{"id":42700,"date":"2026-01-06T10:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T16:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/?post_type=nintendo-reviews&p=42700"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T21:07:19","slug":"kirby-air-riders","status":"publish","type":"nintendo-reviews","link":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/nintendo-reviews\/kirby-air-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirby Air Riders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kirby Air Riders was provided by Nintendo for review. Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After more than two decades of fan wishes, message-board myths, and \u201cplease Nintendo, I\u2019m begging you\u201d social media campaigns, the impossible finally happened: Kirby Air Riders<\/a> has arrived on the Switch 2. What\u2019s most impressive isn\u2019t just that the sequel exists, it\u2019s that it actually understands what made the original so adored. This is a racing game that embraces chaos, snappy accessibility, and pure Nintendo whimsy, all polished with modern hardware and stuffed with new ideas. Kirby\u2019s return to the racetrack feels both familiar and completely revitalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest relief is that Air Riders<\/a> hasn\u2019t abandoned the wonderfully strange design philosophy of the original. Races still rely on automatic acceleration, a single drift-and-inhale button, and an emphasis on momentum over micromanaged controls. It takes seconds to learn, but there\u2019s a surprising amount of nuance hiding beneath the pastel colours and cheery music. Machines handle with far more personality this time around; some glide like sparks on glass, while others barrel forward like missiles held together with chewing gum and optimism. The physics feel weightier and more reactive thanks to the Switch 2\u2019s hardware, making every drift snap satisfyingly, and every high-speed glide feel earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What really elevates the gameplay is how power-ups, abilities, and machine specialisations all interact with this simple control scheme. A perfectly timed Sword slash into a boosted drift feels just as exhilarating as chaining glides across rooftop updrafts, and Air Riders<\/a> absolutely manages to make a one-button racer feel skilful again, which, somehow, might be its most significant achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City Trial remains the mode that draws players in and refuses to let go. The new city is massive, bustling, and full of personality. Different districts feel like they belong to entirely different games; neon-soaked plazas, fog-drenched forests, towering mechanical alleyways, and airy sky platforms all blend into a single interconnected map. The city feels alive, not just as a backdrop but as a toybox that reacts to your presence. Trains slam through intersections, storms roll across rooftops, and the weather can flip from serene to catastrophic in a blink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Events erupt across the city with a flair that wasn\u2019t possible on the GameCube. Meteors carve new holes into the streets. Tornado outbreaks turn the map into a blender. Giant statues come to life and barrel across roads, sending players flying. And when the final challenge appears, whether it\u2019s a drag race, high jump contest, or demolition battle, your build suddenly matters in the funniest, most unpredictable ways. No matter how calmly you try to prepare, City Trial always finds a way to knock the wheels out from under your plans. It is still one of Nintendo\u2019s most unique and entertaining ideas, and this new version is easily the mode\u2019s definitive form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brand-new Arena Riders mode gives Kirby\u2019s combat mechanics a fresh stage. Instead of relying on collisions and incidental attacks, battles now unfold in compact arenas full of environmental traps, shifting hazards, and small-scale objectives. Some rounds are straightforward brawls. Others throw waves of enemies at you, or drop bosses like Kracko and Landia into the fray for wild multi-target melees. Team-based rounds add tactical twists, turning what could\u2019ve been a simple bonus mode into a surprisingly robust second half of the game. It\u2019s chaotic, but in a more structured, competitive way than City Trial, perfect for players who want mayhem with just a hint of order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most unexpected inclusions is the fully developed \"story mode\", whereby a narrator guides you through a lightweight but charming adventure across Dream Land, complete with cinematic cutscenes and themed challenges that introduce newcomers to the game\u2019s mechanics. It\u2019s playful and breezy, with a few genuinely clever twists, and it reinforces how much personality HAL has packed into this sequel. It's very reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's \"Supspace Emissary\" story, for better or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, Air Riders<\/a> is gorgeous. Kirby has always thrived in soft colours and cheerful vibrancy, but the Switch 2\u2019s horsepower makes everything feel richer and more dynamic. Lighting shimmers across metal rooftops, forests sway with subtle wind physics, and gliding through particle-filled updrafts looks almost painterly. Performance is excellent too, offering near-perfect stability, regardless of whatever the pink puff et al. may be throwing and\/or swallowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The soundtrack is equally impressive, blending remastered classics from the GameCube entry with a set of new tracks that are somehow both whimsical and surprisingly intense. Several themes lodge themselves in your memory after a single race, in true Kirby fashion. There's enough here to truly satisfy every Kirby fan, with each catchy melody managing to stay long overdue any reasonable iota of time in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime fans will be delighted to find the iconic achievement-style checklist back in full force. Each mode has its own massive grid of challenges, unlocking machines, cosmetics, music tracks, and alternate ability variants. It\u2019s as addictive as ever, feeding that \u201cjust one more round\u201d loop until you suddenly realise it\u2019s 2 am and you\u2019ve been trying to complete a High Jump challenge for an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kirby<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kirby Air Riders<\/a>\u00a0is the kind of sequel that feels impossible: a game that completely respects the original\u2019s spirit while expanding it into something bigger, bolder, and more polished. It\u2019s accessible without being shallow, chaotic without being frustrating, and packed with enough content to keep fans playing for months.<\/strong> Whether you love the silliness, the speed, the competition, or the sheer unpredictability, this is easily one of the Switch 2\u2019s standout titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our review is based on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of this game.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ<\/a>! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news<\/a>, tips and tutorials<\/a>, game settings and reviews<\/a>, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kirby Air Riders\u00a0is the kind of sequel that feels impossible, and ends up easily being one of the Switch 2's best titles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"featured_media":43675,"template":"","genre":[],"class_list":["post-42700","nintendo-reviews","type-nintendo-reviews","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_img":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KirbyAirRidersFeaturedImage.webp","coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/author\/nickhanchet\/","display_name":"Nick Hanchet"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 months ago","modified":"Updated 2 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on January 6, 2026","modified":"Updated on February 11, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on January 6, 2026 10:36 am","modified":"Updated on February 11, 2026 3:07 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","tax_additional":{"genre":{"linked":[],"unlinked":[],"slug":"genre","name":"Genres"}},"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nintendo-reviews\/42700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nintendo-reviews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/nintendo-reviews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/356"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nintendo-reviews\/42700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45132,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nintendo-reviews\/42700\/revisions\/45132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/genre?post=42700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}