Silicon Fusion >> News >> Kirby Air Ride returns! (E3 2003)

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20th May 2003:
Kirby Air Ride returns! (E3 2003)
After originally being announced as an N64 launch title, Kirby's ill-fated racing game has been reincarnated on the GameCube.
Posted by Marc Hull - GameCube - UK and Europe

Nintendo's shape-changing pink blob, Kirby, may not be the most innovative of games characters, but that hasn't stopped him from making an impression on both the SNES and Game Boy, which was almost enough to secure him his own N64 title back in 1996. However, shortly after the console's launch things went decidedly the way of the pear, and aside from some cameos in Super Smash Bros. nothing has been seen of him since. Fortunately, though, the N64 project was not entirely lost, and has instead was revived as a GameCube game that was announced at this year's E3.

Kirby has always been more of a younger-kids character than other Nintendo favourites like Mario and Zelda, and this is reflected in Kirby Air Ride's gameplay. The basic idea is to make the title as easy to pick-up-and-play as possible, so young children will be able to make sense of it, while retaining the fun and addictiveness of games like Mario Kart to still attract an older audience. You take on the role of the round pink one atop his air-riding star and race around various brightly-coloured courses, complete with plenty of obstacles and enemies to halt your progress. However, unlike most racers, Kirby Air Ride doesn't have an accelerate button; instead there's a context-sensitive action button that can be used to slow yourself down, or can be held and then released for a burst of acceleration. Like in previous Kirby games, his ability to copy and make use of enemy abilities returns, with a single button-press allowing you to morph into the form of the nearest enemy, then execute that creature's special move.

As well as the standard behind-the-character view mode, Air Ride also allows you to view things from an overhead view, providing more classic-style, 2D gameplay. There will also be a City Trial mode which can be played by up to four players split-screen stylee, and allows the combatants to race for power-ups before being launched into a full-on tournament battle.

Kirby Air Ride certainly looks like it could be a lot of fun, although it remains to be seen whether the simplistic control system will be enough to attract older gamers. We hope to have more information on the game soon, but in the meantime here are some early screenshots and a trailer video from E3 to tide you over.

Kirby Air Ride E3 trailer (11.8 MB Quicktime)

Marc Hull

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Related Games:

Kirby Air Ride
for GameCube

Screenshots