Zero Racers

Zero Racers
Title screen
DeveloperNintendo R&D1
PublisherNintendo
DirectorKazunobu Shimizu
ProducersGunpei Yokoi
Hiroshi Yamauchi
ProgrammersHikonori Suzuki
Kouichi Kawashima
ComposersRyoji Yoshitomi
Kozue Ishikawa
SeriesF-Zero
PlatformVirtual Boy[a]
ReleaseAugust 4, 2026
GenreRacing
ModeSingle-player

Zero Racers is a racing game developed by Nintendo for the Virtual Boy. It is a spin-off of the F-Zero series. Players choose one of four characters and race in hovercars against AI-controlled characters in fifteen tracks divided into three leagues.

Zero Racers was to be the first F-Zero game to feature 3D graphics. It was completed and planned for release in 1996, but was canceled following the failure of the Virtual Boy. It was released through the Nintendo Classics download service on August 4, 2026.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot. Virtual Boy games use a red-and-black color scheme.

Zero Racers is a futuristic racing game in which players compete in a high-speed racing tournament. Lke the original F-Zero (1990), the player chooses from four selectable vehicles, each with different performance.[1][2][3][4]

The objective is to beat opponents to the finish while avoiding hazards that damage the players' vehicle. Each machine has a power meter, serving as measurement of the machine's durability; it decreases when the machine collides with the side of the track or another vehicle.[5] Energy is replenished by driving over pit areas placed along the home straight or nearby.[3][5] Unlike the original F-Zero, the vehicles race in 3D in tunnels.[1][5] Game Informer likened it to the Death Star run from the 1977 film Star Wars.[4]

A race in Zero Racers consists of a set lap number around the track. The player must complete each lap in a successively higher place to avoid disqualification from the race. For each lap completed, the player is rewarded with an approximate speed boost called "Rapid" and a number of points determined by place. An on-screen display is shown to indicate that a boost can be used; however, the player is limited to saving up to three at a time.[5] If a certain number of points are accumulated, an "extra machine" is acquired that gives the player another chance to retry the course.[5] In the Grand Prix mode, the player chooses a league and races against other vehicles through each track in that league while avoiding disqualification. A total of fifteen tracks divided into three leagues are featured.[5] The Practice mode allows the player to practice on courses from the Grand Prix mode.[5]

History and release

Zero Racers was developed and published by Nintendo. It was co-produced by Gunpei Yokoi and its executive producer, Hiroshi Yamauchi. Kazunobu Shimizu was a director, and was co-programmed by Hikonori Suzuki and Kouichi Kawashima. It was designed by Eiko Takahashi and Reiko Kajigaya, while the music was composed by Ryoji Yoshitomi and Kozue Ishikawa.[6]

It was revealed in a preview by Nintendo Power in their July 1996 issue under the name G-Zero and planned for a late 1996 launch.[1][7] Nintendo Power published an in-depth article in its August issue under the name Zero Racers.[8][5] It was also previewed in the September 1996 issue of the British magazine Nintendo Magazine System.[3] False reports suggested it had been displayed at E3 1996.[9]

After the commercial failure of the Virtual Boy, Nintendo canceled the Zero Racers release.[4] Some speculated that it had never left early development and that the screenshots were mockups.[9] However, according to the former Nintendo of America localizer and associate producer Jim Wornell, it was complete and had a manual, package, label, and ESRB rating.[4] The title music was reused in a 1998 promotional demo for the Game Boy Color.[10]

In January 2026, Nintendo announced Zero Racers would be released on the Nintendo Classics download service.[11][12][13] It was released on August 4, alongside another previously unreleased Virtual Boy game, Dragon Hopper.[14][15][16]

Reception

In 1998, Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote of their disappointment at Zero Racers' cancellation, saying it might have been "one of the few VB games actually worth checking out".[18] After its release, Nile Bowie of Nintendo Life said Zero Racers was the most enjoyable Virtual Boy game he had played, and suggested it could have been the Virtual Boy "killer app" had Nintendo released it in 1996. He praised the integration of the F-Zero gameplay into the Virtual Boy's stereoscopic display, saying the sparse presentation served the sense of momentum and created the sense of "playing inside the targeting display of an '80s science-fiction cockpit".[17]

Notes

  1. ↑ Zero Racers is programmed for the Virtual Boy. It never received a physical release, but was released on the Nintendo Classics Virtual Boy emulator for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pak Watch – The Inside Source on Future Games: G-Zero". Nintendo Power. No. 86. Nintendo of America. July 1996. p. 101. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Informacion Virtual – Zero Racers". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 59. Editorial Televisa. 1996. p. 21. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nintendo News Network – Virtual Racing!". Nintendo Magazine System. No. 48. EMAP. September 1996.
  4. 1 2 3 4 LeBlanc, Wesley (February 28, 2022). "Virtual Boy F-Zero Spinoff That Never Released 'Was Done,' According To Former Nintendo Producer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Preview: Zero Racers". Nintendo Power. No. 87. Nintendo of America. August 1996. pp. 40–41. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ Nintendo (1996). Zero Racers (Virtual Boy (2026 Nintendo Classics)). Nintendo. Level/area: Credits.(Ending screens by Planet Virtual Boy. Archived 2026-08-04 at the Wayback Machine).
  7. ↑ "Release Forecast: Virtual Boy". Nintendo Power. No. 86. Nintendo of America. July 1996. p. 103. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Release Forecast: Virtual Boy". Nintendo Power. No. 87. Nintendo of America. August 1996. p. 103. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  9. 1 2 McFerran, Damien (February 28, 2022). "Mythical Virtual Boy F-Zero Spin-Off Was 100% Complete, According To Former NOA Staffer". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ McFerran, Damien (January 29, 2026). "Part Of The Canned F-Zero Game 'Zero Racers' Has Been Out There For Years, We Just Didn't Know It". Time Extension. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ Romano, Sal (January 27, 2026). "Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics 'Overview' trailer". Gematsu. Archived from the original on January 27, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  12. ↑ Zunko (January 28, 2026). "幻の未発売『F-ZERO』スピンオフ『ZERO RACERS』って知ってた？「バーチャルボーイ Nintendo Classics」でまさかの配信へ" [Did you know about the legendary, unreleased F-ZERO spin-off, ZERO RACERS? It's surprisingly going to be released on "Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics"!]. Game*Spark (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 28, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  13. ↑ Hagues, Alana (January 27, 2026). "Two Cancelled Virtual Boy Games Coming To NSO In 2026, Including F-Zero Spin-Off". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  14. ↑ Robinson, Andy (July 31, 2026). "Major Nintendo Switch update adds Mario Sunshine and unreleased Virtual Boy games". VGC. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  15. ↑ Sherup (July 31, 2026). "任天堂の発売中止ゲーム『ZERO RACERS』『ドラゴンホッパー』、「バーチャルボーイ Nintendo Classics」で8月4日配信へ。幻のゲームがついに来る" [Nintendo's cancelled games, 'ZERO RACERS' and 'Dragon Hopper', will be released on August 4th as part of "Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics". The legendary games are finally coming.]. AUTOMATON (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 31, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ Marnell, Blair (July 31, 2026). "Two Unreleased Virtual Boy Games Are Coming To Nintendo Switch Online". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 1, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Bowie, Nile (August 4, 2026). "Mini Review: Zero Racers (Virtual Boy) – Is This F-Zero Spin-Off The VB's Long-Lost Killer App?". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Nintendo 64 Previews: F-Zero X – G-Zero". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 111. Ziff Davis. October 1998. p. 64. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
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