Gaming Influence: Thoughts - Kirby Air Riders Direct #2 10.23.2025

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created in WrestleCorp. However, I will not only share my thoughts on certain video games and video game series, but also on video game movies, anime, digital presentations, and more.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll share my thoughts on the Kirby Air Riders Direct on October 23, 2025.

Anyway, let's get started!

This is the second Kirby Air Riders Direct. For those unfamiliar with the Kirby Air Ride series, it's a racing game series developed by HAL Laboratory and Sora Ltd., and published by Nintendo. Kirby Air Riders is the sequel to Kirby Air Ride, which was released on GameCube in 2003.

With this game coming out next month, did Nintendo do enough to satisfy the Kirby Air Ride fans as well as players who have never played the series before? Let's find out and discuss what they've shown.

They first start off with the director of Kirby Air Riders, Masahiro Sakurai, introducing himself and providing an overview of the first Kirby Air Riders Direct. He then mentioned that there's so much to talk about the game that he had to split the presentation into two. He then went on about how people were wondering about Top Ride mode, and he was able to give the people the answer, and that is, Top Ride mode will return. As always, nice to see Masahiro Sakurai, and cool to see that Top Ride has returned from the original game, which is nice. Let's get to it!

Top Ride

Top Ride mode has returned, where players will ride on a track in a top-down view. The way it functions is similar to Air Ride mode, where players can use any rider and machine that they want, unlike the first game, where players can only pick between two machines with the Free Star and Steer Star. They also changed the perspective of the mode, where the screen will focus on the first player rather than everyone at the same time. Players can also choose the type of controls they want as well whether it's free controls or steer controls.

Top Ride mode definitely hasn't changed since the first game, but they have definitely improved on it with more options and features to choose from. Even though I won't be playing this mode much, per se, I'm glad to see it back, and the more modes, the better. Good to see this mode back, even though I might not be using this mode that much.

Top Ride Course Collection

There will be multiple courses within Top Ride, including Flower, Flow, Air, Crystal, Steam, and Mountain. The courses are significantly wider compared to the first game, and it's up to the player to decide how they want to shift the camera focus, whether it's on a single player or the entire course. When playing Top Ride online, up to eight players can join. For local play, up to four players can play together.

It looks like the courses for Top Ride are pretty much shorter and smaller versions of the courses of the Air Ride mode, which isn't bad at all. Nice to see that this mode will also have online and local play as it should. Very curious to see if there'll be other courses, or if this is it. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Top Ride Item Collection

There are also exclusive items within Top Ride, including Kaboomb, Drift Flames, Drill Driver, Course Quaker, and Chickie. He then recommended players who aren't used to fast racing games to play Top Ride mode before moving on to the other modes. He then mentioned that all of the modes within the game can be played with any related Switch 2 or Switch controller, including the GameCube controller. In addition, when playing Air Ride or City Trail with multiple players, players can choose whether to play split screen horizontally or vertically. 

Didn't expect exclusive items within Top Ride mode, but that's awesome. Again, I love that Masahiro Sakurai is giving all of these options for players to choose from on how they want to play, and it's awesome. We'll see how people will enjoy playing Top Ride mode when experiencing it.

Road Trip

Road Trip is a mode where players will play all three modes at once, where players will be riding and taking on multiple challenges. There are three challenges that players can choose, whether it be a battle or a race, similar to what players experience in City Trail. In addition, there'll be special events and special bosses that will appear in this mode as well. There will be characters that players will encounter in Road Trip, including Magman, Elline, Tortuilding, Twister, King Golem, and Computer Virus.

Okay, I didn't expect a mode like this to appear here, but it's very nice to see, as it combines all the modes within the game into one, which should make for an interesting experience. Nice to see certain characters appearing when it comes to the Road Trip mode. Very curious to see if we see other special characters in this game. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Online

Masahiro Sakurai then talked about online, where players can customize their license. Players can customize their license by adding characters, titles, and special effects to make it their own to showcase it online. When waiting for a race online, players hang out in the paddock where players can interact with other players on there. There are other copy abilities within the game as well, including Needle, Freeze, Sleep, Fighter, Drill, Flash, and Missile.

Very nice to see that Masahiro Sakurai is showing support for online play. Really like the customization with the licenses, and the paddock looks to be a fun place to hang out before a race starts, so that's cool. Also, great to see other copy abilities within the game itself, along with new ones. It's going to be fun and chaotic with all of these copy abilities, which is great.

