Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The third weekend of March 2026 had another event, this time concerning the Air Ride mode: Pulse-Pounding Air Ride! appears to be an experimental variation of Air Ride in which all machines now have the HP they would have in City Trial mode. Racers can damage each other through Quick Spins, inhaling and spitting out, and Copy Abilities, and they can also get damaged through falling off the course, environmental hazards, or enemy attacks. If your machine’s HP depletes entirely, you are retired, and your position will be based on how many other racers retired before you. (I do not know if the race ends immediately if all racers retire except one.)
I like the added depth and encouragement to aggressively go after each other, giving alternate strategies to get ahead in these races where it’s not enough to get to the end quickly, but to stop the other racers before that can happen. You can also place decently staying far behind and waiting for the people further ahead to take each other out. It also distinguishes Kirby Air Rider from other racing games further. However, machine balance seems to have gone entirely out the window like this: while machines like the Bulk Star and Battle Chariot are now much better, low-HP machines like the Paper Star and Shadow Star seem to be a lot worse because of their fragility and require you stay far away from the other racers, either far ahead or far behind, to avoid retirement.
Like all of my other Kirby Air Riders courses, these matches were steered using motion controls.
00:20 - Race #1
Air Ride
Course: Frozen Hillside
Character: Kirby
Machine: Chariot
I don’t know if Frozen Hillside’s layout brings out aggression in people, if it encourages racers to stick closely with each other, or it was simply my first race in this event, but despite the Chariot having fairly high HP, I was retired not even one lap in—but two other racers were taken out ahead of me.
02:42 - Match #2
Air Ride
Course: Machine Passage
Character: Gooey
Machine: Winged Star
Despite the Winged Star having much lower HP than the Chariot, I made it to the end this time. The racers appeared to spread themselves out more this time, though one poor soul got retired here too.
03:59 - Race #3
Air Ride
Course: Celestial Valley
Character: Lololo & Lalala
Machine: Wagon Star
I suppose it should’ve been evident from its appearance, but the Wagon Star has a lot of HP, which it needs because without the ability to boost on its own, it cannot do the rocket start and thus will need to come in close contact with all of the other racers who can boost. Probably not an intended consequence of its inability to boost, but it works out as I finished within one second of the lead racer this time (and without a fight) near the end).
06:22 - Race #4
Air Ride
Course: Fantasy Meadows
Character: Noir Dedede
Machine: Paper Star
Well, this was quite the situation…look at that dinky HP gauge. I knew I wasn’t going to last. Then again, not much can survive that bomb.
07:12 - Race #5
Air Ride
Course: Nebula Belt
Character: King Dedede
Machine: Vampire Star
The Vampire Star has low HP but can automatically attack other racers by approaching them. Nebula Belt also, being free of any hazards, enemies, or even rough terrain, ensures all racers who are good at using the star trails can kee up with each other, and I assume retirements are common here. Two people got retired immediately after me, for instance.
08:44 - Race #6
Air Ride
Course: Galactic Nova
Character: Rocky
Machine: Chariot
And now, here is a racetrack original to Kirby Air Riders—I’m guessing by luck, I was getting a lot of the old courses and very few of the new ones. After some relentless attacking from the Chef Kawasaki player and nearly getting my own machine destroyed, I took them out by accident using Rocky’s special move.
11:26 - Race #7
Air Ride
Course: Celestial Valley
Character: Susie
Machine: Wagon Star
This is Celestial Valley again, and on the Wagon Star again, but now with a different character sitting atop. This time, Susie’s special ability of her propeller hat took her to the topmost path through the cave, which seems to be a shorter path than the others. I don’t know why it didn’t happen in the first lap though.
13:48 - Race #8
Air Ride
Course: Beanstalk Park
Character: Taranza
Machine: Bulk Star
I don’t always check the charge left on the Bulk Star, so when it suddenly ran out, I was kind of surprised at how fast that could happen. I use this machin for much of my Road Trip play, so I should’ve known better. Does dropping down deplete the charge like that?
16:05 - Match #9
Air Ride
Course: Airtopia Ruins
Character: Kirby
Machine: Formula Star
I wouldn’t peg Airtopia Ruins as a rough course, though every course is rough for me on the Formula Star. I did notice participants were getting retired left and right though, and I did eliminate someone on the second lap. Poor Waddle Dee got retired on a grind rail over the abyss and fell right off!
