Kirby Air Riders Zooms Onto Switch 2 This November

Game looks amazing and Sakurai was a delight as always.

What got the biggest reaction out of me though, whether it was intentional or not, was his savage roast of Mario Kart World's racer count when he talked about the 6 racer limit. Absolutely loved it and I'm sure it'll be all over the internet pretty soon.

Marked on the calendar. Looks fantastic, and I'll be there day one.

Okay. I just do not see it. This is a very easy pass for me.

I won't be there day 1 since I don't have a Switch 2 yet, but dang, this game definitely makes me want to get a Switch 2 at some point.

After watching the Direct (and having my wife, bless her, narrate the whole 45 minutes because I couldn't read the subtitles), I'm not sold on this game in the slightest. I know in the grand scheme of things Nintendo's games don't get demos on the eShop all that often, but this is one instance where I'd really appreciate one.

Ha, where are the "Kirby Air Ride sucks" people now? Take that!

Retired Kirby looked so happy.

Kirby Air Riders Direct: 49:02-49:16
https://www.youtube.com/live/QtkHiB7WKf4?si=0QuIfIBg3bSCCQy3&t=2942

R-Type Delta HD releases that day too. Proper video game day that.

Definitely picking the game up. Makes me wonder if either Metroid Prime 4 or Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment will be the September game, but it seems unlikely.

Sakurai's attention to detail and the importance of distinguishing features between characters is crucial to making a timeless game. This the sort of presentation that makes me wanna get a Switch 2.

Kinda surprised, and yet unsurprised, at how stylistically similar the game is to Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The big holiday title, this looks phenomenal!

When I finally get a SW2, It's first buy for me(alongside Bananza).

My favorite minor detail was that one of the stages had Golems from Amazing Mirror. Glad to see it get some love as well.

the graphics and gameplay look just plain fantastic. i wonder if nintendo is going yo push kirby more than ever in the Switch 2 era?

Great for the fans, but seems an odd one for the Holiday period.

Looks very good! I really like how Riders is far more faster-paced, uses more action and mechanics, which helps it develop a unique identity that helps distinguish itself from Mario Kart. The game looks like it’ll provide a ton of chaotic fun, and I really liked how similar it looks to Smash in terms of graphics and details, in fact, I saw it reused some effects from that!

Too visually and mechanically noisy for me. Pass. I'm also getting tired of this "Smash Bros" art style, both in the UI and in-game. It's been a staple for way too many of Sakurai's games by now.

I dunno... all I could really take from this is that if Kirby Air Riders is the November game, Metroid Prime 4 has to be the big Christmas release. At the very least.

Looking like the chaotic fun as expected! Surprised its a November game too

This Direct went hard. Sakurai was adorable as usual. Lots of info and modes. I can't wait.

Everyone complains about fanboys for Nintendo, but it feels like Sakurai gets that in droves. I totally dig his freshness and candor. And a lot of his games can be very fun. I honestly don't like the systems he implements in basically all of his games. They're virtually the same. I did enjoy Uprising. And Smash, to a point. But there is something about it that felt like a bit of a drag to progress through the game. And this just seems a bit dull. Could be fun for a while, but it seems like it would get tiresome. Though I'm not a huge racing fan. I'm not really getting the instant adoration for this game, but it seems like Sakurai has the Midas touch for a lot of people. To each their own though. I'm glad people are excited. Just sharing my thoughts. I hope everyone enjoys it. The game does feel weird alongside Mario Kart and as the (?) big holiday game. A demo would be cool to get a better feel for myself.

Still unsure. Watched it all but was more focused on the small subtitles.

Beyond how you feel about this or MKW, I just don’t understand why Nintendo would release them within 6 months of each other? It isn’t that curated balance of what the Switch 1’s lineup was released to compliment each other.

I stick to mk world fast fusion for racing hope other people enjoy it what about a new wave race or 1080 snowboarding ?hard Pass for me where the hell is MP4 release date Nintendo please explain

Whew, $70 (US) and 25 GB...

@OmnitronVariant I think you just don't like Sakurai's games then. The original Kirby Air Ride reused Melee's menu style and UI as well you know.

@Kazman2007 "On top of that, you're gonna cut into Mario Kart's online player base and split the online community".

Don't worry, we'll be back when Nintendo makes it as good as MK8.

It looks really fun, but potentially quite complicated and overwhelming! Definitely gonna play the slower mode and offline only to begin with. It feels like he's making the game he would've liked the original to be had he had more time to work on it... Bigger and better, rather than radically different.

@MrGawain If you think that's weird in 2003 in the US Nintendo released Mario Kart Double Dash and Kirby Air Ride one month apart and released FOUR racing games within four months!

