“Waddle Doo!” I cheer at the top of my lungs. I just lost an online race in Kirby Air Riders, but I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been trying to unlock the Waddle Doo all week by using a specific item in a specific mode, but I’ve been so unlucky to find it that this otherwise insignificant race has become a huge achievement. Kirby Air Riders, the latest game from beloved director Masahiro Sakurai, is full of moments like this. The game is filled with his distinctive style, making bold imaginative choices, even if this limits the game’s appeal to a slightly narrower audience.
The original Kirby Air Ride game for the GameCube is a racing game that uses only one button, and the sequel adds a (rarely used) second button. These basic controls suggest that the gameplay is similarly basic and perhaps even lifeless, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Since the B button drifts, charges a buff, inhales enemies, uses a copy skill, and drops you in the air, the timing and duration requirements are precise. Anyone can take Kirby Air Riders and ride to the end of the race, but it takes several races to master it and the skill ceiling is high.
The machines are also divided into several categories – stars, wheeled vehicles and tanks, to name a few – and they all drive differently. Even within these categories, each machine has different stats (there are nine of them) and customized abilities that can range from gaining unique power-ups to completely reworking drift mechanics. The same goes for the game’s 20+ playable riders, which combines every inch of Kirby’s backstory for the characters. For every Meta Knight and Waddle Dee, there’s a Scarfy or Rick, and you’ll undoubtedly learn the names of Kirby enemies you’ve seen a million times and never thought much about. Riders also have unique statistics and skills, as well as their own special ability that charges during the race.
While this is a boon for Kirby fans and those who enjoy unlockables, this huge variety can make the game overwhelming for fresh players. In single-player, the rider and machine selection screens show the stats and skills for each option, but when you add more than one player to the mix, it creates a condensed Smash Bros.-like selection screen that hides the finer details. If you don’t warn your friend that the chilly looking Bulk Star has a unique acceleration mechanic, they will jump into the game and be confused as to why it isn’t moving. The right machine can make a huge difference, and if I wasn’t the one who unlocked it, I’d be frustrated trying to find the right one for me without watching the tutorial.
These riders and machines can be used in one of four main modes. Air Ride is a standard race featuring six competitors and a series of beautifully designed tracks, each bombarding you with color, style and catchy soundtracks. Top Ride is a condensed top-down view of the game that further simplifies the controls, and while I initially wrote it off, over time I came to find this bite-sized competition exhilarating. City Trial is an extended competition in which players explore an open map to collect upgrades before a massive event at the end, which may include races, battles, gliding challenges, cooperative boss fights, and much more. Of the included modes, I enjoy playing solo the least because repeatedly exploring the city gets lifeless after a while. You can play any of the above-mentioned online modes, but be prepared to wait. Joining any match usually takes a few minutes, and I spent more time waiting than playing.
Finally, there’s Road Trip, Kirby Air Riders’ solo story mode. Like all of Kirby’s stories, it starts off cute and whimsical and ends on a dim and apocalyptic tone, which I really like. In Road Trip, the player travels through long stretches of highway, encountering micro-challenges along the way, such as the stadium challenges at the end of City Trial, all while being chased by the mysterious Noir Dedede. The whole thing only takes about two hours, but I almost can’t imagine doing it all in one sitting. The pace of the mini-games is relentless, and by the end they chain together and feel a bit repetitive. Regardless, this mode is worth checking out as it’s probably the best time I’ve had with Kirby Air Riders while playing solo.
The wealth of achievements and unlockables in the game is another one of my favorite parts. There are hundreds of challenges, divided by game mode, that the player can complete and unlock, ranging from stickers and decals to tracks, riders and machines. You’ll almost certainly score a few goals in your first dozen or so races in any mode, and then you’ll have a consistent reason to come back and try another route or another competitor. Having so many unlockables makes you feel nostalgic, as many newfangled multiplayer games aim to even the playing field and get you competitive as quickly as possible. It also makes you appreciate each element of the game more because it’s unlocked one at a time. I don’t think I would be rooting for “Waddle Doo!” just like I did when I unlocked them if they were available in the character select screen from the start.
Kirby Air Riders is an inflexible experience, forcing the player to learn the mechanics and apply all the modes to get the most out of it, and it’s a better game for it. The gameplay is simple to learn but arduous to master, and with such a wide variety of machines and modes, there are many different definitions of what this mastery looks like. It’s a game with a robust, unique identity that probably won’t unnerve your favorite racing game, but it doesn’t try. Kirby Air Riders is a shining star all to itself and I can’t lend a hand but respect her for that.
