learnt that it is very important to release the accelerator when approaching a tight corner, I had space to master the basics. On the easiest difficulty settings, I quickly started competing. Progress.

But make no mistake: this is a racer absolutely determined to test your skills, and any progression through the rookie and pro difficulty modes will be difficult. Once they’re mastered, trying to find some kind of balance between momentum and survival in expert mode will be beyond many gamers. To do this, you’ll have to build proficiency with the more subtle nuances in the control — combos of drifting and breaking — alongside a fair amount of learning the tracks, especially if you want to get those elusive top rankings.

All things considered, a ‘casual’ player may only get a few hours of play out of Star Racer, which isn’t terrible at the price. It should be clear by now that Star Racer has been built for a different breed – for fans and potential fans of a punishing genre that requires time and commitment to really make the most of it. And that’s kind of the whole point.

If that works for you, then across the 16 base tracks, 4 Grand Prix cups, and the creative ‘Event’ mode (50 or so one-off challenges, a little like a P-Switch Challenge in Mario Kart) you’ll have plenty to test your mettle. Local multiplayer (up to four players – though each one will need to be as committed as you to make it work), a track editor, community-made courses, and a few other modes are on offer, too, though the ‘Death’ race didn’t quite click with me. Here, for 10 minutes I languished, flying around in a kind of Halo Array slowly picking off rivals. It wasn’t that riveting, and I might have missed something.

As you progress, you’ll unlock more skins and racers, who each drive vehicles with different characteristics (less grip, better acceleration, and so on). Soon, the tracks start doing things the OG Super Nintendo F-Zero game couldn’t manage – they embrace the gravity-defying turns of the N64 and GameCube eras. One track in particular also includes a fun nod to Nintendo’s first favourite racer.

The Switch 2 handled all of this smoothly. There was one instance of celebratory fireworks that added a few short stutters, but that’s it. Now consider the fact that a few entries in the upbeat soundtrack hail from the power-metal strings and synths of Grant Kirkhope (GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Mario + Rabbids – the sequel of which is possibly one of my favourite video game soundtracks ever) and there are a lot of appealing ingredients across the presentation.

One negative: I wasn’t convinced by the flying sections. They were fine, if a little stiff to control. As I unleashed laser fire, the other racers were too far away to get a sense that my attacks were doing anything. Being shot from behind and trying to manage evasive manoeuvres while my brain tried to catch up mid-race with the temporary genre switch didn’t feel natural, or as tight as the racing itself.

Ironically, these sections also let you skip a fair amount of the course, too, similar to F-Zero 99’s Skyway, though here at the cost of some health. It almost feels as if Nintendo and Star Racer’s developer, Whatnot Games, coincidentally came up with similar ‘clever new ideas’.

Another slight negative: I expected the animated scenes as seen in the launch trailer, which, to my mind, suggest a level of worldbuilding that isn’t present in the finished game. A little deceptive if you ask me, and the second time I’ve been stung in such a way!

Except for accessing new community-built tracks, there’s no online mode in Star Racer. Local multiplayer or single-player is your lot. In that way, despite some shared DNA, Star Racer and F-Zero 99 are ultimately complete opposites – so both games have their place.

Conclusion

Star Racer is an indie F-Zero through and through, and both parts of that sentence — ‘indie’ and ‘F-Zero’ — are very much emphasised. While you won’t get the grand production of a modern Nintendo game, you will get a fun, technically adept space racer that will push your skills to the absolute limit. That’s particularly great if you have friends masochistic enough to also learn and play along with you.

Careening around tight futuristic tracks, dodging hazards ranging from ice patches to casino buffers — balancing speed, quick deceleration, and skilfully incorporating the power slide — will be beyond a lot of gamers, but for those ready to step up to the challenge, this labour of love is a worthy option.