Analysis of Kirby Air Riders, an extravagant rarity that is already the first cult game for Nintendo Switch 2

After playing several hours of Kirby Air Riders on the Nintendo Switch 2, I’m still not sure what this game is. Masahiro Sakurai’s novelty is one of those rarities that are not easy to see todaya strange title that works in a trend-driven world.

Restartsequel or remake of the also strange and misunderstood Kirby Air Walk from of GameCubeandThe new delivery is a manifesto of creativity and in this analysis of Kirby air Knights I’ll tell you why I consider it that way.

Compared to Mario Kart World and with Super Smash Bros and the magic from the adventures of the pink ball as Kirby and the Forgotten Land any Kirby’s return dream Earth, Kirby Air Knights it may seem an “unnecessary” gamebut at the same time it is something unique.

Given its rarityI don’t think it will be a mass game like Mario Kart World, but after having tried everything it offers (with its strengths and weaknesses), This combination is almost certain to be whatwhat defines it as the first big cult game for Nintendo Switch 2.

Crazy races with spirit party gamesbut at the same timez with a deep competitive network and an arcade fighting game aura extravagant, give this game personality exclusive. Let’s go with the analysis of Kirby air Knights for Nintendo Switch 2.

What is Kirby Air Riders?

Kirby Air Riders was born under the umbrella of Super Smash Bros. Stylisticallyhe the game shares the same spirit as the excellent fighting game crossingbut leaves combats aside (at least in part) to focus on speed.

This game is almost a 1:1 scale successor to Kirby air Walk from. However, Masahiro Sakurai introduced some new features in terms of gameplay, content and systems to perfect his strange formula.

Under the same three-dimensional playable scheme, Kirby air Knights offers three themes or ways to play:wfrantic races in 3D, a top-down viewing mode in the purest style Scalextric and a battle mode with minigames.

Furthermore, it is added Escapea kind of individual campaign that throws all the tests mentioned above and some other frankly particular extra challenges in our face, almost as much like the path itself Yes same.

Nintendo has put all its efforts into making it clear that the battle mode (called Urban Trials) is the pillar that holds this all together. Kirby. However, I must say that What I had the most fun with was the Air Walk fromrace “typical”. So, let’s start there:

Air Ride, the crazy races from Kirby Air Riders

These challenges offer a good dose of speed that it might seem Mario Kart Workld for moments, if it weren’t because when you play you seem to be in a tunnel wind with strobe lights.

These races for up to six participants They are magnificent when it comes to offering a perfectly controlled chaos which is established by a tremendously simple game plan. It’s very easy to play Kirby air Knightsbut like Smash Bros, to dominate you have tone your crumb.

There is self-acceleratedso you just have to worry about pressing B to dodge and gain momentum. Although, if you do, you will start to lose speed, so you have to be very clear about whattonot performing the maneuver in question.

It may seem very simple, but The speed you achieve makes everything increase in complexity. Furthermore, the circuit designs (numerous and spectacular) are intricatevertical and encourage mistakes.

Drifting is also accompanied by the use of Kirby’s famous copy abilities, which act as if they were objects from Mario Kart, except here too. you can destroy the other racers with them or with a quick turn that is performed with the joystick left.

Finally, a final ability specific to each character was also added, which is recharged by shooting down enemies on the circuits or hitting other drivers. As you can see, there is variety, but 90% It comes from outside the circuits.

And that’s it Kirby air Knights draws the same as Smash Bros, to offer a huge selection of characters and ships develop all types of strategies in each career. There are many faces to unlock if you are a fan of Kirby (and they go far beyond Meta Knight, Dedé any Waddle Dee scarf). I confess that I am obsessed with Rick the hamster.

What is more, ships completely change with each race. Each has its own stats, powers and functions and I guarantee none of them feel the same. To myThis variety is the best thing the game hasany. There’s just one downside, but it’s not the fault of the title itself.

ANDthe universe of Kirby Doesn’t have the same charisma that can be found in Smash bringing together Pokémon Trainer, Super Mario, Cloud and samus in the same game. This is the first of the reasons why I consider Kirby air Knights a cult game… There is a fairly high barrier to entry belong to a more niche saga.

