Kirby Air Riders Developer Direct Recap - Characters, Vehicles, Game Modes, and More

The Nintendo Direct for Kirby Air Riders concluded earlier, and it offered us a lot of information about the game. We got a look at the playable roster, the available vehicles, and two of the main game modes available. We also got a release date of November 20th 2025 for 70 USD. In this article, we're gonna quickly go over each element of the game, but the full presentation offers a lot more information that we can't put into the article, so go give that a watch once you're done here. Without further ado, let's ride!

Basic Gameplay

Gotta go fast!

The original Kirby Air Ride from 2003 was a racing game for the Gamecube with a fairly simple control scheme. Your vehicle would accelerate automatically, all you had to worry about was steering, braking and boosting. The first was done with the left stick, while the latter two were both done using the A button. You press it to break, hold it to charge up your boost, and release it to boost forward. This control scheme made drifting a must, and is where most of the challenge comes in.

Air Riders follows a similar approach, using the B button rather than A (due to the layout of the Switch 2 vs the Gamecube). A new addition to the control scheme is the Y button, which is used for unleashing Special attacks. We'll talk more about those in the next section. Depending on your driver, you'll also be able to attack nearby enemies. Yes, this game has combat!

Riders and Machines

All the players have chosen the characters, time to ride some air!

What is a racing game without its drivers? Or, as they're called here, riders. Unlike the original, where only Kirby was playable by default (with Meta Knight and Dedede being unlockable), this game has a large roster to choose from. Each rider has his own stats as well as special abilities they can use. Here's a list of all the riders shown in the Direct so far:

• Kirby
  • Obviously. He's the most well rounder of the bunch, basically your vanilla driver. He comes with 4 variants (Ultra Sword, Burn, Crash, Snow Bowl) that each has their own Special they can use.
• King Dedede
  • Heavy character that uses a hammer to hit hard.
• Meta Knight
  • Uses a sword for combat and seems he can glide longer distances.
• Bandana Waddle Dee
  • Faster boost charge and uses a spear for combat.
• Chef Kawasaki
  • Recovers an extra amount from food items (which the Direct didn't go into detail about).
• Cappy
  • A mushroom that can shield from a limited number of attacks with its cap.
• Magalor
  • Accelerates faster using Star Slides (see later section) and can attack enemies with a perfect landing from glides.
• Gooey
  • Has a long tongue, which might be helpful with picking up items (see later) and attacking enemies.
• Waddle Doo
  • Can attack enemies with his optic blast.
• Knuckle Joe
  • Attacks enemies that are getting close to him
• Susie
  • Better air control.
• Starman
  • Excellent at air maneuvering and gets a boost when jumping.
• Mysterious character
  • The Direct ended by teasing another character. We don't know anything about them, but it's likely they're the main enemy in a potential story mode. It could be Dark Matter, or a new character entirely.

And what is a racing game without vehicles? Or, as they're called here, machines. The Direct showcased an insane variety of vehicles, and they all seem to be very different from each other. We won't go into details about them here, since there's so many of them. Like the riders, machines have their own stats, and they're affected on who's on top of them. For instance, a machine used by Dedede will be bigger than one used by Kirby, so your rider-machine combo is important. Depending on the settings, you'll also be able to damage opposing machines and destroy them.

Air Ride

What a calm and serene field of flowers... It won't last.

The main racing mode for the game, where you do a few laps and try to be first. Races can have up to 6 contestants at a time. Scattered across the map are enemies you can inhale to get temporary power-ups that you can use against enemies. It's like the items in Mario Kart, but Kirby-flavored. Of course, the pink puff ball being the only one able to use them would be unfair, so all the other characters also get access to them, though most don't "inhale" the enemies.

While racing, machines leave behind a trail of stars. Collecting these stars will offer you a speed boost, so keeping on the same track as the other racers is key to winning. If vehicle damage is enabled, a damaged vehicle will also accelerate faster, offering a catch-up mechanic to players. There's also a pretty good variety of tracks.

City Trails

Anyone seen an elvish twink gliding around?

What looks to be the most interesting mode, which was present in the original as well. The entire mode takes place on a floating island called Skyah, which is divided into multiple section with varied biomes. This one's gonna take some explaining, so buckle up!

You start with a very basic machine somewhere on the island. There are more scattered around, and you'll be able to switch to them, which you'll want to do, as they're a lot better than what you start with. Once the mode starts, you have 5 minutes to go around the island and finding all sorts of upgrades for your machine, like faster speed, greater weight, better turning, and so on. Some of these upgrades work against each other, so be careful what you pick.

During your time on Skyah, a number of random events can occur. These range from unlocking more upgrades, to participating in random races, to boss battles. You're not alone on the island, as up to 16 players can also participate (8 locally), but you won't be able to interact with each other outside the aforementioned events.

Once the 5 minutes are up, and you have your machine upgraded, it's time for the elimination games! Players will be split into groups of up to 6 and put on a map with a specific challenge (called a Stadium), and the players will participate to see who gets the most points and moves to the next section. 

During the first round, players are presented with 4 stadiums to choose from, each tailored to their specific vehicles. If more than 6 players pick the same Stadium, they're split into two or more groups. If you're the only player to pick a Stadium? Congratulations, you won! The next few stadiums will be picked either by vote or at random until only one player remains.

What do you think of Kirby Air Riders? Are you excited for the game? Let us know in the comments below!