Kirby Air Riders Hands-On: Chaotic Fun & Strategy…

It's hard to believe it has been over 20 years since Kirby Air Ride graced the Nintendo GameCube with its presence, and then again, it's also not hard to believe, given how quickly the game was phased out. Originally criticized as being overly simple and finding it difficult to compete with similar GameCube giants like F-Zero GX and Mario Kart: Double Dash, Kirby Air Ride's legacy was, unfortunately, rather short-lived. Now, Kirby Air Riders, the sequel to the 2003 former one-off spin-off, is flying in on a warp star with a drastically different approach to its predecessor's gameplay that might be enough to secure it a spot at the front of the line.

The Best War Games recently spent close to two hours with Kirby Air Riders at a hands-on event in New York. The smallest portion of our time was devoted to learning the ropes and playing its Air Ride mode, which is essentially the game's racing experience. However, the majority of our time was spent with Kirby Air Riders' City Trial mode — arguably the crown jewel of the now-series. Even after only a couple of hours with the game, if there is one thing that is abundantly clear, it's that Kirby Air Riders is not Mario Kart in the slightest, and that's the best thing it could have hoped for. Instead, it might actually have something going for it here that could give the Kirby Air Ride name the shot in the arm it needed over 20 years ago.

Kirby Air Riders Is Complete Chaos and All-Out Fun

In the best way possible, I was completely overwhelmed by the 47-minute Kirby Air Riders Direct, simply because it felt packed with so many different mechanics to remember. The showcase was enough to silence the critique of the first game's simplicity, introducing a sequel that seems complex and mechanically intricate. Fortunately, the devs had us begin our time with the game by completing a few of its lessons (of which there are many), and it was enough to at least get the machine rolling.

First of all, it must be mentioned that Kirby Air Riders is not your average racing game. In fact, it's not a racing game at all. Technically classified as a "vehicle action game" by the devs, it's more like Super Smash Bros. With vehicles and a racing mode on the side, but with everything dialed up to a degree of chaos that even the biggest matches in Smash history couldn't rival. That's really what made these first few lessons worth it in the end, although merely learning how to drift, fly, attack, and use Specials wasn't enough to prepare me for what came next.

Kirby Air Riders' racing mode, Air Ride, might seem a bit basic from the outside looking in, but there's more going on here than meets the eye. On the surface, yes, it's a race to the finish, with the goal being the first one to cross the finish line. However, there are a multitude of ways to get to that finish line, and it starts with both the racer and the machine players choose before the race begins.

As its name implies, Kirby Air Riders has over a dozen different riders players can choose from, and each one has a unique ability and a Special (Kirby has four — one for each of his colors) they can use once they fill their Special meter by attacking rival riders and enemies. Additionally, every rider in the game can use a "capture" skill that temporarily grants them Copy Abilities of whichever character they capture. Kirby does this with the traditional inhale, but other riders have their way of capturing foes. Finally, every rider in Kirby Air Riders has distinct stats, and since each machine has different stats as well, just because two players are using the same character doesn't necessarily mean they will be equally matched.

Again, Air Ride might sound simple, but if you go into it feeling like you're going to coast with your Mario Kart skills, you're in for a rude awakening. Kirby Air Riders' Air Ride mode is all about trying to finish first, but you're required to do so using your rider, your machine, your abilities, your Specials, and your skill. But the real enemy isn't even the other riders most of the time — it's the speed and intensity of every one of these races.

During the preview, I was able to play through one race on Kirby Air Riders' Floria Fields track and then another race on Waveflow Waters, both of which were extremely fast-paced, to the point that I was occasionally bumping into walls and unable to see the riders ahead of me at times. That being said, there is a rhythm you fall into after you've played, even for a few minutes, where you start to get a feel for what the game wants from you.

For myself, it was just a bit difficult to break away from some Mario Kart habits, but once it clicked that I couldn't play Kirby Air Riders the same way, it felt like I finally had the reins. A lot of that even came down to the fact that almost every action apart from Specials is performed with a single button, and while that might make it sound easier, it's tough to get used to. Even with the learning curve, however, Kirby Air Riders' Air Ride mode is a really fun time. Again, it occupied the shortest portion of my time with the game, but it was time well spent. At the very least, it prepared me for Kirby Air Riders' main event: City Trial.