“Aerial view” race

And if you like speed, you might want to change your perspective. Just like in the 2004 game, air Knights offers a much lighter and simpler top-down racing mode that he main. “TO aerial view” is a sauce which season the dish well.

Its operation is the same, but the circuits are infinitely smaller and concise.. They are like little fun pills that can be experienced in the same way, but adapting the player’s point of view.

If you like games like Super Woden GP II or Art of Rally, this mode is for you There’s not much more mystery. Of course, this serves to highlight the wonderful and colorful artistic design behind this game. A good dessert, in short.

Urban testing, the central pillar of the Riders

There’s so much more”intringulis” is Urban Testsmode where personalities from the racing game and Super Smash Brothers collide Yes to give us a kind of battle real divided into an open collection phase and a final test with minigames.

Your first mission will be to jump into an open scenario (full of areas of interest) where you will have to collect power-ups. Each offers an upgrade to one of your vehicle’s base stats, which can also be changed in-game.

What you should do is look for hearts to have more health or wings to glide for longer or create a build focused on maximum speed… So, a long list of options. This will be your mission for five minutes, although during this time there will also be tests, mini races and you can send other participants for a walk.

When the time is up, four options will be shown on the screen, four minigames with only one winner. It has everything, but you must choose according to the construction of your ship. This skill check will mark the outcome of the entire game.

And there is something for all tastes. Some will be speed-oriented and consist of running through a straight line full of obstacles, others will ask you to be the last player in an arena, others will ask you to plan as much as possible…

And once you’ve mastered the initial test, you’ll realize that Kirby Air Riders is a much deeper game than it seems and that with enough knowledge of everything it is even possible to make combinations that break the game itself.

The problem with urban testing is that the main stage isn’t as fun as it could be if the revs were reduced a bit and more fluid contact was established between the players. And at those speeds, it’s difficult to maintain.

I expected a little more from Urban Trials, at least in terms of the variety of situations, but I think that this mode ends up being so bizarre that it will end up becoming one of the most special proposals that Nintendo has offered.

At the end of the escape

And we arrived at the last stop, the story mode known as Getaway. Sakurai has already given us somewhat particular “campaigns” and proof of this is the Subspace Emissary from Smash Bros Brawl for Wii, for example.

Here the director pulls out of his sleeve a story with its cinematics and everything, with a plot that is pure Kirby and also pure Smash. It’s nothing out of this world, but it’s an extra that once again makes it clear that this man likes to put himself back together.

After choosing a driver we will have to go through phases as if it were an “endless race”. The objective is to overcome tests, races and minigames to improve our ship and face a really special challenge at the end of the journey.

It can be completed in around two hours (although it is very replayable) and throughout these sections you will be able to make a series of decisions that can take you down different paths. What weighs on the experience is that Going through each stop is tedious because of the loading screens.

As there are so many challenges (they are all those that make up the main game modes and a few more) continuity and fluidity are harmed by constant stopswhich ends up making it quite repetitive, despite the final part offering some new features and twists.

Deep, with a thousand options and… necessary?

If you’re familiar with Smash, you’ll see that Air Riders offers a huge range of options, rewards and customization. The possibilities in these fields are countless, so many that sometimes it becomes absurd; but that’s the fun.

All modes can be played online except Getaway and the truth is that The structure and accessibility of this mode are much clearer than in games like Mario Kart World. There are qualifiers and lobbies known as “airfields” where you can meet up with colleagues.

The soundtrack is an absolute delight, There are repetitions, vehicle customization and the challenges with different unlockables are so numerous that, unless you are a bit of a completionist, you will enjoy spending a few dozen hours.

Now, This game is not for everyone and it is not perfect. As I said before, after exploring it in depth, I’m still not sure what this game is. But isn’t that great?

It may not be as big a hit as the titles I mentioned before, but Kirby Air Riders It is a proposal as unique as it is personal.an absolute creative whim that will make you value those rare games that we see less and less in this industry.