Fast Fusion Review: 4K and 60fps on the New Nintendo Switch

Nintendo
might not want to make a new F-Zero game but the creators of Fast RMX do, with a sequel that has some of the best graphics on
Switch 2
.

Much has been said about how Nintendo is in a slightly awkward position with the Switch 2, in that most of its major franchises were so expertly revamped and perfected on the Switch 1 that
it’s hard to know where to go with them from here
. Do they try to reimagine Zelda once again? Or make Smash Bros. even bigger in scale? Or do they continue with more iterative and less ambitious sequels? Or maybe they should focus on other forgotten franchises… like F-Zero.

Nintendo’s explanation
for why there hasn’t been a new F-Zero in over two decades (except for online title F-Zero 99) is that there’s no point unless they can come up with something new for it, especially as it’s never been a big seller, that can get by on just its name.

As the inspiration for
WipEout
, F-Zero is the quintessential future racer and its greatest entry is GameCube title F-Zero GX, which technically is a Switch 2 launch title, as it’s now
available as part of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
. But if you crave something new there is an alternative, in the form of loving tribute Fast Fusion.

German developer Shin’en has been making F-Zero clones since the Wii era, all with different names but always starting with word

Fast

.
Fast RMX
was a launch title for the original Switch and now we have Fast Fusion, which suffers from all the same pros and cons as the previous titles. As if to make Nintendo’s point, there’s precious little innovation here but what it does have is a blistering sense of speed and some of the best graphics on the Switch 2.

Unlike F-Zero and WipEout, there’s very little context given for Fast Fusion’s races. Not only is there no attempt at a story, or even any characters, but there’s no explanation for what’s going on or where you are. The implication is that you’re taking part in a futuristic racing championship but there’s zero worldbuilding, beyond some vaguely sci-fi sounding names in the leaderboard.

That doesn’t really matter though and once in a race you can instantly see where all the effort has gone, with some really quite stunning visuals for a launch game. Mario Kart World’s cartoon style has made it difficult to gauge exactly how powerful the Switch 2 is, but Fast Fusion frequently looks like a higher end PlayStation 4 game, and certainly much better than Fast RMX.

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