If Mario Kart World is a nice leisurely drive through the countryside, then Kirby Air Riders is screaming down a twisty mountain road at 2 a.m. while blasting Nirvana. Despite both appearing to be similarly styled racing games, they couldn’t be more different — and where Mario Kart feels solid but safe, Kirby revels in its chaos, like a mischievous little demon.
The original GameCube Kirby Air Ride was extremely divisive for its time, being shockingly hardcore and deep in spite of Kirby’s reputation as one of Nintendo’s more approachable franchises. I’m extremely pleased that this long-awaited follow-up hasn’t lost any of that rambunctious energy, and even feels like it’s truly trying to deliver on the vision of the original. It’s the kind of weird and abrasive games I want on the Switch 2.
