F-Zero 99[a] is a futuristic-themed online multiplayer racing game with battle royale elements developed by Nintendo Software Technology.

Racers may access the Skyway, a floating road above the racetrack allowing them to speed above the competition for a limited time, once the meter is at full capacity.

"[12] He claimed a small-scale project or full-fledged game necessitates a novel selling proposition when asked by Edge magazine in April 2012.

[12][14] However, other Nintendo franchises like Kirby or Fire Emblem saw iterative releases over the years, which Imamura believes is due to sales numbers.

[16] In a similar vein to the NSO Pac-Man 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and Tetris 99 games, F-Zero 99 takes the original concept its based on and re-contextualizes it as an online multiplayer battle royale.

[c] Ash Parrish of The Verge dismissed it as "a simple [NSO] 99 game", preferring a remake or remaster instead,[20] while GamesRadar+'s Dustin Bailey expressed optimism since Tetris 99 was entertaining.

"[29] Rhys Wood of TechRadar echoed this enthusiasm writing its finesse gameplay with additional players was exhilarating and stressful making it infeasible to replay the SNES game.

[4] Reviewers including Wacholz, Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale, and PC Games' Christopher Holler felt gameplay can be chaotic thus requiring players to use the spin attack defensively.

[29] Holler lamented over this and Nightingale shared a similar opinion lambasting the pinball machine-like races as "tumultuous carnage.

"[2]: 3 [31] Most publications agreed that the updated game mechanics were by far among the best features; Wood said F-Zero 99 has "a level of depth here that hasn’t really been seen in the series up to this point",[4] and Colantonio added these short races are highly nuanced forcing players into frequent risk and reward decision-making.

[28] Reviewers felt that the content at launch was a weakness, Helm blames F-Zero 99's lack thereof on the source material's sparse 15 tracks,[27] especially the highly redundant online course selection.

Jess Lee of Digital Spy explained Mute City I and Big Blue are commonly chosen,[33] and Charlanmhg agreed adding the rotation of events also quickly gets dull.

[31] Colantonio thought the Grand Prix helped alleviate the game's weird middle-ground between battle royale and traditional racing, elaborating the lack of having a last man standing removed some tension compared to Tetris 99.

Nightingale reflected on Miyamoto's pre-release thoughts welcoming its 99-player count as an optional part of a future full-fledged game, but showed more enthusiasm for the potential of multiple online modes.

"[8] Wood agreed with the idea of performance metrics, theorizing a stable and healthy player base could incentivize the company to release an original game.