Kirby Air Riders Review – Fast, Furious, and Pink

Kirby Air Riders Review

Back in 2003, Nintendo released Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo GameCube. As much as I adored my GameCube, I wasn't particularly interested in Kirby Air Ride. The idea of ​​a racing game that uses just one button seemed too simple to me. Fast forward more than 25 years: Nintendo releases the second installment in the franchise; Kirby Air Riders. Kirby Air Riders is a sequel of sorts, a remake and a reboot all rolled into one. It takes everything that made Kirby Air Ride what it was, including the different modes, characters, and even maps, but turns the dial up to 11. The end result is a fun, fast, and frantic game with some truly enjoyable moments. I'll never know if I was wrong to pass up Kirby Air Ride 25 years ago, but I'm glad I gave Kirby Air Riders a chance.

Air travel has evolved

For those of us who have never played Kirby Air Ride, fear not: you don't have to have played to enjoy Kirby Air Riders. Which is a good thing, because unless you have a GameCube and a used copy of Kirby Air Ride, you'll still be out of luck playing the original. In short, Kirby Air Riders is a racing game that emphasizes constantly moving forward. There is no acceleration button. Your car will always move forward. To brake, accelerate or drift, press the B button. This, along with the left joystick to move the racer, will allow you to navigate the tracks. When you enter a turn, you hold down the B button, slowing the car down enough to make the turn. If you release the B button, your car will temporarily speed up.

Other ways to get boosts include hitting other racers with various power-ups, or spinning, which can be done by wiggling your thumb. If this all sounds incredibly simple, well, that's the point. Gameplay depth is achieved in many ways, such as exploring the tracks, exploring different power-ups, and exploring different cars. New to the franchise is the use of a second button, which is designed to activate special abilities once your special meter is full. Each racer has a unique special ability, such as Kirby and his multi-attack, perfect for taking out rival racers right in front of you.

Air ride and top ride

Kirby Air Riders can be played in a variety of ways, from racing to stadium competition (think: mini-games). The two main types of races are Air Ride and Top Ride. Air Ride is where the action takes place from the riders' point of view. You'll race on a wide variety of tracks, including all the tracks from Kirby Air Ride and many new tracks. Top Ride changes the perspective to a top-down view that looks more like matchbox race cars. While Air Ride is my favorite type of race, I still enjoy Top Ride from time to time.

Kirby Air Riders offers a wide range of machines for racers. This is important because each car has unique abilities and is better suited to different types of racing or competition. And the best way to learn about these cars, as well as the different tracks, race modes and stadium events, is on Road Trip.

Going on a trip

Road Trip is a new single-player mode for Kirby Air Riders. In it you will race along various highways, participating in a variety of races, modes and events in the stadium. Road Trip is divided into several chapters, each of which takes you along a unique-looking highway. As you drive along each highway, you'll often encounter other racers, usually in groups of three, and you'll have to decide which mode or competition you'll play next. Road Trip takes a lot of the “choose your own adventure” approach, making it feel like you actually have a say in how the adventure unfolds. Along the way you will meet new cars that will add to your collection of available attractions. You will fight against rivals and even fight bosses, each of which is unique in its own way.

None of the events take more than a couple of minutes. In fact, each chapter will only take you 10-15 minutes to complete. The special items you find during your journey will also determine which highway you will encounter after each chapter's boss fight. This should add an element of replayability. Road Trip also has three separate complex settings that you can adjust at any time.

Take me to Skaia City

City Trial is one of the returning modes from Kirby Air Ride. In City Trial you will compete against computer characters or online against friends or strangers in the city of Skaia. The first five minutes of City Trial have you exploring a decent sized city and looking for various items to upgrade your car. There are many different categories to improve your ride, from top speed to protection, health and more. There will be other racers in the city with you, and if they attack you, you risk losing some of the improvements to your cars.

In City Trial, various in-game events occur, such as the appearance of random boss fights. After five minutes, you'll see how much your car has improved and can choose between four different stadium tournaments. These short mini-games range from sliding around the score board to get high scores in Target Flight, destroying as many enemies as possible in Kirby Melee, pressing as many buttons as possible in Button Rush, and much, much more.

Stadium events

You need to choose the stadium event that best matches the car you drive and the various upgrades you've made. For example, if your car has excellent gliding capabilities, you might choose to compete at Air Glider Stadium – as long as it's one of the four available. Any other players who select the same stadium event as you will compete directly against you. Ultimately, your final ranking will depend solely on this single event in the stadium. In those rare cases where no one else chooses the same event as you, you will win by default.

To be honest, I'm still on the fence about City Court. Five minutes in the city can be chaotic as you race around trying to improve your car as much as possible. But it all culminates in a short stadium event that is often over within 1 minute. I almost wish they would do best-of-2 stadium tournaments after the City Trial to give players more opportunities to compete for victory. You put so much effort into building your car that it's a little disappointing to see it end so quickly. The other problem with City Trial is the city itself. While there is some really varied terrain here, it's still a bit bland and after racing through it a few times it does feel a bit dated. If there was a more randomized city, such as key locations appearing in different places, that might help.

Paddock

The one mode that surprised me the most because it was a lot of fun was the Paddock mode. In the “Pen” mode, up to 32 players can be in the lobby. Matches can be customized, including Air Ride, Top Ride and City Trial matches. It's a fun little area to hang out in, and when a group of people are chatting about it on GameChat, it's even more fun. There is a jukebox in the lobby where you can listen to your favorite Kirby Air Riders tunes. There is a window to view your competitors' individual trips. And there's a huge screen where you can watch other players compete. If you have a group of friends, this will probably be where you spend most of your time.

Decent racer

This is not another Mario Kart game. The action can get very intense as you will need to learn the capabilities of each machine and use them to your advantage. Kirby Air Riders requires a learning curve. There's a lot included in the Kirby Air Riders kit. Lots of racers, cars and customization options. Air Ride and Top Ride immediately immerse players in the action. Road Trip may only take a couple of hours to complete for a single player, but it's enough to justify multiple playthroughs. City Trial is a unique concept, but I feel like there isn't enough payoff after the 5 minute city portion. The paddock is a great way to get all your friends together and take part in the adventures of Kirby Air Riders. With up to 32 players in the lobby and GameChat on Switch 2, this can be a lot of fun.

Kirby Air Riders is a solid racing game for the Nintendo Switch 2, created by beloved game developer Masahiro Sakurai of Smash Bros. While I really hope Nintendo plans to add at least a few new Air Ride and Top Ride tracks to the overall package, there's still plenty of content here for fans to enjoy. If you're a racing fan or looking for something fresh to play with your friends, Kirby Air Riders should be an important factor for your Switch 2 library.

***Kirby Air Riders key for Switch 2 provided by the publisher.***