Like all Kirby games, simplicity is at its core. It is essentially a racing game where you use one button to break, drift, use your items, and jump. With this as a concept, you would think that this is an easy game for first-time players... but there is somehow a surprising amount of depth and content here if you look hard enough.
For veterans, this won't come as a surprise though as this is a Masahiro Sakurai game (for those who don't know this is the creator of the Super Smash Bros. games). As a master of adding depth to the simplest of games, I would consider aspects of this game as crowning achievements to his legacy.
As the gameplay is simple and the story is minimal, the bread and butter of this game comes down to the content available. In terms of modes, there are 3 to choose from:
1. Air Ride, which is the standard racing mode with around 10 tracks to race on either competitively, or with time trials. While fun, it is pretty short and not super engaging unless you like getting low times.
2. Top Ride, which is similar to the first however this plays more like a micromachines game, where the vehicles are top-down and you maneuver through smaller and more simplified courses. Similar to the first, though more fast-paced making this a bit more enjoyable for me.
3. City Trial, a free-for-all mode where you must collect power-ups and vehicles in a limited amount of time, with it all culminating into a race or minigame competition. This mode is an absolute blast, and to be honest, the only reason to keep returning to this game. It has so much replayability and is always a good time with friends. This mode is considered by me to be one of Sakurai's greatest ideas.
Other than that, each mode also has what is called a Checklist, which is a board of 120 boxes that get checked off whenever you complete the associated challenge. This is Sakurai's other idea that I consider to be incredible, as I love going through each box to complete the challenges and see what it will unlock for that mode. The unlocks range from music, to vehicles, and even other characters.
Overall, the game is fun, and while super simple it is also highly addictive and replayable. I highly recommend this to anyone, though you'd be hard-pressed to find this game now.
For veterans, this won't come as a surprise though as this is a Masahiro Sakurai game (for those who don't know this is the creator of the Super Smash Bros. games). As a master of adding depth to the simplest of games, I would consider aspects of this game as crowning achievements to his legacy.
As the gameplay is simple and the story is minimal, the bread and butter of this game comes down to the content available. In terms of modes, there are 3 to choose from:
1. Air Ride, which is the standard racing mode with around 10 tracks to race on either competitively, or with time trials. While fun, it is pretty short and not super engaging unless you like getting low times.
2. Top Ride, which is similar to the first however this plays more like a micromachines game, where the vehicles are top-down and you maneuver through smaller and more simplified courses. Similar to the first, though more fast-paced making this a bit more enjoyable for me.
3. City Trial, a free-for-all mode where you must collect power-ups and vehicles in a limited amount of time, with it all culminating into a race or minigame competition. This mode is an absolute blast, and to be honest, the only reason to keep returning to this game. It has so much replayability and is always a good time with friends. This mode is considered by me to be one of Sakurai's greatest ideas.
Other than that, each mode also has what is called a Checklist, which is a board of 120 boxes that get checked off whenever you complete the associated challenge. This is Sakurai's other idea that I consider to be incredible, as I love going through each box to complete the challenges and see what it will unlock for that mode. The unlocks range from music, to vehicles, and even other characters.
Overall, the game is fun, and while super simple it is also highly addictive and replayable. I highly recommend this to anyone, though you'd be hard-pressed to find this game now.