Kirby fans, rejoice. The iconic character is making his way to a brand new experience for the Nintendo Switch 2. Kirby Air Riders brings new touches to Kirby Air Ride, a game that had its own cult following during its time, positioning itself as a sequel to it.
If you’re a fan of the original GameCube title, or perhaps have been a fan of Kirby through any of the character’s appearances across a variety of other media, the chance of playing a new game should sound exciting to you.
Or perhaps you’re just diving into what looks like it could be a lot of fun? Either way, you’re going to want to know a few key details before you pick up a copy for your Switch 2. Join us and learn more about Kirby Air Riders.
1. An Expanded Roster of Characters
While the first game featured a relatively limited set of playable characters, Kirby Air Riders doesn’t suffer from that particular issue. There are 20 playable characters already confirmed for the game, each of whom comes with Kirby’s ability to “copy” their opponent’s powers.
Expect to see some familiar faces – and some new ones – when you dive into the action later this month. Of course, Kirby is still the star of the show, but it never hurts to have some variety, doesn’t it?
2. Expanded Fleet of Vehicles
We’ve seen quite a few memorable vehicles in the Kirby universe. We’re happy to tell you that many of them are making their way to the game, and you can swap between them as you go between races and events.
Legendary vehicles are also making a return, and collecting them all is probably going to keep you occupied for many an hour. The Transform Star, for instance, can switch between an aerial Flying Star form and a driving bike form for exploring on the ground, making it a versatile addition to your fleet of vehicles.
3. Dive Into Multiplayer For Some Fun
Fans of the original game will be delighted to know that the Aire Ride, City Trial, and Top Ride modes are in the new game, with expansions and improvements that can make them really addictive very quickly.
With both local and online options there for the taking, Air Ride can have up to 6 players racing at the same time, a number that goes up to eight for Top Ride and 16 for City Trial. That’s going to be a convenient choice for different groups of players, and is a potential gold mine for some multiplayer mayhem.
4. Get Those Miles In
Kirby Air Riders takes an interesting approach to unlocking customization options for your characters. You earn Miles by simply playing the game, and unlock a steady stream of accessories for you to use for your characters and vehicles.
You’re probably going to rack up quite a few of them as you take on your buddies and other players and tear across different courses in your race to the top. Having your fun while also being rewarded with more in-game options for self-expression is a reward system that deserves credit in our book.
5. The My Machines Mode
Those customization options are going to come in quite handy when you begin to create and possibly sell unique vehicle designs using the My Machines mode. You can personalize your entire fleet and put designs that you think are exceptionally eye-catching up for sale.
You might just earn a chunk of in-game currency, and in case you’re worried, no, you don’t lose the vehicle you’re selling. That’s a win-win, and getting to put creative spins on some iconic vehicles from the Kirby universe is definitely a fun way to spend a few hours.
6. Go On A Road Trip
Kirby Air Riders features a main story via the Road Trip mode that puts Kirby and friends on a journey that puts them on a winding road with a lot of excitement and moments to be had along the way.
We’re quite curious to know what has Kirby, King Dedede, Starman, and other characters choosing to travel together, although presentations of the game might have some clues for an eagle-eyed Kirby enthusiast.
7. Diving Into Top Ride
Aside from being an option for local multiplayer, Top Ride mode also comes with a few exclusive items that give you reasons to check it out as early as you can. The kaboom, Drift Flames, Drill Driver, and other cool discoveries await.
If you’re new to the game, Top Ride features a top-down perspective of the races you play in Air Raid mode, although the core gameplay loop of using your abilities to stay ahead of your rivals remains the same.
8. The Paddock
This is Kirby Air Riders’ take on a multiplayer lobby, where you’re going to spend time between your online events. You can move around with your rider character and interact with friends, choose your next race, switch up your tunes, and even show off your emotes and create character poses.
If you’re a social butterfly looking to wander around a Kirby-based world, this is a lobby you’re going to want to visit.
9. Swap Relay Race Type
Exclusive to Air Ride mode is the Swap Replay race. It essentially has you swapping between different machines between individual laps in a race, the choice of which is based on the challenges you’re likely to encounter.
You’re going to have to get creative with your combinations of riders and machines, while the option to relay in local multiplayer races can be quite a amazing when you’re tackling harder challenges with your friends in tow.
10. The Checklist Returns
The checklist from the original game makes a triumphant comeback to Kirby Air Riders, acting as a very handy progress tracker that lets you know what you need to do to unlock new content in the game.
There are a lot of objectives for you to achieve across the different game modes on offer, and it’s certainly going to be easier when you have an easy way to know what’s been done and what still needs doing.
11. Amiibo Figures
Of course, characters as iconic as the ones in Kirby’s cast deserve Amiibo figures. Nintendo has been enthusiastic to announce a bunch of riders and machines, all of which are swappable and compatible with the Switch 2. Your figure is going to be a part of your experience via the Figure Player functionality.
What’s more, swapping out either your rider or vehicle is going to make the new combination reflect on your Figure Player in the game. Talk about immersion!
12. Miles Of Road To Cover
While the game’s premise and controls might be simple enough, there’s a total of eighteen different courses, and a lot of challenges laid out for you to take on over their expansive roadways. Expect to have both your reflexes and tactical chops tested out as you try and take the lead in a gameplay loop that’s probably going to be a blast.
All nine Air Ride courses from the original game are making their way to the new one. We can’t wait to see what Fantasy Meadows and the Nebula Belt look like in their latest avatars.
13. Boss Battles
Probably the feature we’re all most excited to see, the game’s going to have quite a few boss characters, and battles against them that might require some very nimble fingers to win. Robo Dedede, for instance, can freely switch between his Dedede Mode and Car Mode to keep the pressure on you.
We can’t wait to see what else Bandai Namco and Sora have in store for us in this one.
14. Copy and Special Abilities
While we did mention that all playable characters will be able to copy their opponent’s abilities, those Special Abilities are unique to each character, activating via a gauge that you’re going to have to through your actions in-game. Kirby has access to four of them, with each one tied to a specific selectable color for the character.
Using your Copy and Special abilities wisely is going to be an important part of a successful race, and you might want to try out new characters at every opportunity. You never know if the next one has an ability that makes things go very well for you.
15. Global Win Power
Kirby Air Riders is probably going to see a lot of you really put in the miles you need to get ahead, and that might create concerns with balancing in its multiplayer mode for a more casual crop of players. However, the Global Win Power system is poised to manage that problem quite effectively.
Your in-game Licence features a Class Ranking that improves or declines based on your online performances, with levels spread across the colors of a rainbow. This helps keep your skill level matched with players at relatively the same level, ensuring a more competitive online experience for everybody looking to dive in.
And that’s a wrap on everything you need to know about Kirby Air Riders. We hope to find you along the road on this exciting new adventure!