Class

When playing online, players will be playing against other players with their class ranks. The class rank is shown on the player's license in the bottom right corner. Global Win Power is also shown on the license, where it shows that this player is better than this number of players when playing online. The classes are categorized by colors rather than letters, and also emphasize the play style of the game rather than the skill level. The higher class you have, the more changes will appear in City Trail, and each mode has its own class. 

Very cool to see that there's a ranking system when it comes to online, but not much in a competitive sense, which is interesting. I also like the fact that each mode has its own class as well, so it can be fair for everyone to play online, which is nice to see. Very curious to see if there will be anyone out there who can be at a high class in all three modes.

Air Ride Course Collection

There are more courses that players can ride in within Air Ride mode, including Airtopia Ruins, Crystalline Fissure, Steamgust Forge, and ?. Courses from the first Kirby Air Ride game come back as well, including Fantasy Meadows, Celestial Valley, Sky Sands, Frozen Hillside, Magma Flows, Beanstalk Park, Machine Passage, Checker Knights, and Nebula Belt. There will be eighteen courses in total, nine new courses, and nine courses from the first game. The courses from the first game have been updated graphically to fit with Kirby Air Riders.

Oh my god! Didn't expect Masahiro Sakurai to actually bring back the courses from the first game, but here we are, and it's incredible! Love the graphical upgrade on the retro stages as they look amazing. Also, I'm very curious about that ? stage that doesn't have a name. It looks quite interesting and curious to see what that course is about. I guess we'll find out about it once the game comes out.

Swap Relay

There is a new mode within Air Mode that players can play called Swap Relay, which will allow players to switch out different machines in each lap. The rider will remain the same, but each time a player completes a lap, the player uses a different machine. Masahiro Sakurai then went over other items within City Trail, including Speed Up, Dizzy Beam, Special Up, Item Catcher, Fireworks, Laser Swiper, Multi-Missile, Size Up, and Mega Cannon. When using the Mega Cannon, players can change the direction with it. When trying to get items in City Trail, blue boxes contain power-ups, green boxes contain attack items, and red boxes contain special items. There are also rare boxes that will contain more items than regular boxes. In order to break the boxes, you have to Quick Spin by rapidly moving the left analog stick. In some red boxes, they contain parts of a legendary machine, and one of them is Dragoon, which returns from Kirby Air Ride. There's also another legendary machine, Hydra. When collecting all of the parts, you get a powerful machine that has high stats. 

Nice to see a new mode with Swap Relay, which allows players to try different machines without having to keep switching out every single time for a race. Plus, nice to see more items in City Trail and the return of the legendary machines, as they are still broken just like in Kirby Air Ride. Regardless, City Trail continues to look amazing, and I love it.

Team Battles

When playing City Trail, you can play the mode in teams with team battles. Up to sixteen players can play against each other, with eight players on each team. When collecting parts for the legendary machines, the team can work together, and whoever collects the last part will be the one riding the legendary machine. There's also an island in the distance for players to ride there if they have the right machine to do so. There are other places and areas to sightsee in Skyah, including Highlands, Building Interior, Marooned Ship, Volcano, Mysterious Dimension, Floating Garden, and Spider Nest. Masahiro Sakurai then introduced other riders that will be in the game as well. These riders include Taranza, Lololo & Lalala, Daroach, Rocky, Rick, Scarfy, Marx, and Waddle Dee.

Nice to see more options with City Trail, especially with teaming up with other players, which should change things a lot when it comes to playing the mode. Also, nice to see other places and areas to explore within Skyah in City Trail. This is still the mode I'll be playing the most, and it's great to see that there's so much to it. I love it. Also, love the additional riders that Masahiro Sakurai added to the game as they're great. If that's all of the riders in the game, I can't complain, as it's a pretty good roster, but we'll see if they add anyone else to it.

Transform Star

Masahiro Sakurai then introduced a new machine that players can use called the Transform Star. It's a machine that can transform from a flying machine to a bike. Players can transform this machine into the type they want by simply doing Quick Spins on it. Masahiro Sakurai then introduced other machines within the game, including Formula Star, Hop Star, Jet Star, Wheelie Scooter, and Bull Tank.

Oh my god! This new machine is incredible! They combine the best features of machines into one, and you can switch it out anytime you want during a race, which is awesome. This is definitely a machine to keep an eye on when playing the game, and I'm curious to see how this machine performs when using it in a race. Also, liking the other machines that have returned and are new within the game. Love it.

