Kirby Air Riders Review – A Shockingly Great Ride

As a sequel to a niche GameCube title that released more than two decades ago, Kirby Air Riders for the Nintendo Switch 2 obviously isn’t building on an established formula for a mainstream, existing audience, but coming as a launch window title for a new console and it is obviously releasing to high expectations. The fact that the game’s developer has explicitly likened the game to another Nintendo powerhouse in Mario Kart only makes said expectations that much higher. And though this bizarre action arcade racing title isn’t on the same level of quality of mechanical depth as the aforementioned giant, it is nonetheless an undoubted blast that delivers something genuinely unique and unquestionably enjoyable.

Kirby Air Riders is ridiculously packed with content. You can, if you are completely unfamiliar with the GameCube original and its gameplay style, hop straight into a multi-stage tutorial that, bit by bit, which takes you through the basics and some of the more advanced mechanics, which is where the game’s genius instantly shines through. Like its predecessor – which a significant portion of the game’s audience will obviously be unfamiliar with, given the gap between the series’ two entries – Kirby Air Riders is extremely easy to grasp, with a control scheme that’s extremely easy to grasp. You accelerate automatically, steering is easy, and nearly all actions that are necessary to compete and win and straightforward and easy to understand.

“Starting with the basics, there’s a good amount of different tracks, characters, riders, power ups, and items on offer here, each of which spices up and injects healthy doses of chaos into the gameplay in different ways.”

The game’s two button control scheme, however, is both a strength and a weakness. As much as it makes Kirby Air Riders an immensely accessible game that’s easy to pick up and play, some might also find it a little too simplistic. When most actions in the game work as intended with the simplest of inputs, it makes things feel a bit too straightforward at times, which means there is obviously going to be plenty of scope for victories based exclusively (or almost exclusively) on button mashing- you know, like any other party game.

But getting the balance right between skill and accessibility is something that the developer tends to be quite good at, and they do not disappoint with Kirby Air Riders, when all is said and done. The skill ceiling here is high, primarily because the game hides a lot of mechanical depth at its core in spite of its deceptively simple controls, but also because, almost equally importantly, there’s a shocking amount of gameplay variety on offer here- which maybe shouldn’t necessarily be shocking¸ given the talent responsible for this game.

That variety takes several different forms. Starting with the basics, there’s a good amount of different tracks, characters, riders, power ups, and items on offer here, each of which spices up and injects healthy doses of chaos into the gameplay in different ways. Different rides control in entirely unique ways, changing the way you move about and speed through courses on even a moment-to-moment level, which in and of itself is enough to change your approach to any given race. The character that you are controlling is another major factor, primarily because each of them offers a different ultimately ability that can hand you varying advantages during races. On top of your ultimate abilities, you can gain power ups by smashing boxes and, of course, in true Kirby fashion, by sucking up both enemies on the track and direct rivals in races and copying their abilities, from shooting out fireballs to stabbing enemies with spikes that explode outward from your body and more.

“When you’re not casually racing through the individual races on offer, you can check out the Top Ride mode, which is a fun (if an even more simplistic) way of experiencing bite-sized races.”

On top of that, how well you can master the base mechanics also obviously affects gameplay. On paper, Kirby Air Riders uses a two-button control scheme, and for those that don’t want to invest too much time and energy into the game, that’s going to be more than enough to get to grips with the goings-on. However, for those who’re looking for greater depth, there’s plenty on offer. From boosts and jumps to gliding, perfect landings, drifting, and more, there’s a lot going on here that requires a certain level of practice and precision.

Making your way through a perfect lap (or even a perfect race) can, as such, be immensely enjoyable. That is make more enjoyable still by the incredible track design. The solid selection of courses on offer strikes an even split between new introductions and returning locations, but each is an absolute delight in its own way. From striking visual design to delightful attention to detail to an unabashed love for controlled chaos that somehow still makes you feel like you’re (only just) in constant control, making your way through each track is an absolute delight, time and time again, no matter how often you do it.

And there’s plenty of content on offer to hone all of those skills in a variety of different ways. When you’re not casually racing through the individual races on offer, you can check out the Top Ride mode, which is a fun (if an even more simplistic) way of experiencing bite-sized races.  Reduced mechanics, shorter courses, and a (literally) top-down view make Top Ride races a fun distraction, though it wouldn’t surprise you to know that, given their very nature, they usually are little more than just that.

Then there’s the City Trial mode, which is, in many ways, the central attraction of the show, given how much it puts the sheer chaos of the core gameplay loop front and center. The inherent variety of the gameplay styles available in Kirby Air Riders really shines through here, with players cycling between races, drag races, challenges, time trials, battles, and more on each run. For those looking to maximize replay value, this is likely going to be Kirby Air Riders’ meat and potatoes.

“A sequel to Kirby Air Ride was definitely not something that most of us expected, but Nintendo and Bandai Namco have banded together to bring back the GameCube cult classic with flying colours.”

Of course, all of that content would probably not feel quite as engaging as it does if not for how rewarding it feels in the game’s current state, which, of course, is down to the inordinate amount of unlocks on offer here- which, again, should not be a surprise. Tracks, characters, rides, customization options, music tracks, and so much more- there’s a long, long list of things that you will be unlocking as you play the game, and chances are that no matter which mode you’re tackling, you will be unlocking stuff at a regular clip one way or another, making an already addictive experience that much easier to invest in.

A sequel to Kirby Air Ride was definitely not something that most of us expected, but Nintendo and Bandai Namco have banded together to bring back the GameCube cult classic with flying colours, in a way that very few would have expected.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2.