Kirby Air Riders is a cute, chaotic racing game

Kirby is a uniquely wholesome Nintendo character, yet his games often have a quirky mean streak to them. They're all about letting players absorb enemies and take on some wild powers to tear through vibrant stages with reckless abandon. That's especially true with Kirby Air Riders, the long-awaited sequel to the GameCube classic racing game, Kirby Air Ride. Much like the original, it's a fast-paced racing game starring Kirby and friends as they race through visually striking locales – it also happens to be one of the most chaotic racing games I've played in quite a while.

At PAX West 2025 in Seattle, I spent an hour playing Kirby Air Riders, reacquainting myself with the approachable yet surprisingly deep mechanics from the cult-favorite 2003 racing game. It's certainly interesting to see game director Masuhiro Sakurai follow up Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a Kirby racing ...