August 2003 - F-Zero GX
October 2003 - Kirby Air Ride
November 2003 - Mario Kart Double Dash
December 2003 - 1080 Snowboarding Avalanche

@Dom_31 Was the shade really necessary?

@HugoGED right here. Two button 4 hr game. Hard pass.

It looks great... But honestly they would have kept this one back for a couple more years if you ask me when Mario Kart World had been out for long enough. A smaller, very different game would have been perfect for this spot if you ask me.

I mean I'll still get it and likely love it...

@TerribleTerabytes I liked Kid Icarus: Uprising and Smash Ultimate. But by Ultimate I was a bit tired of the art style. I enjoyed the game.

@1UP_MARIO I know, right? Not to be English-speaking-centric, but it's tough to watch a stream like this and read the subtitles. I kind of wish they dubbed them. It made me not watch much of his YouTube videos, because I wanted to have them on in the background, listening to his insight into a variety of topics. Oh well. Personal problems, to be sure.

@Suketoudara @OmnitronVariant Totally agree. Well, it's mainly the UI for me. And the systems that go with it.

@TerribleTerabytes I much preferred Melee's setup. I think this signature approach was established with Brawl. But I never played Air Ride.

Nice, but nowhere near the top of my priority list. There's more interesting stuff in my backlog.

Besides, I agree with those saying that its release is gonna be too close to MKW's one.

£58.99 digital in UK, so same price as Donkey Kong Bananza

Happy for Kirby fans, but can we talk about Metroid Prime 4 now? Too many red flags point to development troubles.

@Suketoudara Fair point about 2003 releases. Though I would argue that snowboarding stands apart, being different enough from the others yet still technically a racer. And also, would you argue that hurt the sales of at least half of those titles? I'm sure Double Dash sold relatively well, though I think it was one of the lowest-selling MK's ever? 1080 got a sequel not long after (right?), so maybe that did okay. No more F-Zero. And I don't think Air Ride sold well. We're basically getting this sequel as a passion project.

THIS is the big holiday game, huh? Dang. It doesn’t look bad, but I’m still not really sold on it. I just don’t enjoy racing games and Mario Kart World ended up just OK.

@Dhaladog I've never heard that vulgar expression, in any way I can think of uncensoring that.

Just a quick question was there any point in the direct being so long?

Not my cup of tea, but I’m glad it exists.

As Sakurai himself said on his channel, racing games take a relatively short time to make. That's also the reason why they made Air Ride in the first place, because they wanted to bring back Kirby, but making a full game would take much longer. (I think Air Ride was developed in 18 months or so, but look up the video on his Youtube channel for the details.)

So the relatively short development time might explain why Nintendo is bolstering the S2 lineup with 2 arcade racing games in the span of a few months.

This looks really awesome!! What happened to split screen multiplayer though? ;-;

horrible, this is could be a Mario kart World DLC

@Vil
I really don't think that was a dig, and people are just assuming it was. The games are very different and I'm sure a developer like Sakurai knows that 6-player Air Riders is a lot more chaotic than 6-player MK.

@Bunkerneath Eh. I mean, it could have maybe been 20 minutes, but there were two gameplay demos, which do provide value.

@MatthewTaranto People are still looking for any way to spit all over MKW. And now apparently Air Riders looks far superior to it, so they have more fuel for their fire.

I would not hesitate to trade my bundled MKW for this one.

@AussieMcBucket The original Kirby Air Ride sold 1.35 million so not a flop but I guess a modest hit. Mario Kart Double Dash sold about 7 million and slightly less than Smash Bros Melee (about 7.5 million) which is interesting

@AussieMcBucket That's understandable, Sakurai definitely has a formula that all his games follow. And that can be a cause for concern with Air Riders since the original game was so light on content.
That being said there's a certain unique care to detail his games have that I feel make them so evergreen and ergo where he gets his reputation. I'll say it right now that SINGLE track he showcased in the direct is more dynamic and has more character than the entirety of Mario Kart World.
It could be the case that most of us only play the game on and off for a little bit or only bust it out for parties (like the original), but I'd take 15-20 hours of quality fun anyday over the 40 hours of boredom I got with MKW.

Plus, the original Air Ride had an extensive achievement system for solo play, which has been carried over to all his games since, so we can expect it here too.

@Roger_Brazil

horrible, this is could be a Mario kart World DLC

Apart from the completely different gameplay, game modes and controls... sure?

@Suketoudara Oh, hmm. Those are interesting figures. Thanks for sharing.

@AussieMcBucket Nintendo UK always streams Directs with subtitles, only Nintendo US has dubbing.

I saw a little bit of the direct and I am interested. Although it looks like it takes the parts of Mario Kart I am bad at (drift control and position jockeying) and makes them a focus. Which will be interesting. The roster is a bit bland though.

