Sakurai's 'Kirby Air Riders' Is Speeding Onto Switch 2

LETS

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

not what i expected here, but if its sakurai its gonna be amazing. SO HYPED AFTER THAT DIRECT!!!!

Really disappointed Sakurai's mystery project didn't turn out to involve Kid Icarus but maybe someday I guess. I was never a fan of the original Air Ride so I'll pass on this but neat for the people who did like it.

That was a dramatic opening trailer. Kirby has no chill. Also take that star to a mechanic.

Weird to have this and Mario Kart in the same year, but whatever. Was hoping the Sakurai game would be Kid Icarus. Still a fun announcement for sure.

I don't even have a joke for this one, this looks so sick. Thank you, Sakurai.

Kirby air ride: zero gravity for Nintendo kinect

As soon as I saw that Kirby render, I knew that we were having Sakurai direct it. So hyped for this. Kirby stocks are through the roof

Wished I had a drink to spit out about this.

Never played the original but it looked fun, can’t wait to see gameplay.

Did we need Kirby Kart, when we have Mario Kart?

@thenikdavies fun fact: Mario Kart Double Dash, Kirby Air Ride, and Fzero GX all released in 2003. This isn't the first time.

@Clammy Air Ride was better than Double Dash, imo. Plus, they can coexist.

It looks glorious! It was a great surprise I’m glad it didn’t get spoiled

Yes, yes, yes. A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!! Loved playing Air Ride back in the day so seeing this nearly made me faint. God what a time to be alive.

Did not play as much of it as I should have back in the day. Redemption awaits. Good news again.

Pretty disappointed that this turned out to be Sakurai's next project. The original was fun, but nothing amazing.

At least it's a new entry, and not simply a remake.

Hope it's good.

Ive been waiting GENERATIONS for this game! LET'S GOOOO!

I like how they don't tell us who is developing any of their games except if Sakurai is involved.

I like Kirby but never played the original Air Ride. I will almost certainly get this.

Can’t believe we got this before an F-Zero sequel lol

But Im intrigued

I'm just really happy that Sakurai finally gets to make a game for Kirby his beloved again.

The only small disappointment in my opinion is the reveal of the possible vehicles consisting of wheels, because if it stuck to only flying vehicles then the tracks could have been much more wild. I'm worried it might feel a little too comparable to Mario Kart if the tracks only stay on the ground!

@Fizza
It’s not surprising especially if we consider that they might have let him pick whatever he wanted for his next game, he’s talked about and referenced the original considerably over the years.

This won’t make me get the Switch 2 any sooner, but this is awesome. The original was so overrated!

YES! YES! ALL MY YES!

I absolutely LOVE the original Air Ride, Kirby is pretty much my favorite game series overall, and Sakurai is my favorite game director. This is going to be nothing short of incredible.

I adore Smash (remember, Sakurai is my favorite game director), but this is probably even more exciting for me right now. I understand that we won't get a new Smash for some time because of this, but it's absoutely worth it. I can't believe it.

It looks fun , but kinda surprised that they would release it in the same year as Mario kart world. You think they would save it for next year

I can't believe they are doing this! I love the first Air Ride so much, I'm still in disbelief 😭❤️

Why though? Why announce this the same time as Mario Kart? The direct really needed more variety

Hopefully this is better than the original. I invite everyone who haven’t played it or for those that have played it in the past to play it again. It didn’t age well. The game wasn’t the best. It literally had a 1 button control and the courses were just ok. The best part of the game was the open work tech demo but it wasn’t ground breaking or fun for very long… nostalgia memories can be deceiving.

It's Kirby time...

I'm not like foaming at the mouth about this but I'll get any game that Sakurai is behind.

@tabris95 Exactly my thoughts. No way this will be better than Mario Kart.

Damn I should have bought the original before now. Now we're going to a premium.

Edit: bought it.

so we have mario kart, ports, another racer, and rock breaking from TOTK. yikes

Sakurai returning to the Kirby series after over 20 years is incredible, really looking forward to this

@Yoshi3 with the way Air Ride played, you should look into this. That game was BONKERS (pun intended).

Timing feels a bit weird with this one, we're getting 2 mascot racers from nintendo on the switch 2 in year 1? I might pick this up but feel like it's going to be eclipsed by mario kart

As someone who played a lot of Kirby air ride when he was a kid this made me so excited! And the fact that daddy sakurai is working on this only cements the fact that this is gonna be game of the year.

YES!!!!!! HOLY EXPLETIVES YES!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot properly put into words how happy I am about this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's hoping they bring back City Trial, and with multiple cities to play in!

We're f***ing winning today everyone!

@Tendogamerxxx I dunno, man. I got it last year and thought it was fun. You just gotta get used to it.

This one is a dream come true. I really hope they show more soon. So many hours spent on the 1st one on GameCube was amazing

I have been plating Air Ride on my Homebrew Wii.

At best, it is kind of interesting. Would have worked better as a free-to-play game for NSO.

And to compete in the launch year with Mario Kart World.... ? Weird decision.

Actually, I've been meaning to own it forever. So I jumped onto eBay real quick and just laid down $55 while it is still semi-affordable.

2 first party racing games so close? I thinkt would be in the shadow of MKW for the majority of players.

I never played the original, but we're getting a new Mario Kart so even if I pickup the Switch 2, I'd most likely pass on a second racing game.....or is this not a racing game?

Is this essentially a Kirby style Mario Kart game?

Honestly the highlight of the Direct for me. When those motors appeared on Kirby's Warp Star, I literally jumped around and screamed. So many good memories of racing/playing City Trial with friends. And Sakurai's back in the director's chair too?!

