Kirby Air Ride

Kirby Air Ride
Developer	HAL Laboratory
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo Gamecube
Release Date	JP June 9, 2003 US October 13, 2003 EU February 20, 2004 AU March 30, 2004
Rating	ESRB: E

Kirby Air Ride is a Kirby racing game that was released for the Nintendo Gamecube. It was the only Kirby game to be released for the console.

Gameplay

In this game, players can control Kirbys of multiple colors with simplified controls. Characters ride Warpstars and other types of Air Ride Machines. There are also power-ups, and it is also possible for Kirby to use his Copy ability on enemies. There are three different modes which utilize different perspectives. The Air Ride has 3-D racing, while the Top Ride is 2-D. The other mode is City Trial, where players can race for power-ups and engage in tournament battle. Each mode has a checklist of objectives which can be completed to unlock other characters, vehicles, items, courses and other bonuses.

Legacy

This was notably the last Kirby game that Masahiro Sakurai worked on before leaving HAL Laboratory. Although he remained supportive of HAL, he voiced being tired of having to constantly work on sequels and spin-offs of Kirby.

Sequels

The next Kirby game was Kirby & The Amazing Mirror for the Game Boy Advance.