Nintendo has confirmed that Kirby Air Riders, a modern revival of the 2003 GameCube cult classic Kirby Air Ride, will be released exclusively on Switch 2 on November 20. The announcement came during a marathon &t=1s">45-minute Nintendo Direct devoted entirely to the new game, hosted by Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai. Sakurai said he was asked to create Air Riders while still working on DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and drafted a written proposal for the game at the request of Shinya Takahashi, head of software development for Nintendo.
The Direct showed a roster of playable characters, including King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, Knuckle Joe and others. Each rider has distinct traits and special attacks that influence how their machines perform. The ride mechanics will be fairly simple, with players able to boost, drift, glide and rail-grind their way around.
Players will be able to customize and upgrade their vehicles throughout the game, which includes two major modes. Air Ride is the straightforward racing mode, with players competing on themed tracks. City Trial lets players explore a floating island called Skyah, where they can find power-ups and encounter random events like Dustup Derby, where they battle opponents to knock them out and earn more power-ups. Once players feel their machine is sufficiently powered up, they can head to the Stadium to complete different challenges against opponents. Local multiplayer supports up to eight players, while online lobbies can hold 16.
A demo version of Kirby Air Riders will be playable by reservation for attendees of PAX West 2025 in Seattle at the end of the month. Masahiro Sakurai said a similar demo will be available to play at Gamescom in Cologne this week.
Kirby Air Riders will release on November 20 and marks yet another Switch 2 exclusive coming early in the life cycle of the hit console. Nintendo has already found success with Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.
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