There’s a specific type of Nintendo magic that only shows up once every few generations, one of those rare moments when the company knowingly dusts off a fan-favourite classic, smiles, and says, “You’ve waited long enough.” Kirby Air Riders for the Nintendo Switch 2 is precisely that moment. From the second that soft pink puffball whirls across the screen on his Warp Star, you know this isn’t just another Kirby spinoff. This is Sora & Bandai looking straight at 2003, nodding with a grin, and saying: “Let’s do it again! Bigger, faster, and smoother.” It’s been years since a Kirby racing game had the chance to show what it could become, and Air Riders wastes absolutely no time proving it deserved the upgrade.
But before diving into everything this new entry does, let’s rewind for a moment back to the Nintendo GameCube, back to a strange experiment that somehow became a cult classic (and thanks to one of my buddies for letting me discover its magic).
Air Ride?
When Kirby Air Ride launched in 2003, it was different. Not bad, just different. It was Nintendo at its most experimental, stripping the controls down to a single button and trusting players to discover the layers of complexity hidden underneath. At the time, that minimalism confused many critics, but for those willing to learn its rhythms, Air Ride was a fast, floaty, deceptively deep racer unlike anything else on the market. Hell, I loved Mario Kart: Double Dash, but when we fired up that unique Air Rider game, it marked the day to become a bit more special.
City Trial especially became legendary: a semi-chaotic sandbox where players hunted for power-ups, built ridiculous machines, and battled it out in random events at the end of each round. The strange blend shouldn’t have worked, yet it did, spectacularly. For two decades, fans begged Nintendo to revisit that idea. And I can tell you that Air Riders doesn’t just revisit it: it evolves it, refines it, and delivers the most confident interpretation of this concept yet. Think Smash on Wheels, but better.
Story Mode: A new adventure across the skies of Popstar
One of the biggest surprises in Air Riders is the fully fleshed-out story mode, something the original game never truly had. Kirby games are known for taking simple (yet dark) stories and wrapping them in charming, dreamlike aesthetics. Air Riders sticks to that formula, but uses the Switch 2 hardware to push its ideas further than any Kirby game before it. The setup is classic Kirby: A mysterious machine crash-lands on Planet Popstar, setting off a chain of events that pulls Kirby and other potential riders into a new sky-bound adventure. More machines begin appearing across the world, each one waiting for someone with a strong enough will to activate it. Rumors spread of a colossal, ancient machine awakening far beyond Dream Land, sending out an irresistible call to riders everywhere. As Kirby follows this signal across the planet, meeting rivals, uncovering cryptic origins, and discovering the true purpose of these mechanical visitors, he becomes entangled in a race that could shape the fate of Popstar’s skies. Along the way, unexpected allies, legendary machines, and deeper mysteries emerge, all guiding him toward a final destination where the heart of the story and the sky’s most extraordinary secret await.
“Kirby’s back in the sky, and it feels fantastic.”
The story unfolds across several themed regions, each with its own racing hub and environmental hazards. What really sells it, though, is the pacing. The devs structure the campaign around episodic challenges, blending standard races with boss encounters, different racing and challenge modes, and short narrative cutscenes. The result is a story mode that feels like a proper Kirby adventure, but always with forward momentum (since it’s on a road…).
Mechanics: Easy to learn, hard to master
Fans of the original Air Ride will immediately recognize the game’s DNA. The single-button philosophy returns: tapping or holding a single button automatically accelerates, while braking, drifting, charging, and boosting are handled by tapping or holding it. On paper, it sounds overly simplistic; in practice, it creates a smooth flow that feels uniquely Kirby: light, breezy, and deceptively technical once you start mastering the timing. And on that note, I highly recommend taking the driving lessons.
Where Air Riders really shines is in its expanded machine system. Every Air Machine: Warp Stars, rockets, gliders, hover bikes, and a handful of quirky oddballs have different weights, boost curves, traction styles, and air-glide capacities. The Switch 2’s haptic feedback helps bring these differences to life. Each challenge and road needs its own type of machine to shine fully. Combined with a racer of choice, the combinations are almost endless. And the story mode introduces these machines gradually, encouraging experimentation rather than overwhelming new players. Each chapter includes optional goals, like performing certain types of boosts, finding items on the road, and defeating enemies in mid-race combat, that reward mastery without punishing failure. Combat feels smoother than ever. Abilities like Sword, Bomb, Ice, and Spark integrate seamlessly into races, offering attack options comparable to Mario Kart’s items but with the feel of a traditional Kirby platformer. It’s fast, punchy, and helps further differentiate each machine.
City Trial makes its triumphant return as a revamped version of City Trial, a reimagined version of the original’s open arena mode. Players roam a sprawling sky city collecting upgrades, discovering secrets, sabotaging opponents, and preparing for an event chosen at the end of the round. It maintains the chaotic spirit of the GameCube classic but introduces new verticality and dynamic map conditions that keep each session fresh. The mechanics in Air Riders show careful respect for the past but remain unafraid to push forward. It’s precisely what a modern revival should be.
Game Modes: Variety, velocity, and Ranked Play
Air Riders doesn’t cut corners on modes. In fact, the variety here is one of the game’s strongest assets. Let’s analyze them one by one!
You have your Standard Race mode, offering traditional circuits filled with shortcuts, hazards, and a consistently imaginative sense of level design. From the machine engines roaring in Steamgust Forge to the Ferris wheel in Beanstalk Park, each track looks gorgeous on Switch 2 hardware, boasting improved lighting, larger environments, and a framerate that rarely wavers.
City Trial is the centerpiece, a chaotic, addictive, and endlessly replayable mode. Offering a new city design, which feels bigger but more navigable, with zones that subtly guide players without restricting them. The random finale events range from demolition battles to gliding contests, machine duels, or gauntlet races through shifting star fields.
The story mode, called Road Trip, stands on its own, combining adventure, racing, and boss sequences to create something uniquely Kirby. It offers two versions, New Game & New Game+, which need to be completed both for the true ending of the game. It’s not the most extended story mode out there, since I touched the end credits after a little more than 4 hours (with a near 100% completion on the challenges). But then again, we don’t play racing games for the story (but it’s so good).
And then there is Top Ride, which is similar to Air Ride game mode, except it offers a bird’s-eye view of the race track and the option between Steer Control and Free Control. It was the mode that took me the most time to master (especially for the later challenges).
Then there’s the online suite, an area where they clearly invested more effort than in prior Kirby spinoffs. Air Riders Online supports casual play, friend lobbies, rotating challenges, and most interestingly, the upcoming ranked events system (which feels kinda similar to how Pokémon Legends Z-A does things). I can’t wait to dive into these when they are live in a few days. When you boot up your online game, you can design a license that displays a Global Win Power. This is a number that shows your global ranking based on total wins. For example, a ranking of 300,000 means you are ahead of 299,999 players worldwide. Unlike systems like Global Smash Power, it does not measure strength, skill, or win percentage and increases as you play more matches. The variety in online modes and options gives Air Riders remarkable longevity. Whether you’re here for story progression, chaotic trials, structured circuits, or future-ranked climbing, the game offers reasons to keep playing.
Design time!
Air Riders’ new Machine Maker system is easily one of its boldest additions, giving players the freedom to design and customize their own star-riding creations. Time to dive into the garage and create either the most beautiful thing mankind has ever seen, or create flying horror straight out of H.P. Lovecraft. The aesthetic customization is generous, offering color palettes, decals, and even energy trails that give each creation its own signature flair. It’s the kind of system that invites endless tinkering, and it makes your machine feel like a valid extension of your riding style, something uniquely yours that grows alongside you throughout the game. And if you can’t design (like me), there is always the Market Place, which is full of wonderful designs, like a Sonic Scooter or a very questionable design for Chef Kawaski (don’t Google it). But hey, there is also Patrick from SpongeBob and Mega Starmie from Pokémon Legends Z-A, so it’s all good.
Conclusion
Kirby Air Riders doesn’t just bring back a cult classic; it elevates it to feel essential once more. This is Sora & Bandai at their most confident, blending nostalgia with modern polish and delivering a package that feels both familiar and refreshing. The story mode adds narrative charm and structure, the expanded machine roster encourages personalization, and the mechanical depth gives veterans plenty to master. City Trial’s triumphant return solidifies the game’s identity, and the promise of upcoming ranked events hints at a long future of updates, challenges, and community moments. And more than anything, Air Riders feels fun. It’s the kind of game that hands you a Warp Star and says, “Go. Glide, drift, crash, and discover.” It’s fast. It’s colorful. It’s lovingly crafted. And it’s a reminder that sometimes the best Nintendo ideas aren’t the biggest, they’re the ones that let you fly! For fans of the original Air Ride, this is everything you’ve been waiting for. For newcomers, it’s an invitation to fall in love with something wonderfully strange and endlessly fun. Kirby’s back in the sky, and it feels fantastic.
