You would think that after a combined one hour and 45 minutes of Kirby Air Riders Directs, I would have no further questions about the unlikely sequel, but no. Another 60 minutes of Air Riders info has now been shared, yet I still don’t know much about that dark, brooding character we were shown at the end of the first Direct aside from their name.
We were given a very brief second look at the character who is far too damaged to be a resident of Planet Popstar, yet here we are, I guess. Kirby encounters the new character during Air Riders’ Road Trip, which will effectively be its story mode. At the very end of the Direct, it is seemingly confirmed that the new character is called Zorah, and that it is a sentient machine of some sort.
Road Trip was just one of the new details about Kirby Air Riders that Sakurai managed to fill a full hour with. The veteran developer also confirmed the return of Top Ride. Top Ride is a top-down mode that was a part of the original Kirby Air Ride, and it is now confirmed to be coming back in its sequel.
Air Riders will also have a Stadium mode, the most exciting part of which will be its VS Boss feature. Saddle up your kart – sorry, Saurai, machine – and take on a giant robot version of King Dedede. Robo Dedede doesn’t need a machine as he can transform into a giant car, after which he will proceed to blast poor little Kirby with a giant laser. Yes, Dedede is a Decepticon now. I’m starting to think this game might have everything.
And I’m still not done. Towards the end of today’s Direct, Sakurai took us on a deep dive of the upcoming game’s cosmetics. Its machines have a lot of customization options so that you can make them your own, as do the characters themselves. I was skeptical when a section titled “Headwear” began, but as soon as Sakurai game Waddle Dee a top knot, I had to stop myself from closing the stream and heading directly to our Kirby Air Riders pre-order guide.
Kirby and Waddle amiibo were revealed as part of the initial Air Riders Direct, and three more characters wrere confirmed to be joining them during this one. Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Chef Kawasaki will all be getting amiibo with matching machines, and all of the riders can be removed from the machines and placed into different ones. It’s going to cost you if you want all five, though.
The Direct closed with the reveal that demos for Air Riders will be running starting from November 8, ahead of its full launch on November 20.
- Released
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November 20, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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HAL Laboratory
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
