Among all the additions and improvements in Kirby Air Riders, the one that still gets me every time is the expanded roster of riders. Growing beyond a coterie of Kirbys from the original game — with Meta Knight and King Dedede along for good measure — to who’s who of familiar faces from the entire series is a great touch.
In the second Air Riders Direct, Masahiro Sakurai saw fit to reveal even more fan favorites and unexpected friends for the game. Joining the previously revealed racers are:
Taranza (from Kirby: Triple Deluxe)
Use this spider’s threads to slingshot around curves and weave your way to victory!
Lololo & Lalala (from Adventures of Lolo and Kirby’s Dream Land)
This duo hasn’t been seen in a while! By quick spinning, you’ll change who’s driving, though it sounds like the effect is purely cosmetic (and cute).
Daroach (from Kirby: Squeak Squad)
A picaresque thief who can snatch Copy abilities from rivals and turn invisible using his special.
Rocky (first seen in Kirby’s Adventure)
Another small-fry enemy like Cappy and Star Man! A super heavyweight that won’t get pushed around so easily on the track.
Rick (from Kirby’s Dream Land 2)
A fleet-footed hamster animal friend who can handle corners well and use his special to sprint ahead.
Scarfy (first seen in Kirby’s Dream Land)
An iconic enemy — just don’t get on its bad side! They’ll speed up once angry.
Marx (from Kirby Super Star)
The cosmic troublemaker returns, with heightened stats but low health. His special unlocks his true, terrifying form!
Waddle Dee (from literally every game)
He’s just happy to be here, you know?
Sakurai noted these were the last Riders that would be shown during the Direct. Whether that means there could be more hidden in the game (Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Elfilin is conspicuously absent, for example) or that the roster is complete remains to be seen.
Setting aside playable characters, many other Kirby characters popped up in other ways during the Direct. Nightmare and 0² appear to be bosses, and Galactic Nova (along with the Star Rod and Fountain of Dreams) appeared as part of a cutscene. That’s not even getting into ones you might run into during the game’s Road Trip mode!
Whatever the case, it’s a series-spanning roster and just one piece of what’s bolstering Kirby Air Riders into a bigger and better sequel. Who knows, maybe some of these guys will even get the amiibo treatment?
Look forward to racing with all of them when Kirby Air Riders launches on November 20th.
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Written by Ricky Berg
When he isn’t writing for Nintendo Wire, Ricky’s anticipating the next Kirby, Fire Emblem, or if the stars ever align, Mother 3 to be released. Till then he’ll have the warm comfort of Super Smash Bros. to keep him going.
