With trailer after trailer in the last couple of weeks, Nintendo really wants you to know that Kirby Air Riders is coming out this month. We previously talked about the game’s new Road Trip story mode and the global Test Ride demo, but this new Overview trailer breaks down everything in a condensed manner. The trailer is in Japanese, though, so turn on the Auto-translated captions before you click play.
Control Scheme And Characters
The trailer starts by explaining the basics of the controls. Like the original Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, this Switch 2 game can be controlled with just two buttons: the left analog stick and the B button. You use the left stick for steering, while the B button serves as your brake, drift, and Boost Charge button.
Yes, that’s really how this works. Holding the button while driving will cause you to slow down or brake, holding with turning will cause you to draft, and suddenly pressing the button B as you come to a stop will charge up boost. Let go of the button, and you’ll perform a boost dash. The idea is to promote accessibility, and Marc Kaliroff of Goomba Stomp expertly dived into this one-button philosophy and why it worked in the original.
The game will feature most of the iconic characters from the Kirby franchise. Here’s the full list for now:
- Kirby
- King Dedede
- Meta Knight
- Bandana Waddle Dee
- Knuckle Joe
- Cappy
- Star Man
- Magolor
- Susie
Here’s a list of the vehicles in the game and their unique characteristics, according to Nintendo:
- Warp Star: Both drives and glides perfectly well. An easy ride with no clear weaknesses.
- Winged Star: Slow when ground-bound, but soars gracefully whenever it takes flight.
- Wheelie Bike: Races ahead on a single wheel. An interesting design compared to star-type machines.
- Paper Star: Light as paper with impressive flight capabilities. Fragile, but offers excellent acceleration.
- Tank Star: Rushes forward on Boost Dashes. Boost Charges help it tackle turns at a rapid pace
Air Ride And City Trial
Alongside the main Road Trip story mode and the return of Top Ride, Kirby Air Riders has two more interesting modes: Air Ride and City Trial. Air Ride looks to be your typical Grand Prix experience, similar to Mario Kart. Your objective is to finish first, and you can pick up stars to go faster or even copy rival drivers’ abilities to gain an advantage. Each rider also has a unique special ability that can be used against their opponents.
City Trials consists of multiple challenges, where you can zip around the city of Skyah in a free-for-all battle with up to 16 other players. As you explore the city, you get five minutes to collect power-ups, prepare your mission, and enter the Stadium contest. Here, you’ll be presented with one of four different challenges, with each having different win conditions. There’s certainly a lot on offer here, and Kirby Air Riders is shaping up to be a must-buy for those who own a Nintendo Switch 2.
