Nintendo, seemingly unfazed by how the same approach failed during the Wii U era, delivers a truly bizarre advertisement for its next big Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders

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It's no "you're a kid now, you're a squid now" that's for sure

Kirby Air Riders
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has released a new ad for Kirby Air Riders that features a rap song that stands with some of the company's weirdest ad choices.

It's no secret that video game ads are not what they used to be, back in the '80s and '90s we got super unique, sometimes wild ads for games. The guy in a mascot suit Crash Bandicoot ads, Segata Sanshiro, and the N64 Smash Bros commercial are all still fondly remembered to this day and iconic in their own right. Even the ones that didn't work so well like the Zelda rap or the absolutely disgusting Yoshi's Island ad are still memorable. But in the years since ads have gotten way tamer.

Kirby Air Riders - What's that? Huh? (Nintendo Switch 2) - YouTube Kirby Air Riders - What's that? Huh? (Nintendo Switch 2) - YouTube
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Nintendo UK has released an ad titled "Kirby Air Riders – What's that? Huh?" which features clips of the game with a tune I can only describe as the type of rap music you get in a mandatory corporate training video about asbestos or fire safety when you work at a shop (not even a good one like that Wendy's tune). Its incredible bars include "Kirby has loads of machines, uses his copy abilities," and "wow, giant bird in the sky. BAH, that's one big eye!"

It's cheesy, it's bizarre, and it's hilariously unfitting to Kirby Air Riders' vibe, but I also kind of love it. I don't think it quite has the sauce that "you're a kid now, you're a squid now" to become an iconic part of the Kirby fandom (not that the Splatoon ad led to an enormous number of Wii U sales, as we know), but when ads are as bland as they are these days, I have to respect Nintendo for trying to do something fun.

Kirby Air Riders' fan-favorite racer is a hilariously fast, oversized hamster named Rick who's been dominating beta lobbies: "Why is THIS the face of carnage and destruction?"

Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
Contributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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