The third weekend of March 2026 had another event, this time concerning the Air Ride mode: Pulse-Pounding Air Ride! appears to be an experimental variation of Air Ride in which all machines now have the HP they would have in City Trial mode. Racers can damage each other through Quick Spins, inhaling and spitting out, and Copy Abilities, and they can also get damaged through falling off the course, environmental hazards, or enemy attacks. If your machine’s HP depletes entirely, you are retired, and your position will be based on how many other racers retired before you. (I do not know if the race ends immediately if all racers retire except one.)
I like the added depth and encouragement to aggressively go after each other, giving alternate strategies to get ahead in these races where it’s not enough to get to the end quickly, but to stop the other racers before that can happen. You can also place decently staying far behind and waiting for the people further ahead to take each other out. It also distinguishes Kirby Air Rider from other racing games further. However, machine balance seems to have gone entirely out the window like this: while machines like the Bulk Star and Battle Chariot are now much better, low-HP machines like the Paper Star and Shadow Star seem to be a lot worse because of their fragility and require you stay far away from the other racers, either far ahead or far behind, to avoid retirement.
Like all of my other Kirby Air Riders courses, these matches were steered using motion controls.
00:20 - Race #1
Air Ride
Course: Frozen Hillside
Character: Kirby
Machine: Chariot
I don’t know if Frozen Hillside’s layout brings out aggression in people, if it encourages racers to stick closely with each other, or it was simply my first race in this event, but despite the Chariot having fairly high HP, I was retired not even one lap in—but two other racers were taken out ahead of me.
02:42 - Match #2
Air Ride
Course: Machine Passage
Character: Gooey
Machine: Winged Star
Despite the Winged Star having much lower HP than the Chariot, I made it to the end this time. The racers appeared to spread themselves out more this time, though one poor soul got retired here too.
03:59 - Race #3
Air Ride
Course: Celestial Valley
Character: Lololo & Lalala
Machine: Wagon Star
I suppose it should’ve been evident from its appearance, but the Wagon Star has a lot of HP, which it needs because without the ability to boost on its own, it cannot do the rocket start and thus will need to come in close contact with all of the other racers who can boost. Probably not an intended consequence of its inability to boost, but it works out as I finished within one second of the lead racer this time (and without a fight) near the end).
06:22 - Race #4
Air Ride
Course: Fantasy Meadows
Character: Noir Dedede
Machine: Paper Star
Well, this was quite the situation…look at that dinky HP gauge. I knew I wasn’t going to last. Then again, not much can survive that bomb.
07:12 - Race #5
Air Ride
Course: Nebula Belt
Character: King Dedede
Machine: Vampire Star
The Vampire Star has low HP but can automatically attack other racers by approaching them. Nebula Belt also, being free of any hazards, enemies, or even rough terrain, ensures all racers who are good at using the star trails can kee up with each other, and I assume retirements are common here. Two people got retired immediately after me, for instance.
08:44 - Race #6
Air Ride
Course: Galactic Nova
Character: Rocky
Machine: Chariot
And now, here is a racetrack original to Kirby Air Riders—I’m guessing by luck, I was getting a lot of the old courses and very few of the new ones. After some relentless attacking from the Chef Kawasaki player and nearly getting my own machine destroyed, I took them out by accident using Rocky’s special move.
11:26 - Race #7
Air Ride
Course: Celestial Valley
Character: Susie
Machine: Wagon Star
This is Celestial Valley again, and on the Wagon Star again, but now with a different character sitting atop. This time, Susie’s special ability of her propeller hat took her to the topmost path through the cave, which seems to be a shorter path than the others. I don’t know why it didn’t happen in the first lap though.
13:48 - Race #8
Air Ride
Course: Beanstalk Park
Character: Taranza
Machine: Bulk Star
I don’t always check the charge left on the Bulk Star, so when it suddenly ran out, I was kind of surprised at how fast that could happen. I use this machin for much of my Road Trip play, so I should’ve known better. Does dropping down deplete the charge like that?
16:05 - Match #9
Air Ride
Course: Airtopia Ruins
Character: Kirby
Machine: Formula Star
I wouldn’t peg Airtopia Ruins as a rough course, though every course is rough for me on the Formula Star. I did notice participants were getting retired left and right though, and I did eliminate someone on the second lap. Poor Waddle Dee got retired on a grind rail over the abyss and fell right off!
