Fast Fusion review: "Futuristic racing from the same mold as Wipeout and F-Zero shines on Switch 2"

Just like PlayStation consoles used to launch with a Ridge Racer, so it seems Nintendo Switch consoles launch with a Fast game – the first console had Fast RMX, and now for Nintendo Switch 2, we get Fast Fusion. Funnily enough, both launch titles have turned out to be sleeper hits both in sales and quality. With many Switch 2 owners likely seduced by its comparatively diminutive price point, the little-celebrated racing series from Shin’en Multimedia made it to number two on the eShop sales charts behind Mario Kart World on launch day, giving Switch 2 a one-two of racing games at launch. Amazing scenes.

Fast Fusion is a futuristic racing game from the same mould as Wipeout and F-Zero, though it feels more like the former with its vehicles hovering higher above the track and getting some serious air too. Unlike Wipeout, there’s a jump button that allows you to spring into the air at any time, giving the track designers opportunity to add shortcuts and tricky-to-reach boost orbs, rewarding skilful play in style, though thankfully the shortcut element isn’t overplayed. It’s a relatively straightforward experience for the most part, and much less punishing than F-Zero GX (which is also available on Switch 2 via the Online Membership and very much worth playing too).

Well it ain't slow

And the title ‘FAST’ is no misnomer; it really is incredibly fast. On the initial tier it’s speedy enough, but on later levels your vehicle absolutely scintillates as it rockets past gorgeous scenery at hundreds of miles per hour. By the time you get to these races, you’ll be so ‘in the zone’, the speed will just sort of dissolve into a blur – a very good-looking blur – as you look for boost orbs, track on which to safely land after a jump, and the two-colored boost pads.

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As with Fast RMX, you need to switch color of your ship with a tap of the X button in order to use the appropriately-colored boost pad, otherwise it will sap your speed instead. If anything, the boost pad switching is oddly underplayed, the pads being spaced apart far enough that you’ll very rarely find yourself without time to switch to the correct color. Adding a third color might have been welcome, but at least this is intense without being overwhelming.

You get several modes of play, all of which are engrossing. Championship mode sees you completing sets of three races, earning points from each as you try to top a table against 9 CPU-controlled opponents. Then there's Time Attack where you can race against the dev team’s times, which is always fun, but the best mode by far is Super Hero.

Here, instead of having a boost bar, you have a single bar representing your shields. Boosting and jumping use up some of the bar, but you can replenish it with either boost orbs or travelling over boost pads while switched to the correct color. Instead of gingerly trying not to use up your bar, success comes from aggressively boosting into enemies and trying to stay ahead of the pack. You have to finish first to complete the level, and any crash ends your run. It’s ultra-hardcore, and brilliantly playable.

The difficulty level is high, but not so much in terms of navigating the circuits. There are actually far fewer moments of being lost in mid-air than in the previous game. Rather, the AI pilots are very quick, sometimes overtaking you even when you’re flat out and boosting. There does appear to be some element of rubber-banding going on, but that doesn't seem to be the culprit as you begin to struggle to finish higher than fourth with the initial group of ships no matter how well you fly.

This is where the ‘Fusion’ part of the name comes in. By fusing two ships together, you can create a faster, better hybrid. Each hybrid has a letter rating, and combining the two most expensive ships will give you an A-rated machine (or higher) that can suddenly win races again. It's not a perfect system, and feels a bit convoluted. Good old careful balancing with the stock craft would have been better and certainly more fun, though it is rewarding to make a good one and start to win again.

Longtime fans should also note the new game is very similar in its gameplay and presentation to Fast RMX, to the point that – having not played RMX much at all for 8 years - I did have to just dip back to the Switch 2’s dashboard to make sure I was playing the new one. It’s that familiar. However, having since gone back and played Fast RMX to compare the two, the new game is significantly visually richer than the old game. They're just demonstrably iterations of essentially the same thing.

What magic is this?

But one of the biggest reasons to pick this up is the fact that, somehow, Fast Fusion is running at 4K and 60fps, from a tiny tablet. It’s unreal just how powerful Switch 2 appears to be, all coming from this diminutive form factor that makes a Steam Deck look like it's made of cereal packets. That said, there is some disappointing blurriness to the rendering that might be caused by some kind of nVidia DLSS upscaling going on, which hopefully won’t become a trademark of Switch 2’s graphics at 4K.

That said, on the third of the four graphics settings, it frequently looks sensational, especially when there are tornadoes whirling around ahead of you. There’s even some vehicular destruction with some pieces falling off your craft as you crash and burn. There is an ultra-quality 4K mode that renders at 30fps, but that should be avoided at all costs. After the sheer joyous fluidity, 30fps just doesn't cut it. Not anymore.

It's very easy to lose hours to Fast Fusion because it's just so damn playable. It's an imperfectly formed gem, but a gem nonetheless. Finally, it sounds absolutely wonderful with fantastic music featuring some superb electric guitar work. It sounds like the future, looks like the future, but plays like the past. Nothing wrong with that.

Want to go fast? Check out our best racing games ranking!