Kirby Air Riders surprises with deceptively simple one-button controls that hide a deep, high-speed racing experience.
VGChartz's Evan Norris: "Unlike RPG and Action-Adventure, two genres that deliver multiple GotY candidates year after year, Racing is something of a feast or famine situation. Luckily, 2025 was a feast year, due primarily to Nintendo's latest hybrid console. All four games on the shortlist appeared on Switch 2; heck, three of them are exclusives. Shin'en, no stranger to Nintendo hardware, once again punched above its weight class with the slick futuristic racer Fast Fusion. Masahiro Sakurai reconfirmed his auteur status with Kirby Air Riders, an unexpectedly deep and content-rich racer with more than a little fighting game DNA in it. Nintendo EPD made a big splash at the launch of Switch 2 with Mario Kart World, which obliterated the spatial boundaries of the franchise. And Sonic Team raised the stakes with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, thanks to an inventive travel ring mechanic."
Ben reviews Kirby Air Riders, the long-awaited follow-up to the Nintendo GameCube classic.
CCG writes - "Kirby Air Riders is a dream come true! I never expected a return to the hidden GameCube gem but we got one, and it’s almost perfect. Just about everything I wanted to see in a sequel is here—more players, more Machines, plenty of characters, and online support. The single-player content and vehicle customization are pleasant additions as well. However, it is a huge bummer that the matchmaking struggles to find players online. The Machine customization has also led to some…unpleasant creations by other players, but those make up a small portion of the custom creations I’ve seen."