Voices

Masahiro Sakurai then talked about voices in the game where the riders don't actually talk in the game, but the voices behind the announcements do. He then showed all of the languages that players can choose, with two different variations of each language. He mentioned that the Japanese male voice is voiced by Banjo Ginga and the Japanese female voice is voiced by Makiko Omoto. He then said that the voices can also be heard when getting Copy Abilities and during Road Trip. You can change the language of the voice for Announcement and Narration in the game. Masahiro Sakurai then showcased a few examples of announcers, including English A, Japanese B, French A, German B, Spanish A, Italian B, Dutch A, Portuguese B, Korean A, and Chinese B. 

Okay, I didn't expect Masahiro Sakurai to go over voices here, but I love the variety, and the more languages for players to understand to play, the better. Love the passion that the announcers have when announcing, so this should be a lot of fun to play around with. Curious to see how the Narration will be in Road Trip, but we'll see.

Time Attack

There are additional modes in Kirby Air Riders, including Time Attack and Free Run. Time Attack is a time trial mode where players have to complete a race in the fastest time possible, with enemies in the way, and attacking them can boost their machine. Free Run is where players try to aim for the best time in one lap. There won't be any enemies or specials within Free Run, as the player just has to use their skills to get the best time. When setting up a best time and doing Free Run again, a ghost will appear, which will represent the best time the player has gotten, so beat that ghost if you want to get a better time. If players use a different machine, the best time will be different, so try to get the best time for each machine.

Nice to see some additional modes in Kirby Air Riders, but that's to be expected. Like how there are multiple modes when it comes to time. Time Attack is your traditional time trial mode, while Free Run is more of a competition, which should be a lot of fun. Looking forward to trying them out.

Free Run

Free Run is available in City Trail, where players can ride around Skyah without any limitations. Players can pick whatever machine they want within the underground parking lot through the pause menu. There's also a machine that's exclusive to City Trail in Free Run called Flight Warp Star. This machine lets players fly anywhere around Skyah. When using the Flight Warp Star and pressing the special button, it'll create contrails in the sky. There's also a Photo mode, and it's available in every mode. There will be a lot of field events in City Trail, including rare boxes appearing, some are fake, a locked treasure chest appearing, a Grand Wheelie appearing, reward rings appearing, Gordos falling from the sky, everyone riding UFOs, legendary machines appearing, and Battleship Halberd coming in to attack.

Nice to see that players can ride around Skyah just for fun. Also, always love a Photo mode, which is always great to see. All of the field events within City Trail are looking great so far, and should cause a lot of chaos and fun. Looking forward to playing City Trail again.

Stadium

Separate from City Trail, Stadium has its own mode where players can play the stadium games on there. Players can also adjust how they want to play stadium games in the mode as well. Whether it be canceling the games that they don't want or a specific theme, the players can choose to customize how they want to play the stadium games in Stadium mode. There are other stadium games within Kirby Air Riders, including Button Rush, High Jump, Big Battle, Oval Circuit, Rail Panic, and Beam Gauntlet. 

Nice to see that Stadium will have its own mode where players can just play the stadium games whenever they want. Love the options that players can do too when playing the stadium games. Also, loving seeing the new stadium games showcased here. It should be a lot of fun.

Vs. Boss

There's a stadium that returns in Vs. Boss, but in the first game, there was only Vs. King Dedede, where Kirby faces King Dedede on a bike. In Kirby Air Riders, players will face Robo Dedede, a robot version of King Dedede that can transform. Robo Dedede has two forms, King Dedede Form and Car Mode. Everyone gets to participate and work together to beat Robo Dedede. You can also lock on Robo Dedede by using the right analog stick. There are also other bosses to face besides Robo Dedede, but players have to play the game to find out for themselves.

It's great to see that Vs. Boss mode is back, but they're expanding upon it, which is awesome. Robo Dedede definitely looks to be a tough boss to beat, but it should be a lot of fun to go up against, especially when joining other players. Also, very curious to see the other bosses in this mode, as we definitely see Nightmare, but looking forward to seeing who else will be there.

Checklist

Masahiro Sakurai then introduced Checklist, which makes a return from Kirby Air Ride. The checklist is where players can achieve objectives and goals to earn rewards. When completing an objective or goal, a piece of a picture opens up. There are five tabs in the checklist for each mode in the game, including Air Ride, Top Ride, City Trail, Road Trip, and Online. With Online, players don't have to go online to complete these objectives or goals as they can easily do it within the checklist. In addition, players can make it easy for themselves to complete the objective and goal by changing the difficulty in the rules settings. There are more specials within Kirby Air Riders, including Golden Waddle Dee, Mock Dark Master, Meteor Rocky, Knuckle Rush, Rip-Roaring Rick, and True-Form Marx. It's possible to unlock the same rider multiple times within the Checklist, and if that happens, you get the color variation of the rider.

