We are just under the one-month mark until the release of Kirby Air Riders on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is the latest passion project from Masahiro Sakurai, and it’s clear that he put a LOT into the game to please both fans and himself. To prove this, he was back for a second Nintendo Direct focused solely on the upcoming title, and he had plenty to share with gamers! We’ll cover the highlights for you here, and then you can watch the Direct for yourself to see the other elements! First up, the “Top Ride” mode has returned!
This is a special racing mode where you’ll view things from a top-down perspective. Courses are much shorter due to that perspective, but it means that races can get quite intense! There will be numerous courses to choose from, and you can fight seven other players in each other, whether they be CPU players, online battles, or a mix of both! Furthermore, there will be special items you can get in this mode to either help your racer, hurt others, or accidentally hurt yourself! So, be mindful of what you pick up!
Sakurai also made it clear that every main racing mode in the game has online features, including being able to play the game in multiple styles via split-screen, and even being able to connect various controllers to your Nintendo Switch 2 platform to keep things local, including the Pro Controller for the OG Switch and using a single Joy-Con to control your character!
There will be another new mode in Kirby Air Riders you’ll want to try out: “Road Trip.” In this mode, Kirby and the others will go on a special story-driven journey. At the end of the Nintendo Direct, we got the “opening cutscene” for this mode, and it reveals the origins of the racing machines and how the various characters became “connected” with them. Yet, the machines are now guiding them toward somewhere far off, where a mystery machine, Zorah, is waiting. What could be waiting at the end of this journey? You’ll have to go through multiple challenges with your favorite racer and machine to find out!
On this journey, you’ll have to do everything from races to battles to doing things within a certain time limit, etc. You’ll also find a unique collection of Kirby characters from throughout the franchise to face off against or get help from! And yes…Dark Matter is in this mode…
Switching back to online functionality, Sakurai revealed that players will have access to special “licenses” that they’ll be able to customize to their heart’s content! That ties into two other key things about the online mode. First, we have the “Paddock,” where you and other players can hang out and then do races against one another. Second, on your license, you’ll have a “class rank” based on how many wins you get in the various modes. The more wins you have, the better your class, and the better chance of fighting people on your skill level.
Adding to the nostalgia, Kirby Air Riders will not only have nine fresh courses for you to enjoy racing on, but you’ll also get to race on all nine original courses from the classic GameCube title! They have been updated, of course, to make the Nintendo Switch 2’s graphical ability, but the looks, feel, and music from the original tracks are all back. Speaking of the original game, in City Trail, you will have access…to Dragoon! Yep, it’s back, and there’s also Hydra, which will help you unleash havoc on your foes!
If City Trial seems to daunting to face off against on your own…you can do Team Battles with it! The 16 players will be divided into teams of eight, and you’ll face off to see who can come out on top! Oh, and one of the Stadiums you can face off in at the end is the return of the “Vs. Boss Battle” mode, but this time around, you’ll face off against…Robo Dedede! And…there might be other foes to face, too…
What’s that? What about new characters to play as? Well, how about being able to drive around as Taranza, Daroach, Lololo & Lalala, Rocky, Rick, Scarfy, Marx, and the OG version of Waddle Dee? Does that sound fun to you?
Still not enough for you? Well, how about how Kirby Air Riders will bring back the beloved Checklist feature? Yep! Now, you’ll have plenty of challenges to partake in. Sakurai was clear, though, that no rider or machine was locked to the checklist, but you can get other things via it, including various things…to customize your ride! That’s right, you can now decorate your race machines, and then use the “Shop” to buy new decals, patterns, accessories, and more. This also applies to the Licenses feature, too!
Easily one of the biggest announcements was that the Kirby Air Riders line of Amiibo won’t just have Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee…but also…King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Chef Kawasaki!
Two final things. First, Sakurai made it clear that EVERYTHING is in the game at launch (and via a day one update). No DLC is planned, and there is no intent to keep the franchise coming out at a regular clip. So, if you want to play this game…play this game!
To that end, the Nintendo Direct ended with the reveal of a demo event! Here are the times for it:
So, if you’re nervous about whether you’ll like the game, try out the “Global Test Ride” and see what you think!
There was a LOT more revealed in the Nintendo Direct, so check out the full presentation below:
