kirby air riders nintendo
Kirby Air Riders: Nintendo’s Next Big Hit or Total Mayhem? Explore the unpredictable thrills of Nintendo’s latest title, combining high-speed racing, battle arenas, and outrageous chaos in one unforgettable experience.
There aren’t many games that truly leave me speechless, but Kirby Air Riders did exactly that. After my first go-around with it, I was left completely stunned—not because it was bad, but because I couldn’t decide what exactly happened.
It all started like a normal trip to Nintendo’s Windsor headquarters. One minute I was passing the historic palace where British kings lived; after this, I was described by Nintendo representatives as “Smash on wheels.” And honestly, that description couldn’t be more accurate.
Kirby Air Riders is Masahiro Sakurai’s latest experiment—an ambitious attempt to merge kart racing with the frenetic chaos of Super Smash Bros. The result is a game that is equal parts exhilarating, confusing, and completely unpredictable. Within minutes, it became clear that this was not your typical kart racer.
Let’s make one thing clear: Kirby Air Riders is not trying to compete with Mario Kart World or Sonic Racing: Crossworlds. This game is doing its job perfectly. It’s a mix of a racer, a brawler, and a party game, all mixed into a bright, pink, sugar-fueled whirlwind. It’s the kind of experience that defies quick explanation. You can’t summarize it in one sentence—it probably took an entire TED Talk to present it. The only real way to understand Kirby Air Ride is to play it yourself.
What strikes you first is Sakurai’s unmistakable touch. The menus, character screens, and even the fonts—it all looks like it’s taken straight from Super Smash Bros. The layout, the structure, the feel—everything radiates the same energy. No question is behind this game.
But as much as everyone respects Sakurai’s creative talent, Kirby Air Ride sometimes feels like the product of a team that never told him “no.” It’s full of eccentric ideas, and while that’s part of its charm, it’s also one of the most chaotic gaming experiences I’ve ever had. It’s fast, furious, colorful, and confusing. It’s an explosion of all the ideas happening at once. You will either love every second of it or find yourself completely bewildered.
Before jumping into the main mode, I spent some time in the practice area to get familiar with the controls. At first, everything seemed pretty straightforward—until I realized you don’t actually control your acceleration. Vehicles move automatically, leaving you free to focus on combat. You will turn into rivals, sucking up NPCs to steal their abilities and launching attacks in the middle of the race. It’s a strange but free design choice.
Another twist is the drifting mechanics—or rather, the lack of one. Instead of traditional drift, you basically pull on a handbrake to charge up boost, then release it to slingshot around corners. It’s unconventional but surprisingly fun once you get the hang of it.
At this stage, I thought I had the game figured out. The mechanics were awkward but manageable, and the speed was comfortable. Then I started the actual race, and that’s when things went completely off the rails.
In Air Ride mode, you travel through three unique tracks full of hazards, shortcuts, and hidden surprises. Each course feels lively and unpredictable, constantly throwing something new at you. It’s part racer, part brawler, and part obstacle course. But even here, the game shows its true colors—it’s not designed for everyone. Unlike Mario Kart, which appeals to anyone with a controller, Kirby Air Ride is more exclusive. The mechanics are quirky, and the chaos can be overwhelming at times. Still, once you find the rhythm, there’s something fun about it.
And then came City Trials—the moment when Kirby Air Ride abandoned all pretense of being a normal game and plunged into complete anarchy. City Trials is a mix of arena battles, party challenges, and open-world scavenging. It’s divided into two stages, and both are completely crazy in the best possible way.
The first stage is five minutes of frantic melee on a huge city map. Players race to collect floating icons that represent various vehicle statistics—speed, handling, defense, attack, and more. You can also change vehicles on the fly, each with its own personality and uniqueness. The problem is that these upgrades and vehicle options will continue until the final event, which can be anything from a race to a brawl. So, in theory, you are making a strategy. In reality, you’re just panicking, running around trying to grab everything before someone else does.
Sometimes, random world events pop up—small battles or sudden challenges that can net you big bonuses if you’re fast enough to react. It’s wild and unpredictable. Then, after those five minutes of mayhem, the game takes you into one of several final events—a battle, a dart-throwing contest, a race full of traps, or something else entirely. Each one feels completely different, and none of them matter much. But that’s part of the fun.
By the end of my practical session, I was both happy and exhausted. Kirby Air Riders is a sensory overload in the best and worst ways. It is an explosion of color, sound, and motion that refuses to slow down even for a second.
Despite somehow winning all three City Trial matches I played, I can’t tell you how I did it. There was no plan, no grand strategy—just instinct, luck, and a willingness to succumb to madness. This is Kirby Air Ride in a nutshell: a game that rewards chaos and spontaneity more than skill or precision.
Sakurai’s ambition is clear. This is a project full of creativity and bold ideas. It wants to be a racing game, a fighting game, and a party game all at the same time. But that ambition comes with risks. The complexity and intensity make it difficult to recommend it to everyone. It doesn’t have the easy charm of Mario Kart or the elegant simplicity of Super Smash Bros. Instead, it’s a game for players who love experimentation and don’t mind a bit of beautiful chaos.
Still, I can’t help but admire it. There’s something infectious about its wild energy, even if it’s completely overwhelming. It’s not perfect, but it’s unforgettable. Some players will fall in love with the chaos; others will walk away shaking their heads, wondering what just happened.
I haven’t had a chance to try everything out yet—modes like single-player “Road Trip” and the returning “Top Ride” are still waiting to be discovered. They may define the game when it officially launches for Switch 2. But one thing’s for sure: whether you love it or despise it, you’ll never forget your first ride on Kirby Air Ride.