Nintendo’s F-Zero hit the SNES in 1990 to critical acclaim. It wasn’t until 2001 though that we saw the franchise come to a handheld, with portable systems unable to replicate the SNES’ infamous Mode 7 rotation effects until the GBA’s debut.
Rocketship Park and Thalamus are about to give us a glimpse of how a Game Boy Color version of F-Zero may have looked, via their handheld racer ZERO – a new GBC homebrew.
It sports faux Mode 7 visuals, fast and colourful visuals, and a three cups to complete. A unique power meter system features too, granting 11 power units at the start of a race – boosting consumes three units, while overtaking a rival restores one.
“I’ve wanted to push the beloved Game Boy Color to an approximation of Mode 7 for a while now,” said Shane McCafferty, Rocketship Park co-founder and developer. “The technique was, like all cool things, stolen from the demo scene – the real fun was turning that into something that feels thrilling and fun to play. I hope people have as much fun playing ZERO as I had coaxing it from the Game Boy.”
“It’s always a delight to unleash a new Rocketship Park game on the public, and ZERO is no exception,” explains Thalamus founder and CEO Andy Roberts. “Developer Shane McCafferty has an impressive legacy of Game Boy racing games under his belt. ZERO takes everything he learned on titles like Nitro and Hero GP and elevates the genre to new heights – and speeds!”
ZERO launches 5th November on itch.io and is intended to be played on a Game Boy emulator or via a flash cart. You should be able to get a feel for it in the trailer below: