Sakurai is one of those gameplay auteurs who manages to showcase absolute mastery of how to challenge himself and then still bring out a great sense of depth and fun at every turn. This time it's, "hey what if we literally made a racing game around ONE button (and an analog stick i guess)"
That's the beauty of Kirby Air Ride, it's a rip roaring time with 3 solid game modes that utilize the most of the depth of its mechanics while also being a solid party game to play on the side. Whether you play on the well structured and designed race tracks in classic Air Ride with a multitude of different but very distinct karts, the minigame nature although probably weakest component known as Top Ride, or the total stat-grind rush and general party randomness structure of City Ride, you will have a shitton of fun to experience.
It manages to be more interesting than most racing games in general, especially with racing powerups that don't rely on luck factor as much as they do knowledge of the game (even the "random" obtaining powerups actually just come down to timing) and have more depth to show. It's also just incredibly accessible to jump in on, with a skill floor low enough that anyone can enter in.
It's a crazy good time that I'd recommend playing at any point you can, especially with friends through Parsec.
That's the beauty of Kirby Air Ride, it's a rip roaring time with 3 solid game modes that utilize the most of the depth of its mechanics while also being a solid party game to play on the side. Whether you play on the well structured and designed race tracks in classic Air Ride with a multitude of different but very distinct karts, the minigame nature although probably weakest component known as Top Ride, or the total stat-grind rush and general party randomness structure of City Ride, you will have a shitton of fun to experience.
It manages to be more interesting than most racing games in general, especially with racing powerups that don't rely on luck factor as much as they do knowledge of the game (even the "random" obtaining powerups actually just come down to timing) and have more depth to show. It's also just incredibly accessible to jump in on, with a skill floor low enough that anyone can enter in.
It's a crazy good time that I'd recommend playing at any point you can, especially with friends through Parsec.
If you go to your friends house and they don't offer to play City Trial with you, are y'all really friends?
Hard to get the hang of controls but a promising concept that should be revisited soon. C'mon Nintendo just make the graphics a bit better and add online play to city trial it ain't that hard
unconventional racers baby
I might like arcade racers
this kirby game had no business being this high octane
fun in general but city trial hoo boy
that's where the real game is
that's where the real game is
Really fun.
everything about this game is kino to end kino
There's no reason to play Top Ride and Air Ride is fine, if a little uninspired as a racer. We're all here for City Trial, which is frenetic, fun and highly replayable. At the risk of sounding like a massive loser, the Free Trial mode offers great opportunity for ~emergent gameplay~ as the mode ends up sort of facilitating an offline multiplayer Grand Theft Auto but in the Kirby Universe. I'm not entirely sure what anyone else would want in a video game.
Everything is there, it's just half-baked and maybe needed more meat to it. Also can I please use more than one button I promise I won't break them
Was there anything outside of City Trial?? No, absolutely not. City Trial was the only thing that mattered.
really barebones and tracks are mid but city trial goes hard
What a weird game this is.
don't like the controls. they're the same as sonic riders
I had fond memories of this game but coming back to it recently I found that it doesn't hold up well in the slightest. Racing mechanics feel undercooked and loose, and despite there being three modes they all feel barebones, with very little content to be found.
Very weird racing mechanics the neither me or my brothers understood so we usually just went back to double dash
Someone play with me
Maybe the most fun 4 player game ever made.
Me and my brothers have put an insane amount of hours into City Trial over the years that we've owned this game. Holds an incredibly important place in my heart, and also it's a really fucking good multiplayer game.
the only mode worth playing is city trial but that alone makes this game worth it
kiry
Kirby is a racer c:
this game would be cool if my interest in the modes lasted longer than 5 minutes and if the mechanics made sense
city trial is the only thing we're here for let's be real
city trial is ok? i guess? but this is one of the worst multiplayer games ive ever played
city trial slaps that's all you really gotta know
The actual best kirby game. Playing free mode as a kid and taking a spot on the city trial map and calling it our own base was so much fun. We may have been playing the game "wrong" but I love it anyway. Also City trial is fun and is also just a really fun game to fully 100% and clear the challenges
Genuinely fun racing game, simple controls, simple mechanics, great casual fun.
It's the time of game that somehow allows both casual and tryhard players to thrive in its system. But I think this game is carried mostly by its city trial mode, which could very well be a completely different game on its own.
It's the time of game that somehow allows both casual and tryhard players to thrive in its system. But I think this game is carried mostly by its city trial mode, which could very well be a completely different game on its own.
One of my favorite racing games.