Nintendo has unveiled Kirby Air Riders in a new Direct presentation, following a brief trailer back in April. The game is set for release on 20th November this year on Switch 2.
The presentation was classic Masahiro Sakurai, creator of both the Kirby and Smash Bros. series. At 45 minutes long, it was an extensive look at what appears to be quite a simplistic racing game, bringing to mind those old Smash Bros. Ultimate character reveals spending forever detailing every move. And with a familiar structure and graphic design, it felt like an extension of the game design YouTube channel he’s been running the past few years.
“Why is making a game so hard?”, Sakurai amusingly questioned at the beginning of the Direct, later declaring “This game is quite fun!” while playing, as if surprised by his own handiwork.
As for the game itself, it’s a follow-up to Kirby Air Ride – a racing spin-off for the titular character that released on GameCube over 20 years ago – and sees characters riding on magical stars around courses, sucking up enemies for special abilities, and speed boosting around colourful courses.
But no, it’s nothing like Mario Kart. Sakurai said so!
What makes the game different is the simplicity of the controls – just like the previous game, only one button is used. Acceleration is automatic, meaning the stick is used purely for steering, while a single button is used to brake before releasing for a speed boost – that’s how you drift around corners. Get close enough to enemies and the same button is used for sucking up their abilities and attacking them.
There are a number of tweaks for this follow-up, though. Firstly a second button has been introduced, though this is used purely for initiating unique special abilities. Secondly, as the “riders” in the title suggests, players can this time race as a number of different characters from across the Kirby universe, not just differently coloured Kirbys, each will have their own attributes. That includes the likes of King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, and Chef Kawasaki. Special abilities range from speed boosts to extravagant attacks.
Players can also select from a wide variety of star vehicles to race on, some hovering and some with wheels. Again, each has different forms and traits, with alternative acceleration techniques as well as speed and handling. These combine with characters for combined stats. How very… Mario Kart.
Air Ride is the main mode and sees six racers competing around courses. These range from the floral Floria Fields, to the cavernous Cavernous Corners, and the cybernetic Cyberion Highway. Players collect stars to boost their speed, which can be hoovered up in opponents’ slipstreams or gained by defeating enemies. A number of options will allow players to customise the format, including the number of laps and even the game speed.
The main event, though, will be City Trial. This pseudo battle royale mode returns from the original, but is now playable between 16 players online (local wireless play will support only eight players, but another eight CPU can be added). In this mode, players explore an open map – it’s called Skyah – for five minutes to collect as many stat-boosting buffs as possible. These are gathered around the map, as are various machines to ride on, as well as specific events like racing, battles, and defeating bosses.
Then players enter stadiums to compete in minigames, based on the stats buffed in the previous stage. These are a bit like the Smash Bros. stadiums, with minigames including flying as far as you can off a ramp, racing in a straight line to the finish, or gaining top points flying through targets. Players will be given four stadiums to choose from, with Sakurai suggesting strategy and mind games behind which you choose. Players then advance to their chosen selection, but you can even receive an automatic win if you’re the only person to choose a stadium. Fewer players means voting for just one stadium, though this option can be turned off.
In all, Kirby Air Riders looks to offer some fun and flashy racing along with a dynamic exploration mode. “So, did it come through that this isn’t just a humorous racing game?” Sakurai asked at the end, seemingly taking a dig at Mario Kart. Whether it addresses criticism of the original game and its overly simplistic gameplay, we don’t have long to find out. Until then, check out the game’s theme tune on the Nintendo Music app.
