I loved my GameCube. However, I must admit that some games slipped through the cracks for me. Kirby Air Ride was one of them. Fortunately, I have a chance to rectify that with the upcoming release of the newest game in the series, Kirby Air Riders.
And after watching the Nintendo Direct for it, I understand why I was getting judged for not playing the first game.
Masahiro Sakurai looks like he had fun making Kirby Air Riders
The first thing I noticed was how relaxed Sakurai looked in the video. I may not have been into the first game, but I am a diehard Smash Bros fan. And it’s well known how stressful and exhausting the development of that game tends to be on him. So, I’m very happy to see him having fun with this Direct. He even started it off t in a tongue-in-cheek way telling us all how tough game development is.
He made a reference to Mario Kart, and I definitely see it. But just going off the control scheme and how taking corners works, the strategy here seems to be different. Especially with the way the different machines operate and handle. The slowdown and almost full stop before bursting out of the turn is going to be a huge adjustment for me personally.
One thing I have always enjoyed about Sakurai’s videos is how detailed he gets. Because why not explain to me how important it is not to push up on the stick, thinking it would make me accelerate? And then it came time for him to show us Kirby Air Riders in motion for real. First of all, I know he made the game, but starting off slow on purpose and then walking the CPU down was cool as hell.
Secondly, that water track might be the most amazing-looking one I’ve ever seen in a racing game. There’s more in the direct that sold me on the game. But I’d be lying if the visuals didn’t immediately grab me.
Kirby Air Riders is releasing for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20th, 2025.
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