Kirby Air Ride

Race and battle with ultra-simple controls!

JP release: 11th July 2003
NA release: 13th October 2003
EU release: 30th March 2004
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
NGC Magazine Score: 51%
Mods Used: Widescreen Code

This was a game that I was intrigued by as a kid, but I was put off by NGC magazine’s rather scathing 51% review. However, I have heard plenty of people give this game high praise over the years, so I’m glad I was finally able to give it a go myself. Kirby Air Ride is a racing game that has no acceleration and break, just steering and a charge button.

The charge button powers your boost, but its effects will change depending on what vehicle you use. The standard one will make Kirby slow down, while another will make you come to a complete stop. Some vehicles will also be better at getting air and there’s even some that don’t use the charge function. Each vehicle feels very different in how it plays, making experimentation very important.

The menus and presentation of Kirby Air Ride borrow heavily from Smash Bros Melee (even with the same sound effects), which is a bit odd. However, it does have one element that was a big part of Smash Bros Brawl: the progression. This is done via hidden achievements which are aligned in a grid, which reveal nearby squares. These will unlock new vehicles, colours and other bonuses.

Kirby Air Ride is split across three gameplay types: Air Ride, Top Ride and City Trial. Each one has its own unlocked and achievements, essentially meaning that you have three similar games in one, they all even have their own unique credits, which is a nice little touch. All modes can also be played via LAN so each player can have their own screen (as long as they all have a GameCube, broadband adaptor and copy of the game)

Air Ride

This is the basic racing mode, with 9 courses to play. There’s no grand Prix to work for them all, and the secret 9th course is simply unlocked by completing 100 laps, so it’s all about just having fun or working towards the achievements. You can stick to the default number of laps or increase it to a maximum of 100.

The racing feels great. You don’t have to worry about acceleration so you can focus on steering and the all important charge buttons. Charging not only charges your boost (at the expense of slowing you down first), but also helps you take corners. This means, despite its simplicity, there’s a surprising amount of depth to the racing, making it really good fun.

The A button is also used to absorb enemies, which gives Kirby power ups, some of which transform Kirby fully and give you more methods of control to master if you want to be good at the game, it’s great how much they’ve put into the game for such simple controls

Top Ride

The weakest part of the game is an old fashioned top down racer, although it’s still great fun. It only has two vehicles, but it uses them as a fun way to solve an issue with controls for this kind of racer. As some people like pointing in the direction they want and others like steering left/right, Kirby Air Ride makes each vehicle work one of those ways.

With the achievements, it means there’s still plenty to do here, and there are items and stage hazards to keep things mixed up.

City Trial

Now this mode is something that could be released now and feel current. It’s a multiplayer focused mode where you’re let loose in a large arena. You can drive around at will and even hop out of your vehicle. You have a 5 minute timer and must open boxes to collect upgrades to power up your vehicle as much as possible before it runs out.

Events can happen in the city at random which you need to contend with. The rail stations (which house the start of grind levels that make getting around the city easy) can catch on fire, a UFO can visit, fog can descend and more. As for what you’re levelling up your vehicle for? That’s the catch: you don’t know.

When the timer reaches zero, a stadium event is picked at random. This could be a drag race, a flying minigame, combat, a regular race (with the tracks from Air Ride) and more, making it exciting for what comes up and meaning you have to try and adapt to poor situations based on your vehicle. It’s a wonderful mode, and would make for a great online game. This idea was also used in Smash Bros for 3DS – so this game used concepts that was later used in multiple Smash Bros games.

After playing through this, I’m a bit sad as I would have adored this game as a kid. The multiplayer would have been great and the achievements would provide something to work towards when on my own. It’s a wonderful game, and a racing game that feels unique.

Fave

It’s a game in tune with much of Nintendo’s third tier output – simplistic, unremarkable and undemanding – and, like the tires Mario Party series, it’s hard to see yourself pursuing its challenge (or, more importantly, particularly wanting to) further than a couple of quick goes on the demo in HMV.
Tim Weaver, NGC Magazine #85

Remake or remaster?

A remaster with online would be splendid. And perhaps a few more tracks and events.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Kirby Air Ride.