Nice to see that the checklist is back, as this is pretty much similar to Event Mode in the Super Smash Bros. series. I also like how Masahiro Sakurai made it easier for players to beat the objectives and goals by adjusting the difficulty, which is nice. Also, loving the new specials from the riders and having color variations of the riders. That's always a treat.

My Machine

In Kirby Air Riders, players can customize their machines in My Machines. Players can select different patterns, decals, accessories, and effects for the machines they want to customize. Players can also use different patterns and decals on the sizes and angles of the machines they want to customize, so that way, the machine is just one pattern or decal.  There's also the Machine Market, where players can purchase other players' machines. Players can also share their machines online with other players, and depending on how players view them, that'll determine the cost.

 

Oh man, it's great to see the customization of machines within Kirby Air Riders, and they look incredible. Not only that, you get to purchase other players' machines too, online, which is awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the customizations of the machines in Kirby Air Riders. 

Headwear

Not only can players customize their machines, but they can also customize the riders as well. In Kirby Air Riders, players can customize their riders with headwear. The following headwear in Kirby Air Riders includes Red Cap, Crown, Silk Hat, Ribbon, Onigiri, Sunglasses, Bull Horns, Floral Pin, and Topknot. Riders can wear any of these headwear, and they'll show during races except when players get Copy Abilities before they return to what they used to be. In addition, when players use the special button, it'll cancel out the Copy Ability.  

Very awesome to see that players can customize their riders as well, which is great. Love all of the headwear that they showcased here, as it's great to see the riders in different costumes and outfits. Also, love the fact that Masahiro Sakurai just casually dropped on how to cancel Copy Abilities. So cool.

Miles

Players can purchase machine decorations and headwear by using miles. Miles is the currency that Kirby Air Riders uses to purchase machines, machine decorations, headwear, and music. Miles can be earned by playing the game in general. 

As expected, there'll be currency in this game to buy what you want, and in this case, it's the machine decorations and headwear. I'll probably play this game a lot just to get a lot of miles to purchase everything I like. However, we'll see how that process will turn out, but great to see that this is being highlighted here.

Gummies

Gummies are another collectible that players can collect in Kirby Air Riders. These gummies can be earned online by beating other players in races or offline by playing solo. When collecting gummies, you can play with them as well as observe them in detail if you want. There are gummies for all of the machines within Kirby Air Riders. 

Okay, I didn't expect Masahiro Sakurai to do anything like this, but this is a welcome surprise regardless. It's very cool that there are gummies in this game that players can play around with and observe. Curious to see what all of the gummies will be when collecting each one.

Garage

Players can interact with their machines in the Garage. Garages are varied in shapes and sizes it depending on what machines you have. Players can also invite other players to see their garages.

Nice to see an area where players can see their machines and interact with them. Inviting other players to see their garages is also great. Looking forward to seeing what players have in store when it comes to garages.

Music

Masahiro Sakurai then introduced the composers of Kirby Air Riders, Shogo Sakai and Noriyuki Iwadare. Shogo Sakai composed the music of Kirby Air Ride, while Noriyuki Iwadare composed the main theme and other songs in Kirby Air Riders as well as composed music for the Super Smash Bros. series and Kid Icarus: Uprising. In City Trail, there's a feature that allows players to listen to the music of Kirby Air Riders, similar to the Super Smash Bros. series. Players can adjust how often and how rare a song can be played, as well as create a playlist for songs. In addition, there are alternate versions of the songs that players can listen to. Finally, a few more songs from Kirby Air Riders will be added to Nintendo Music.

As expected, Masahiro Sakurai is going all out with the music, and I love it. I'm really looking forward to listening to the soundtrack of this game, as it should be incredible. Can't wait to experience and listen to it myself.

Main Menu

Masahiro Sakurai then showcased the main menu of Kirby Air Riders. The theme of the main menu represents a desk surface as it's swift when navigating the menu. When hovering over the options on the menu, it gives a brief picture or video as well as a description of what the mode is about. There are also tabs in the bottom right corner that contain other modes, which include Connect (Online play), Extras (Finding various modes), and Collection (Collectibles can be bound in this option). When pressing the ZL button in most menus, the Checklist appears to see the progress of the Checklist. When pressing the Y button at the start of each main mode, you see a tutorial of that particular mode.

