Though I was big on the Nintendo GameCube, Kirby’s Air Ride was one title I didn’t own. It seemed like it inhabited a space between a simple kids’ racer, a party game, and a vehicular combat game. It was built upon a one-button arcade-like simplicity that just didn’t hold much appeal to me. The City Trial mode, along with the mode it inspired in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Smash Run, seemed to me like a gimmicky mode where you can spend minutes of time and effort specc’ing out a certain way only to be dropped into a contest where anything goes.
I’ll admit that I skimmed through series creator and Kirby Air Riders director Masahiro Sakurai’s two Nintendo Directs at 2x speed. They seriously put out over 2 hours of content just to explain all of this game’s features. While Sakurai’s enthusiasm and love for the fans is heartwarming and he and Sora clearly put a ton of time and effort into making this the absolute best game it could be, what I saw of the core gameplay still did not call out to me as coming from a full-priced title. This game seemed to be a wonderful deal at $40 or $50, but $70 really felt like it was pushing it. I was hoping a hands-on impression would prove me wrong.Â
A beautiful showcase for the Switch 2’s power
First off, the game looks gorgeous. The colors really pop, with grass blowing in the wind and water shimmering as you surf over it. Each of the levels are unique-looking, with easy-to-distinguish turns and track layouts. I feel like they’ll easily be committed to memory. Each of the characters has a ton of animations, both on the track and in the Paddock, the section for custom lobbies where you can move and jump around with friends to your hearts’ content.Â
The many insane particle effects from the races, not to mention each of the City Trial deathmatch modes are all ably pulled off without a hitch in the framerate by a very capable Switch 2. I’m impressed to see it, but perhaps this is just the quality that we can expect from games built from the ground-up for Switch 2. Even among the demo’s limited roster, there’s quite a bit of variety, with many more characters promised for the full release. The vehicles have their own animations and personalities as well, with certain environmental quirks for each.
Simple to learn, perhaps not so simple to master
Air Ride mode was about what I expected – a straightforward racing mode that’s so simple, Sakurai even mentioned in the Direct that you can theoretically program the controls so the game is playable with one hand, if you so desire. You’ll move forward automatically, holding down B to slow a little, allow yourself to turn sharply, charge up a boost, and release it to shoot forward. The boosts are mostly useful for powersliding, a.k.a. skidding around sharp corners without losing too much momentum. You can also inhale enemies waddling around the track to gain certain temporary boosts, projectiles, or abilities, and also activate your character’s unique special abilities, which can range from offensive slashing (Kirby) to jet-hammer boosting at ludicrous speeds (King Dedede).Â
There were three levels to choose from in the demo, namely Floria Fields, Waveflow Waters, and Mount Amberfalls. The final game is set to have 18 Air Ride tracks, with no DLC. Waveflow Waters is by far the standout of the three tracks, as it’s both gorgeous and a technical showcase that swiftly takes you between impossible water structures, over a whirlpool, and even the middle of a crashed vessel. Floria Fields is a basic starting track, with comfy and lustrous views that really pop, and I gradually came to enjoy the fall colors, waterfalls, and winding forest paths of the clearly Nikko National Park-inspired Mount Amberfalls (which is complete with a tribute to the Irohazaka Winding Road of Initial D fame).
Of course, I gradually came to understand that Kirby Air Riders is not a game primarily about racing. It is equally an arcade game focusing on vehicular combat, as you’re not gonna have a good time if you don’t also inhale the various NPCs and utilize their abilities to shoot at your foes, or else give yourself a quick boost, etc. The game demands that you play aggressively, and its insanely fast pace ensures that if your reflexes are not up to snuff, you’ll be left in the dust. While there will presumably be variable levels of difficulty in the final game (the CPUs in the demo were locked to Level 3), I wonder what appeal this will hold for the very young players that are the typical demographic for Kirby games (or at least, they used to be).
As for the 16-player City Trial mode, I can definitely see the appeal. This small but vertically layered map makes for a bed of absolute chaos, with the ability to collect various items to boost your stats for the coming deathmatch, instantly swap rides with any vehicle you encounter, attack opponents, and fight random large enemies for buffs. It is addictive, mind-numbing dumb fun.Â
You’ll want to dodge the power-ups which are actually debuffs – their only visual difference is in a lack of color, which won’t be fun for my colorblind friends. Then when the countdown ends, the contest begins, and the players get to vote on where their doom will be decided. It’s not just limited to races, either. There’s full-on melee fights ala Kirby’s Dream Buffet where you and your foes will be dishing the hurt on one another, a laser-dodging contest, and even a high-jump contest, which felt frankly kinda lame. There’s seemingly something for every loadout, and the game recommends whichever contest is best for your build.
This style of competitive gameplay is really not my cup of tea. For one, the time you spend going around for buffs, fighting off your fellow players and NPCs might amount to nothing in the end. There’s no sense of teamwork or cooperation whatsoever, just a highly competitive twitch-fest that will likely hold a lot of appeal to those with a drive to survive and limited attention spans. The locations of certain key power-ups are somewhat fixed, but others appear in breakable boxes and are very random. Here, the random contest at the end seems to somewhat cheapen the ordeal. I honestly think that the 3DS’ Smash Run mode held more appeal in the sense that you know what kind of contest awaits at the end. But that’s my personal preference and not a knock against the mode as a whole.
Why not show off the other modes?
The more I was playing Kirby Air Riders, the more I was glad of its existence, but simultaneously puzzled at why Nintendo and Sakurai would put so much effort into what is ostensibly, at its heart, a simple arcade vehicular combat game with various other modes not seen here, such as Top Ride and Road Trip.Â
Top Ride seems simple enough, a top-down racing mode akin to a mini-game where you traverse tracks that can either zoom out or simply fill your screen. This stands as a great contrast to the hyper-kinect main modes of the game. Road Trip seems like it will be this game’s equivalent of a campaign/story mode, with full-on cutscenes and challenges that showcase the game’s variety of playstyles and content. Why they went into such great detail in the Nintendo Directs only to exclude both from the demo, and to also limit the time players have with the already sparse demo, is beyond me.Â
Unfortunately, as with previous Switch 2 demos, Nintendo’s limiting the play-test time to certain hours of the day made it frustrating for me to find time to engage with it at length. I was working during nearly the entire play-test on Saturday, and went to church on Sunday morning. So I only had about two hours to spend diving into Sakurai’s latest, but I felt like that was enough to get a good idea of what this arcade racer’s main loops are like.Â
I won’t be picking up Kirby Air Riders at retail. From what I’ve seen here, plus in the Nintendo Directs, I can’t justify the $70 price tag, as I’d probably only play it for 12-15 hours before moving on to more interesting titles. The $50 Amiibo that are releasing, while interchangeable, also feel like a punch right in the wallet. I’m a father of two and sole provider. I cannot be throwing money at such frivolities.
I remember when Amiibo first debuted at the very reasonable price of about $13 each. Now, good luck finding a new one under $30. Those were the days. Anyway, if you’re a fan of the original Kirby Air Ride, you’ll probably end up loving this game. I really enjoyed the time that I spent with it. I just don’t think it’s worth what they’re asking, especially seeing as I have the free Mario Kart Tour on my mobile phone whenever I want some simple vehicular combat with a slice of racing.
About the Author – Joseph Choi
Filipino-American gamer, professional shepherd and farmer, author, and filmmaker/videographer living in Central California. First consoles were the Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and I’ve been gaming since then, with a focus on Nintendo and Sony consoles.
