I love Mario Kart World don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's entirely fair to compare Kirby Air Riders on that. It's going for a very different appeal, and I think that's fine. And if you don't want it, well, just don't get it? That simple.

Like even during the direct, there's just so much DETAILS that ooze out of the game; like they went out of their way to make more kirby characters playable, and all of the set pieces look so much cleaner than Mario Kart World.

As far as all of the "bashing", I've been seeing on Twitter about the game, listen. I get that it looks like Mario Kart World. I get that it looks simple. But at the same time, I do think the charm in this game isn't the racing; it's the personality of the game itself.

Last thing, they added another button to the controls. SHOCKER. But also funny in a meta sense.

16 player City Trial esp online sounds CHAOTIC and I'm here for that. I just happy how many QoL things they added (Sakurai also did a reverse manuver, which idt was even touched up in the direct), it really does feel like they took took what worked in the first one and amped it

I also do wonder how much is in the game too; City Trial being one map is a bit sad but tbh tho, it does look like the map is filled with a ton of things. That along with how they really fleshed out that mode a LOT shows that City Trial is really the mode to play.

I'm legit curious though on the balancing of the game since the original was not balanced in any way (Bulk Star making a comeback is WILD); but I guess that they're really leaning towards the combat of the original to make every machine viable in some way.