Kirby Air Riders' City Trial Mode Is the Main Event

Kirby Air Ride's City Trial mode was perhaps the one thing that made it gain the cult following it eventually did over 20 years ago, and I can see why, if Kirby Air Riders' version of it is any indication. The preview saw us spending most of our time playing this mode, allowing those of us in the room to play it three times, and even compete against one another, with the remaining space in the roster filled with CPU opponents.

Each City Trial match in Kirby Air Riders takes place on a fairly large island, though it certainly "shrinks" in size as you improve your top speed. It's beautiful, for one thing, with vibrant colors and plenty of unique sights to see, like a volcano in the distance or an underground cave with neon crystals. Also, while the same chaotic intensity of Air Ride carries over to City Trial, it's arguably even more intense and competitive, simply because there is just so much going on. The bulk of its gameplay revolves around improving your machine's stats by collecting Power-Up Patches and participating in random events, after which players can choose from a random selection of stadiums that each have unique gameplay mechanics and goals.

Kirby Air Riders Power Up Patches and Boxes

Every City Trial match begins with five minutes on the clock, and players are given an opportunity to prepare for the Stadium by collecting Power-Up Patches that increase various machine stats. While many of these patches can be picked up by simply running over them, others are hidden in boxes or must be collected by participating in random events. Players can attack their opponents for additional Power-Ups as well, and there are even some valuable patches hidden around the island in hard-to-reach places.

Throughout this segment of City Trial, players may also need to change their machine. If their machine is damaged, for instance, it's recommended that they find a vacant machine somewhere on the island and use it instead. It also matters which machine players are on when the five minutes are up, as that is the machine they will take with them into the Stadium. Again, this is a crucial decision, as even though City Trial allows you to customize your overarching stats, the machine's type still comes into play. For instance, machines with wheels can't fly, so it wouldn't be wise to choose a Stadium that requires you to fly if you have one.

Kirby Air Riders City Trial Random Event

By and large, every match of City Trial was an incredible time. The devs did recommend that we pay attention to which Power-Up Patches we were collecting, simply because we might want to have more control over which Stadiums we would perform best in. However, I found it just as fun to collect as many Power-Ups as I possibly could as a way to roll the dice on what my machine would be like by the end of the match. To do so, I had to barrel my way through boxes, enemies, and other riders, often confusingly, depending on how fast I was moving. But I found it satisfying just to collect as much as I could within the five minutes allotted to me, just to make it to one of the Stadiums with a machine that was usually almost maxed out in at least one or two stats.

Kirby Air Riders' Stadiums were peak entertainment as well, granting different gameplay and goals depending on which one was chosen. My personal favorite was Gourmet Race, which was literally just a race to see who could collect the most food within the time limit. By the time I had reached this Stadium, my machine was incredibly fast and could fly very easily, so I was able to reach the top of the map and collect some of the most valuable food in the game. Giant watermelons and italian ice littered the rooftops as well, granting me even more points toward my score.

Another Stadium called Sky Dive saw me diving through rings, each of which had a score corresponding to it, all while avoiding traps. Each rider's score was then totaled at the end of the game, and the highest score won. There are other Stadiums that are a bit less cozy, like actual races or free-for-all battle royales, but they all seem like a great deal of fun.

Kirby Air Riders Hands-On Preview: Final Thoughts

After over two decades, Kirby Air Riders feels like more than just a sequel or a revival of a cult classic. Rather, it's almost a full reinvention that refuses to be just another racing game. Air Ride scratches the competitive itch for anyone who loves speed and just wants to race, but it's City Trial that gives the sequel its unique identity, with a great deal of chaos and strategy that makes every match feel different. And then there's plenty of room for experimentation with all the different riders and machines to choose from. Kirby Air Riders may be overwhelming at first, but once you settle into its rhythm, it shows the potential to be not just a worthy follow-up, but the game that gives the series the long life it was always capable of.

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