Nintendo’s Kirby Air Ride Direct Reveals New Modes & Online Play
▼ Summary
– Kirby Air Riders is adding a new Top Ride mode with a top-down perspective and exclusive items, playable online with up to eight players or offline with three others.
– A new Road Trip story mode combines challenges from Air Ride, City Trial, and Top Ride, allowing players to collect machines and items between races and battles.
– Enhanced online features include the Paddock lobby for social interaction and customizable Licenses with a Class system and Global Win Power metric for player progression.
– New gameplay additions include Swap Relay races where machines automatically swap after each lap and the return of the Checklist system to unlock content by completing objectives.
– The update brings nine original Air Ride courses, a VS. Boss mode with Robo Dedede, new amiibo figures, and an online demo event for players to try.
The highly anticipated Kirby Air Riders is set to deliver an impressive array of fresh content, with the latest Nintendo Direct unveiling exciting new modes, expanded online functionality, and substantial customization options that promise to engage both new and returning fans.
Director Masahiro Sakurai hosted the extensive presentation, immediately introducing a brand-new bonus mode titled Top Ride. This mode reinvents the classic Air Ride experience by shifting to a dynamic top-down viewpoint, featuring racecourses directly inspired by the original game’s Air Ride mode. Supporting up to eight players online or four locally on a single console, Top Ride also brings exclusive power-ups into the mix, such as Kaboomb, Drift Flames, and Drill Driver, to intensify the competition.
Another major highlight was the detailed look at Road Trip, the game’s dedicated story mode. This mode blends various challenges pulled from Air Ride, City Trial, and Top Ride, including races, battles, and special Field Events. As players advance, they collect machines and items that carry over between missions, adding a layer of strategy and progression.
Online play receives a significant upgrade with the introduction of the Paddock, a social lobby where players can roam as their rider character, organize matches, interact with friends, and even control the background music. Personalization is further enhanced through customizable Licenses, which serve as player IDs in online sessions. These Licenses will display a player’s Class, represented by color tiers, and a new Global Win Power metric that reflects competitive ranking and skill progression.
A novel race type called Swap Relay is also coming to Air Ride mode. In this mini-game, players select a machine at the start, and after completing each lap, their vehicle automatically changes. This encourages experimentation with different rider-machine combinations. Nintendo emphasized that local multiplayer participants can even pass the controller between laps, much like a relay baton.
Fans of the original Kirby Air Ride will be pleased to see the return of The Checklist. By completing specific objectives across Air Ride, Top Ride, City Trial, Road Trip, or Online modes, players can flip over boxes on their checklist. Unlocking these boxes grants access to a growing selection of bonus content.
In addition to these features, the Direct confirmed that nine classic Air Ride courses are being added, effectively doubling the total number of tracks to 18. New Stadium events and a VS. Boss mode were also showcased, teasing a special boss encounter with Robo Dedede.
Sakurai concluded by revealing a new series of amiibo figures, Meta Knight, Chef Kawasaki, and Dedede, which can be scanned into the game to unlock them as playable riders.
An online demo event has been scheduled, and further announcements are expected as the release date approaches.
(Source: techradar)
