I had the fortune of being invited to the Nintendo suite at [PAX West 2025](https://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/previews/pax-west-2025-digimon-story-time-stranger/) to experience their offerings, but my focus was set on *Kirby Air Riders*. Just the previous week, our CGM team was noting how little we had seen or heard about it, only to soon after see the announcement for the [*Kirby Air Riders* Direct](https://www.cgmagonline.com/news/nintendo-kirby-air-riders-direct-tomorrow/) along with the PAX invitation. It felt like fate!

I wasn’t well-versed in the original *Kirby Air Ride* from 2003. My attention had shifted to Xbox after moving away from the GameCube. Please keep that under wraps. Even when I transitioned back to Nintendo, I was primarily engrossed in [*Mario Party*](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/super-mario-party-jamboree-nintendo-switch-2-edition-jamboree-tv/) games. During high school, *Super Smash Bros* (https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/super-smash-bros-ultimate-switch-review/) dominated our gaming hours, overshadowing even *Mario Kart*, so *Kirby Air Ride* never crossed my path.

After roughly 30 minutes of gameplay alongside a group of fellow journalists, it was evident that we should have been competing in high school as well. *Kirby Air Riders* delivers a speedy, frenetic experience that’s ideal for friendly rivalry. However, Nintendo refrained from calling it a racing game. Instead, *Kirby Air Riders* was labeled a “vehicle action game,” which I can understand.

To get started, Nintendo guided us through a series of tutorials covering maneuvers like the Charge Boost and Spin Attack. Mastering the controls in *Kirby Air Riders* proved challenging. The machines move forward automatically, and I kept attempting to push ahead with the control stick, which negatively affected my performance. The staff next to me repeatedly reminded me to stop, yet I didn’t fully grasp it during the session.

The Spin Attack was another technique that I found hard to perfect, and once more, I struggled. Shifting the stick side to side rapidly initiates a spin that can break items or damage foes. With additional practice, it may become more manageable, but at that moment, it felt chaotic. I would have preferred a straightforward button press, a combo, or even a full-circle spin of the stick, as that seemed to align with what I observed on screen. It was not intuitive, indicating that I clearly require more practice.

Following that, we transitioned to racing. The game features 12 characters from the outset, including Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, Chef Kawasaki, Magolor, Gooey, Waddle Doo, Knuckle Joe, Susie, Cappy, and Starman. Certain characters offer alternate colors or styles. Each of Kirby’s colors bestows a unique ability, while the others simply look fashionable and maintain their original powers—like Chef Kawasaki’s “Super Spicy Cooking.”

Our initial area resembled a straightforward dash to the finish, akin to *Mario Kart* or *Sonic Racing: Crossworlds*. With this type of game, there’s frequently so much occurring simultaneously—I felt quite overwhelmed—that it can be challenging to grasp everything in a brief demo. Players can choose their track, rider, and vehicle.

The selection of vehicles includes both new and returning ones, such as the Chariot, Paper Star, Wheelie Bike, and Warp Star. Each vehicle has a distinct feel, making it worthwhile to try them all. The City Trial mode we experienced provided an excellent chance to experiment. In this mode, you roam around a city, gathering floating items. You can switch machines, withstand random events, and accumulate boosts and bonuses, which adds to the chaotic feel of the mode.

As I mentioned earlier, things progress swiftly in *Kirby Air Riders*, and sometimes those items amplify the speed. At one point, I must have collected something, as I found myself moving so quickly that even the Nintendo representative struggled to keep up with me. The silver lining is that, despite not being able to switch machines, I definitely amassed the most items.

After five minutes of sheer frenzy collecting power-ups, we were transported to a stadium for a battle. This mode accommodates 16 players online or eight locally, and in our case, we went to whichever stadium we selected. If you coordinated with the group, you played together; if not, it was a solo session. A key point to remember: If you were on a ground vehicle, picking an air stadium was not advisable.