Kirby Air Riders isn't a racing game; it's a vehicle combat game. That's what I was told ahead of my hands-on session with the latest title from Smash Bros. creator Masuhiro Sakurai, and as I weaved through an arena full to bursting point with opponents, both NPC and human, it instantly made sense.
More than 20 years after the original Kirby Air Ride first hit the Nintendo GameCube, everyone's favourite Pink Orb is back in the saddle – or more accurately on the Warp Star – to throw down in what may initially seem to be another kart racer. Developer Sakurai even joked about it basically being just like Mario Kart World. However, it's something far more chaotic.
Your chariot awaits
Unlike the relatively simplistic original, Kirby Air Riders offers plenty of choice thanks to an increased number of playable characters and a wide array of vehicles. The iconic Meta Knight and King Dedede return – as well as the titular Kirby, of course – with characters like Waddle Doo, Starman, and Knuckle Joe helping to round out the adorable cast.
In terms of vehicles, I began my session with the basic Warp Star as my learner ride. The game accelerates for you, so at a basic level you only need to steer when turning to traverse tracks. However there's more to the experience if you want to be truly good at it.
You can hold B to charge up a boost. Doing so holds you in place, allowing you to turn on a dime at a moment's notice. You can also collide with any opponents in front of you to inflict damage as all vehicles have health gauges which can be hugely important to bear in mind depending on the game mode in hand (more on that later).
Riders can also jump into the air using ramps around the map. Some vehicles, like the Shadow Star, offer the advantage of being stronger flyers, staying airborne for longer. On the other hand, chariot class vehicles are wheel-based and land quickly after lifting off, so plan your strategy accordingly when selecting a vehicle.
No Kirb' crawlin'
There are multiple game types in Kirby Air Riders. There are typical kart race style contests, where the winner is determined by who crosses the finish line first. But then there are combat-based matches, where players have to eliminate more enemies than the rest to grab that sweet, sweet W.
The variety of game modes brings to mind Mario Kart, to the surprise of nobody, but particularly the battle modes. As a debut GameCube enthusiast in my youth, I loved Mario Kart: Double Dash and still consider it the best entry in the franchise to this day, so I'm delighted to say much of Kirby Air Riders captures this same energy.
The most intriguing mode I played was City Trials. Playing with a handful of other human players and even more AI competitors, this mode gives you a few minutes to race around an open area complete with cliffs, caves, grind rails and more environmental places of interest, all the while collecting upgrades to make your vehicle stronger. The exciting part is you're still technically competing at this point.
Just as you seek upgrades, so too do your human and AI-controlled rivals, meaning you want to move fast enough to grab each item – be it a health boost or weight increase – before someone else does. It's at this point I found that the ability to steal rides from other players was a huge benefit as well as the most trolling move you can perform on others. That's right, we got Kirby stealing vehicles before GTA 6.
I wasn't convinced that Kirby Air Riders was a game for me when I first saw it but after playing it myself I can say I've happily changed my mind. Kirby is always pleasing in a game, but combining his adorable world with surprisingly brutal vehicle combat makes for a hugely entertaining and moreish Nintendo Switch 2 title.
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