(also reminds me I have had the original for 15 years and haven’t played it. )

@Roger_Brazil Ah yes, a game that is absolutely not related to Mario Kart World, does not play at all like Mario Kart World and doesn't even feature Mario characters could be DLC for Mario Kart World.

Did you even think your statement through? Is Mario Kart the only racing game allowed to exist in your opinion? Because that's really dumb if so.

City Trial alone sets this worlds apart for Mario Kart World. Get real.

@Dalamar no negativity on this site. Everything is a 10.

The game looked great. But the fact they didn't show split screen for City Trial is a bit concerning. It's gonna be an instant pass without this option...

@Kingy Yes, he does. And I don't really like it. I'm not entirely sure how to verbalize it, but I feel like they're too much one direction or another.
And I suppose that is personal preference. I feel like there is a ton of personality and fun with MKW. I just get bored of racing games, because it just ends up being the same thing over and over again. And I have no interest in improving my times or anything like that. Like, I wish when you increased the difficulties a la CC, that it also changed the courses in some way, just to add more variety. But anyway.

Yeah, I do like the achievements. I wish Switch 2 had implemented them across their system.

@AussieMcBucket
It's pretty dumb that Nintendo can't release two arcade racers without insecure people having to pick their fave and dump all over the other. I don't see this kind of behavior with most of their other series that share genres (Fire Emblem/Advance Wars, Wario/Yoshi, Paper Mario/Xenoblade). It's like the '90s console wars again but on the same system.

A console civil war, if you will.

@8bit-Man
Is this confirmed? We saw split-screen in Air Ride mode, so why wouldn't it exist for City Trial like in the original? Sakurai's games tend to have plenty of options and pretty much always have local multiplayer when possible.

@chardir Oh, did the US stream have dubs? I watched it through this site, so it may have been the UK feed. Or are you talking about the main Directs, which I know they dub? I feel like I'm being a whiny American - everyone speak my language, I don't want to learn or accept other cultures! - but I'm just pointing out the difficulty with having the video on in the background or with something like this that has tons of footage to watch carefully. Though perhaps to your point, how would they dub it for everyone?

This game is a huge pass for me. Mario kart world was not worth $50 and this does not look like its worth $69.99

@_747_ You're missing out. Racing isn't even the main event tbh. Sakurai even says so himself. City Trial is where it's at baby!

@MatthewTaranto I agree. Haha, that's true. Though maybe you should have picked some series that are actually still getting regular releases. 😅

@Elitepatriot You are not a City Trial believer it seems. You are unenlightened.

looks fun, but $70 is a very hard sell for me with any game. And this isn't doing it

The game looks fun, more interesting than MKW and Sakurai seems like a nice guy but that Direct was just exhausting in my opinion - a ten minute trailer would have sufficed. Maybe I'll get flamed for saying this but it reminded me of the Smash character reveals that ate up 30% of every Direct for two years with exhaustive move breakdowns. Just my opinion, but part of the fun is exploring. That felt like a tutorial video with "move the stick left to turn left" type detail. Still interested in the game, just, less is more IMO. Flame on.

@Warioware I'm with you on this. His candid commentary and thorough explanations are charming and useful, but it did always slow down the Directs. And they also feel a tad cumbersome.

Honest question, is it not really a racing game a la Mario Kart? My wife loves MK, I personally can't stand the rubber banding and extra nice gifts to the people not doing well. I feel like it's the "racing" game that consistantly makes second place the winner.

@AussieMcBucket I think I get you. Sometimes he directs something like Kid Icarus or Smash Brawl which feel like they have everything under the sun. Other times you get something like OG Air Ride or Smash 4 which feel more than a bit undercooked despite their positives. Hopefully Air Riders is more like the former but I can see it going either way.

Why would i but this when I have mario kart world?

@Kingy Yeah, that may be some of it. It all feels a bit clunky to me. I'd have to play more Smash Ultimate to recall my specific thoughts.

@mattmayatt Because this is nothing like Mario Kart World and is fun in its own right?

@mattmayatt because it's not really like Mario Kart, it's ten dollars cheaper, and has way more game modes.

Loved everything I saw besides the weirdly simple game logo.

I suddenly saw a countdown timer appear over my head. I guess this is when I buy my Switch 2

@AussieMcBucket yeah agreed. Not knocking him or his games but an in-depth 50 minute presentation and explanation would be excessive for Baldurr's Gate.....!

Genuinely loved Air Ride, but even I recognised that it was genuinely the most mid-level “it’s just OK” kind of game ever made. Lots to do, and yet so little to do simultaneously.

This… surprisingly looks like it will probably provide exactly the same solid enough experience. The big benefactor will of course be ONLINE multiplayer to boost the experience into that manic kind of place that other FTP titles also provide.

