Let's Go For A Fly, eh?

I am what you could call a major Kirby fan, and I waited for years for a real chapter in Kirby games. But when big N decided to change things up on the gamecube... again, I took what they gave with optimism. The history of this game is a bit weird. Nintendo and HAL Laboratory first began developing a Kirby game about skateboarding. SKATEBOARDING. But it took too long and what made it new and exciting at the time of conception was old news later in development (such as four person multiplayer). The idea was scrapped and was later brought back to life for the gamecube. With a make-over, we now have Kirby Air Ride, an unusual racing game.

Gameplay

Let me (not) be the first to say that the mechanics are not normal. The average racing game has a button for accelerating, a button for braking, and a control pad (not to mention a few others). But KAR does things differently. For one, the you don't need to press anything to make the car, or in this case the warp star, go. The important thing to learn is the brake. A is the button for this command. For nearly all stars, braking also charges up the ship for a boost. Now its not a good idea to do this without strategy. You'll need to learn the right places to stop and boost and there is even a vehicle that only lets you turn when you are braking. Speaking of vehicles, there are a lot to choose from. unfortunately, you'll need to unlock every single one in race mode, which sometimes has a lot to be desired. There are only a handful of courses, each not having a total unique zing. But there's nothing like seeing the unlock screen appear after a challenging race and seeing a new star handed to you. There are three modes in this game: Race, City Trial, and an overhead race mode that the game could honestly be fine without. City Trial is the best part of the game. you start out with an abysmal star and you are forced to find a new star laying around an abandoned city and find upgrades for that star. The point is to have the best car possible for a mini game at the end. Some of them are fun, some impossible, and some annoying. All in all, you'll have a good time with this game, but it can get old.

Graphics

This game is no shining example, but the atmosphere does have a colorful, fun mood. It could be described as cell-shaded but without the defined outline. Things are a bit blocky and they look as if the developers didn't put a whole lot of effort into it.

Sound

There are a few good music tracks in this game, namely the unlockable secondary track to the city trial, but once again there's nothing special here. Sound effects are blah and while music and sound doesn't usually make or break the game, this isn't really any different. I can't remember noticing the sound much as it doesn't leave a lasting impression. But it was nice to hear the music from the original Kirby games, the music that plays when you beat a level, play after every race and event. Its a nice homage to an excellent series.

Lifespan

Once you unlock everything in the main race mode, there isn't much you will want to really do seeing as there aren't a large number of courses. City Trial will have some life seeing as open world maps are always fun. And the minigames you can play are often good to experiment with. There actually was a time for a short period when I got obsessed with the game (before the days of wii) and I can say that if the spark also ignites in you, you will have hours of fun. But most will not be so lucky and?ll probably play the game a few times and get frustrated with how long it takes to get all the warp stars and eventually put it on the shelf or take it for a drive.

Review by Nova