@Theghostofkeithmoon look up Kirby Air Ride for GameCube

I still want kid icarus remake on switch 2..

Can a fan of the original explain what makes this different enough from Mario Kart to justify two Nintendo racing games in the same year? Looks fun and I'll probably pick it up but just not sure what separates it.

Kirby Air Ride was a game I remember seeing and being a little intrigued by back then, but when I played a copy my sister got some years ago, it just didn't really grab me. I probably just didn't give it enough time though.

I'm happy to see Sakurai work on a Kirby game again. The series has grown so much since he left. I'm pretty sure it'll be different enough from Mario Kart. I have no doubt it'll be great!

WE ARE SO BACK

@Gryffin Took a look. Yeah. A Kirby racing game. Surprising, considering the MK10 spotlight

This was revealed as early as it was, in CG only form, entirely to keep Smash speculators from drowning any and all discussion for the next 2 to 3 years while they try and find someone else to take over.

Still nice, but a bit surprising, to see Sakurai actually return to HAL and Air Ride after all these years.

Sequel to Kirby Air Ride, and the fact that that is Sakurai's new project, was an unexptected reveal but it is a welcome one. This is the first time in decades that Sakurai is directly involved in a Kirby game.😊

I mean, fine, I guess.

@BigRed40 Sure!
Mario Kart Double Dash, Kirby Air Ride, and F-Zero GX came out in the same year for the GameCube as well, by the way. So did F-Zero GP Legend for the GBA.

Anyway, they are super distinct.
There are 3 main modes: a normal race that you would expect, a top-down mode on smaller stages and completely different powerups and mechanics (like the Super Off Road arcade game), and City Trial, which is exactly like Smash Run, if you've played Smash 3DS: you explore a city freely, collecting upgrades and discovering secrets, while interacting with the other players, and you get a random (or pre-decided) challenge at the end, which could be a regular race, a deathmatch, a boss battle, a "try to fly into the middle of this target as much as you can" competition, the list goes on.

Being a Sakurai game, it's filled with content and unlockables. It was the first appearance of his Challenges board later used in Smash games and I think Kid Icarus as well: there's a checkerboard where each square represents a challenge, but you don't know what they are. Every time you clear one (by accident or on purpose), the ones around it get revealed, and by completing them, you usually unlock new characters, rides, music, etc. There is a board for each mode with I think 120 challenges apiece, so there are overall 360 different challenges to go for across all 3 main modes.

Being a Sakurai game, it's also pretty cleverly designed. Not only are the modes very different and interesting, but the controls are very unique as well: you only use one button other than the control stick. By tapping this button, you can inhale enemies to spit them out or get their abilities, and by holding it, you brake with most vehicles, but get a boost when releasing it. Since most vehicles don't stop on the spot, this is basically how you drift in the game, as you start charging around the corner, and release it after you've turned to keep your momentum.

Also all vehicles control very differently. In Mario Kart, most karts control roughly the same, with relatively minor differences in speed, acceleration, or handling.
In Air Ride, most work very uniquely. There is one that literally can't brake, making it harder to control for beginners, but it also means you won't lose any speed at corners. There's one that accelerates immadiately, but won't turn at all - except if you brake, in which case it stops also immediately, meaning you need to stop each time you need to go anywhere except in a straight line. There are ones that can't fly at all, but have other advantages, and there are ones that can fly much more than others, but have lower stats overall. There's also one that doesn't even start moving by itself; you'll have to charge it for a pretty long time to fill it with fuel, after which point it starts to move incredibly fast - until it's out of fuel. And the list goes on.

Bottom line, it's a super unique game.

A cherry in a barrel full of acid

@8bit-Man

(suggestion: check spelling of thy previous message here)

@Mario500 Thanks! That was a pretty funny auto-correct though!

It's not a system-seller for me, but I did enjoy the first Kirby Air Ride on the Gamecube, and revisit it from time to time!

If I get a Switch 2 at some point down the line, I'll likely be picking this up in some way or another.

I was wondering when we'll be getting a Kirby's Air Ride sequel and I'm glad we finally get one.

Thank you, Sakurai! You are a legend incarnate!

Looks like a game, which I will like.

@Theghostofkeithmoon agreed, it's an odd choice highlighting two racing games. Not sure why they didn't wait for the Kirby announcement.

While this is a nice surprise. Mario Kart World and Sonic Racing Crossroads already crowd the market this year. But hey I guess racing connoisseurs get to eat big with three flavors of party racers.

Looks super! Another one I'll get. There was like 10 games in that unveiling that I want to play, that's a very high yield from a Direct.

I'm pretty indifferent to Kirby's Air Ride, but it's nice to see Kirby's dad return for a new game. Wasn't the OG Air Ride the last Kirby game Sakurai was involved with? Kind of poetic.

Really cool that it's announced, but with Mario Kart World as a launch title this isn't smart timing.

YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kirby's papa comes home. Very nice surprise.

The original Kirby Air Ride is a weak game...4/10 game.

For $80 it needs to be absolutely fantastic game now.

Lets see..

Someone said Sakurai was talking with HAL to think it was Kirby Air Riders. Words cannot express how excited I am for this game. I don't even care that it is priced at $80. This and Donkey probably the only games I am getting until the prices go down. Because yikes...especially with what is happening to this country no thanks.

They didn't show much, and I know nothing about the original game. Is this really that exciting?

It looked like Mario Kart, but flying through a Pikmin world. Are people going to pay $70 for that?

The video for Smash's World of Light makes the warp star appear to be faster than an F-Zero racer. Thinking about that is the closest I can come to getting hyped for this.