Kirby Air Riders
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Kirby Air Riders
Kirby Air Riders' unconventional controls can get in its own way sometimes, but they don't stop it from being a fun, frantic action racing game with an almost unreal amount of stuff to do.
While racing is at its core, Kirby Air Riders channels the chaotic energy of Smash Bros. to deliver a deceptively deep one-button gameplay experience - and tops it with absolutely oodles of things to do, see, and unlock.
If you’re expecting Mario Kart World or Crash Team Racing but with Kirby, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But anyone who’s up for a racer that feels truly fresh, has a lot of hidden depth, and revs to the beat of its own incredibly loud engine is going to find something special here.
An experience where I'm constantly left thinking, 'just one more race' or 'just one final battle'.
Kirby Air Riders is an inflexible experience, forcing the player to learn its mechanics and engage with all its modes to get the most out of it, and it's a better game for it. Its gameplay is simple to learn but hard to master, and with such a variety of machines and modes, there are a lot of different definitions of what that mastery looks like. It's a game with a strong, unique identity that likely won't unseat your favorite racing game, but it isn't trying to. Kirby Air Riders is a star shining for no one but itself, and I can't help but respect it for that.
Kirby Air Riders is an impressive package that makes the most of its deceivingly simple mechanics.
Kirby Air Riders is a cracking sequel that gives solo players much more to dig into with its story campaign, whilst also bringing all-new levels of shiny graphics, bells and whistles to its returning City Trial, Air Ride, and Top Down Racing modes. This is a chaotic and frenzied racer, there's no doubt, but it's got depth for those who wish to learn and plenty of competition to be had both online and at harder difficulties for diehards.With lots of excellent tracks, riders and machines to unlock, sat alongside some surprisingly deep machine customisation, Kirby's latest air riding adventure is off to a strong start. Oh, and that soundtrack!
Playing Kirby Air Riders is like learning a new language – it takes a lot of compromise, and it’s not for everyone. It’s those who master the basics who will soon find many new ways to approach each game mode, providing depth and replayability. If you meet Kirby Air Riders on its own terms, you will be rewarded with a gauntlet that’s bursting with thrills, depth, and charm.
Industry Coverage
Kirby Air Riders' In-Depth Accessibility Options Are Especially Solid By Nintendo Standards
This is never not a good thing. Props to Sakurai and his team.
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