Nintendo has come up with an enormous surprise that has shocked the whole community of Kirby lovers. The baby pink character will ride a bike again in Kirby Air Riders, which is going to be out on November 20th and pre-orders can be done now. Nintendo has confirmed it is not just a random spin-off; on the contrary, a sequel to the classic GameCube game, Kirby Air Ride, is being discussed, and the gamers have already started losing it over the online City Trial mode for 16 players which is confirmed.
So, what the hell is actually Kirby Air Riders? In case you missed it back in 2003, you missed one of the most chaotic and fun racing experiences ever. Basically, Kirby has various flying machines at his disposal and races on tracks, but the real excitement was always in the City Trial mode where you would navigate a huge urban area, power up your vehicle, and then fight in random contests. And now they are bringing it back but with 16 players online?? That’s pure insanity and I’m all in.
Nintendo America’s announcement tweet features Kirby who is just barely hanging on to some wild-looking gadget, and frankly that pretty much sums up the emotion. One of the replies even cracked a joke: “Bro is holding on for dear life 😭,” which is likely exactly how most of us will feel when dealing with those crazy machines. The hype is definitely there, with people like Dominic Deluxe shouting out “Can’t wait! 🔥” and ShadowKillerX saying “Definitely cannot wait to play this” as average user’s enthusiasm.
Nevertheless, not everybody is entirely convinced. The discussion threads are quite active and interesting, especially the issue of if the new release will reduce the old one’s appeal. User Chirag S kotian who also made a very valid point when he was asking “Why play a 2003 GameCube game when the sequel is taking the best part to develop?” He’s referring to that limit-defying 16-player City Trial which, to be honest, does sound like a game-changer. On the other hand, DailyGameCube is still betting on the original game coming to PlayStation, which is a reasonable assumption depending on which side you are on.
The classic argument about physical versus digital has arisen again and stirred up quite a stir. There are some players, like Tsukino Azura, who are happy that “the full, complete game is on the cart,” while others, like MegaV0yager, simply ask to “get rid of those stupid game key cards!!!” It’s obvious that gamers want the entire game on the cartridge, and at least Kirby Air Riders is providing that middle ground.
On top of that, there’s some talk about Xbox, with UIKirby calling this one “the best switch 2 game of the year.” It’s been perfect timing, in light of the fact that all the leaks about the next console by Nintendo have surfaced just now. Performance is a concern though, for instance, J Veal has been questioning if Kirby is riding at 120fps, which would be phenomenal but most probably impossible with the current hardware.
The icing on the cake is that Kagerisu has announced a FREE online demo over the weekend – a great option for those who can’t decide whether to buy the game or not. This is also great for gamers who never got a chance to play the first Air Ride and are curious about the hype. The 16 players City Trial online mode sounds chaotic yet fun. Can you picture the madness?
While some posts are already declaring this one better than Mario Kart which is a mighty claim indeed but actually, Kirby Air Ride always had that special quality which made it different from all other racing games. It is not exactly about mastering the drifting, more like having crazy and uncontrollable fun. The very fact that they are keeping the soul of the game alive while adding the features of the most-liked game mode is what the players desired.
In addition, those who are concerned about the price can consider it from the point of view of Burnout713 who just asked, “Halve the price,” which indeed, good luck but I can totally relate to you. Still, the resurrection of seeing Kirby in his racing form with cutting-edge online features is the kind of release that makes sense. The original game had a reason to get a cult following, and now this sequel can take advantage of what made City Trial so enchanting while also expanding it through the impossible way back in GameCube.
So, mark the day November 20th on your calendar no matter if your interest is in the free demo available this weekend or not check it out anyway and get ready for some airborne Kirby chaos. This easily could be one of the surprise hits of the holiday season especially if you take a look at that massive 16-player mode. Kirby was not having any luck lately but this looks like he might just get one!