As usual, the main menu definitely has style to it, and Masahiro Sakurai's games tend to have that, and it was no different with Kirby Air Riders. Love the idea that the theme of this menu is a surface desk, which reminds me of a lot of the original Super Smash Bros. on N64, and that's a nice touch. Again, the colors stood out, and I love everything about the main menu aesthetics as it just pops. 

Options

Masahiro Sakurai then went over the options that players can do in the game. Players can invert the midair controls, swap buttons, personalize their name, or even play the game with one hand with a single Joy-Con. There's also an accessibility feature for players who have certain disabilities, like color effects, etc.

Very cool to see that Masahiro Sakurai is giving a lot of options to players to play the game in their way and for a better experience for them, which is greatly appreciated. This is something that I wish a lot more video game companies would do, but great to see it here regardless. The more options for players, the better.

Visual Effects

Masahiro Sakurai then went over the visual effects of the game, where players can change how they play the game in a visual aspect. Players can play the game close to the rider or further away. Players can also turn on or off the shake and tilt for the game, as well as change other visual effects of the game. You can also use the Right analog stick to change the camera, but it isn't recommended.

Again, I'm very surprised that Masahiro Sakurai is doing these accessibility features for players who have disabilities, but this is awesome. Really love that Masahiro Sakurai did this, and I can't stress that enough. It's incredible.

amiibo

Masahiro Sakurai then introduced more amiibo, which are currently in development. He first gave an update on the amiibo that was shown in the Nintendo Direct last month, as well as showing how players can scan their amiibo and use them in the game. When using amiibo in the game, depending on the rider and machine, it'll be the cursor on the main menu. Other amiibo in development include Meta Knight & Shadow Star, King Dedede & Tank Star, and Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star. Just like with the Kirby & Warp Star and Bandana Waddle Dee & Winged Star amiibo, you can switch out riders and machines freely. Not only that, with the Tank Star, it can transform as you can put it in ground form, or gliding form. 

My goodness! Masahiro Sakurai is going all out with the amiibo, and it's incredible! I didn't expect as many amiibo to be showcased here, but I love it, and the quality of them looks great. Definitely love the King Dedede & Tank Star amiibo, especially since the Tank Star amiibo can transform between ground and gliding forms. These amiibo are definitely going to be hard to get, but definitely worth it for sure.

Story

Masahiro Sakurai then mentioned that there's a story within Road Trip. He then showed the opening video for the Road Trip mode, which explained the history of riders and machines, as well as what awaits them. He then talked about Zorah, which is a life form that struck in Dreamland as they're waiting for something.

Okay, Masahiro Sakurai got me intrigued with this, as that opening video was incredible. It had voice acting and great cinematics as well. He definitely put the budget on that, which is appreciated. Definitely curious about Zorah and what it's all about. I guess we'll find out soon enough when the game is released next month.

Closing

Masahiro Sakurai then mentioned that this game was developed right after he made his YouTube channel, as it took a lot of time to develop. He also noted that thanks to the support of the fans, Kirby Air Riders was possible to be made possible. He said that there won't be DLC for the game, as well as the series will not continue with him after this, as he put everything that he wanted in this game. Finally, he mentioned that players need to download a patch when buying the physical version of the game on Day 1 before saying goodbye. They then showcased a teaser of Fountain of Dreams and Star Rod appearing, along with a new boss, before announcing an online demo for Kirby Air Riders from November 8 to November 16. 

Dang, I didn't expect that this game wouldn't have any DLC or live updates, but at the same time, the fact that we managed to get a sequel to Kirby Air Ride is just unbelievable in itself, and the fact that we got this much content in it is incredible. That tease that did in the end for Road Trip definitely got me intrigued, especially with the return of Fountain of Dreams and the Star Rod. Very curious to see what that tease is about, as well as the online demo event in just a few weeks.

Overall, this was a good presentation from Nintendo. Even though I prefer the first Kirby Air Riders Direct by Masahiro Sakurai, this one is still pretty good in my opinion, as I didn't expect a lot of content to be filled in this, but I loved it. Even though there won't be DLC or live updates to the game, there's a lot of content put into this game, which shows how passionate Masahiro Sakurai is with this project. This is the Kirby Air Ride sequel that we've been waiting for 20 years, and it's coming out next month. Unbelievable. Looking forward to playing the game myself, as it should be awesome.

You can catch the whole presentation of the Kirby Air Riders Direct yourself with the link below:

Those are my thoughts on the Kirby Air Riders Direct. Did this presentation convince you to purchase the game?

Let me know in the comments below, and thank you for reading.