The lowest bar thatKirby Air Ridershas to clear compared to its predecessor would probably involve its roster of playable characters. The originalKirby Air Rideis a game that has a lot of room to grow in many aspects.Kirby Air Ridershas ample opportunity to expand in all of these areas, from gameplay to presentation. However, the biggest possible expansion comes in the form of the game’s roster. That was one of the areas where the original game fell rather short. However,Kirby Air Riderscan reverse that thanks to years of advancement for the series.
Thereveal ofKirby Air Riderswas a pleasant surprise for several reasons.Kirby Air Ridewas a title for the GameCube that largely flew under the radar during its time. A racing game starring the lovable Kirby, it broke the usual mold of racing games. Rather than a grand prix, its most prominent mode was arguably City Trial, a free-roam mode where players would explore, battle, and search for upgrades before taking on a challenge at the end of the round.Kirby Air Ridewas a unique game, and hopefully its sequel will be able to keep the spirit of the original.
Kirby Air Riders Will Need a Serious Expansion to Its Roster
Kirby Air Ride’s Roster Mostly Consisted of Just Kirby
WithKirby Air Ridersconfirmed for the Switch 2, it will need to be a bigger and better game than its predecessor. The most necessary upgrade in that sense would be the game’s roster. InKirby Air Ride, almost the entire roster consisted of various recolors of Kirby. The only exceptions were Meta Knight and King Dedede, both of whom had to be unlocked. As a result, the roster suffered from a serious lack of variety because inevitably, at least half of the players would be playing as Kirby. Changing this lacking roster should be a major priority forKirby Air Riders.
Several Kirby variations inKirby Air Ridealso had to be unlocked, further restricting the initial roster.
Kirby’s World Has A Lot of Potential For Playable Characters
Thankfully, there should be more than enoughcharacters in theKirbyseriesto fill out a roster in a racing game. The two biggest, Meta Knight and Dedede, have already been mentioned, but the iconic Waddle Dee feels like another obvious inclusion. Other classic enemies like Waddle Doo and Bronto Burt would likewise fit, as would allies like Rick and Adeline.
Even a few morevillains like Magolor and Marxcould be added to the roster. TheKirbyseries has an underratedly strong roster of characters. With this in mind,Kirby Air Riderscan definitely have a much stronger roster than the original.
Kirby Air Riders Will Have a Lot of Competition From Other Racers
There’s another factor that warrants an improved roster. Theroster ofMario Kart Worldhas already received widespread attention due to the impressive amount of characters on display, including many minor or obscure characters. Likewise,Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsis also coming in the near future with a roster full of belovedSoniccharacters, including the long-awaited return of the Babylon Rogues. IfKirby Air Ridersmostly features a list of Kirby recolors, it’s going to look far less impressive compared to its competition.Kirby Air Ridersneeds to embrace the world ofKirbycharacters, or else its competition could leave it in the dust.
Kirby Air Riders' roster should be able to handily surpass the original. Thedevelopers ofKirby Air Ridenow have over two decades' worth of games to comb through when it comes to putting together a roster, so they should be able to find plenty of contenders. While the originalKirby Air Ridewas a solid game, its roster was a glaring weakness, especially for fans of the series who knew it had more to offer.Kirby Air Riderscan give theKirbyseries' roster the recognition it deserves.
Kirby Air Riders
Directed by Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, Kirby Air Riders is a new racing game starring the adorable pink puff, and a sequel to the GameCube classic.