That said, under gamer entitlement section 1.3.4 I genuinely expected quite a lot more from a 45 minute direct, I appreciate the time given to showing this off and providing what is basically a YouTubers manual, but I had hoped we’d see the full scope on offer (eg, unlocks, more modes, and so forth) - but he did say there was stuff to show off later.

It graphically also looks just like all their other titles, so I’m kinda surprised it’s not on Switch as well from looking at it and how it runs, but I guess there are reasons under the hood as to why it’s not, so I won’t go there (+ I sit more on this FPS > Visual fidelity anyway).

Anyway, despite City Trial looking a bit lacking (personally I would have thought a bigger map or multiple maps would have been offered this time), I do think the racing looks sweet AF.

Defo one to watch, but defo not for £58.99. I’ll look elsewhere for it cheaper than go for the RRP.

I'm glad for fans of the first game. I caught the first leg of the presentation before I had to key out due to work, and it looks very polished! I enjoyed Sakurai's humor lol. I might pick this one up at some point.

Didn't like the first, but I watched the full trailer (sorry work) for this one and am smitten. Day one!

I'm actually digging the mechanics here more than Mario Kart.

I feel like I must have watched the direct on x2 speed because that gameplay in City Trials looks so fast and absolutely amazing. Wasn't too pumped before... now I'm foaming at the mouth.

@Roger_Brazil The gameplay is vastly different in almost every way. How could this game be MKW DLC? Should a potential new F-Zero game also be MKW DLC?

Looks so fun and colorful! Certainly will pick this up!

This does look pretty good, and I will give it a shot. With that said I guess we know how good MKW could've have looked without the stupid open world part. Is it 70 dollars worth of fun? Idk but I will give it a shot. Since its November it will be my game for that month because we all know Pokemon is a horrible game and not worth the price they are charging for that game.

November baby Nintendo fans stay winning with at least one guaranteed game (and sometimes console) releasing around their birthday due to being so close to the holiday season...

And sometimes when the stars perfectly align, one releases right on your birthday! It's kinda less exciting when you're an adult with disposable income and more financial obligations, but might as well find the joys where you can!

I wondered why a switched direct for Kirby air riders, and a 47-minute one at that. I am disappointed with the Mario Kart package, not necessarily the racing side of it but what they've packed in with it and the price they've charged for it.
Do I want Kirby air riders? Not really not at Switch 2 prices. As they used to say if I find it in the bargain bucket one day then maybe.

@N8tiveT3ch Mario Kart World does look great and we don't need to hate on it when Sonic Crossworlds is right there 😜I'm joking... but damn does that game look lifeless and lacking in character compared to Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Ride! What happened to Sonic's style and joy?

@Suketoudara Did that game release? I was under the impression that it was still development. That game flew under the radar if it did because I don't hear or see anyone playing that game.

@N8tiveT3ch It's out in September

@Suketoudara well there you go. Another game I’m not picking up this November. Lol

@Sonicka I felt the same way, though I never played the first game. Too bad this is 70USDTP.

I agree with you about the length vs. content. Like you said before, it somehow simultaneously showed a lot and a little.

And I was thinking the same thing about City Trial. I guess more could come in DLC? He does love developing that. 😋

@The_Nintend_Pedant Logos are lo-gone.

@The_Nintend_Pedant Lo-keep dreaming. 😄

@MrGawain what needs to be understood is this isn't at all like Mario kart.

As in it's not a kart racer. The racing mode itself is actually aimed more at competition and fun even by yourself. I love Mario kart but only with friends. It loses a lot of appeal by itself.

But more importantly the mode everyone plays most isn't at all the racing mode at all. It's the kind of battle Royale like mode City Trial.

Even in the direct Sakurai outright states City Trial as the real meat of the game.

I will wait for reviews because while this looked decent and it expanded on the og, I'm not 100% sold on it.

And no, it's really nothing like Mario Kart.

Enjoyed watching the Direct, game looks great to me. I'll wait for the reviews but I like the style and concepts. See quite some people complain about the game not being worth €69.99, the original Air Ride sold for €59.99 in 2003(?). This one has more content, is released 20+ years later and only €10 more expensive...does not seem that unreasonable.

@HugoGED I’m still here. I hated the original and this doesn’t look much better. This is a pass for me. I mean I’ll buy it because it’s a 1st party title but I have no interest in playing it. I hate the 1-button style driving. As much as I love Kirby I hate this spin-off.

I'm really interested in it, but I'd like to try a Demo of it first. I'm still surprised Nintendo doesn't make that many of them, as there's always people who haven't tried some game.

I loved that water stage where walls of water were on both sides. Looks super fun.

Um, not really excited as I still have low hype with Kirby franchise.
Racing games also my very low priority than the other games that have higher priority like life sim games or farming sim games.
I might consider the game but several years later.