Kirby's Air Ride is a racing game in the Kirby franchise originally developed for the Nintendo 64, but instead released on the GameCube in 2003 in Japan and North America. It features familiar characters from the Kirby franchise, and has four modes of gameplay:
Air Ride: A third person racing mode in which the player can choose from several vehicles and race on various Kirby-themed tracks agains computers, or compete locally with split screen up to four players on one console, or with 8 using LAN.
Top Ride: A top down mode with seven courses based on the Grass, Sand, Sky, Fire, Light, Water and Metal elements. There are two vehicles to choose from, the blue Steer Star that navigates the tracks by rotating left or right, and the red Free Star that moves in the direction the control stick is tilted.
City Trial: A much larger mode that takes place in an area with a city, a forest, a volcano, and many underground passages. The goal is to drive around and find the best vehicle possible, to prepare for the competition that takes place at the end of the game. During the game, events such as meteor strikes, Dyna Blade, large tents that contain items and power-ups, and more. The popular sub-mode Free Trial allows players to choose any vehicles they want, and freely explore the area with up to four friends, or wreak havoc on each other.
