Kirby’s Air Riders Receives Major Balance Update, But Sakurai Won’t Be Making Further Changes

Kirby Air Riders has just received its first major update, which might also be one of the final ones. Director Masahiro Sakurai previously assured fans that this Switch 2 exclusive wouldn’t be overloaded with DLC like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it seems he’s sticking to that promise. The latest balance patch makes adjustments to several vehicles and addresses numerous bugs, with the intention of minimizing ongoing tweaks.

In a recent update, Sakurai stated, “As discussed in Air Riders Direct 2, ‘Kirby’s Air Riders’ does not have a production setup for DLC or anything like that. The team will be disbanding in the near future as well. Therefore, while we still have a short period of time to make adjustments, we’re aiming for a balance that can be enjoyed without issues even years from now. We might be able to tweak it one more time or so, but after that, please enjoy it as the completed balance!”

The player response has largely been one of relief. Many expressed that they played the original GameCube version “tirelessly” for years without any updates. One player noted, “This is how it should be,” emphasizing that it’s natural for games to be enjoyed for a time before players move on, rather than expecting constant evolution to maintain interest.

In this update, only Rick received direct adjustments. His Rip-Roaring Rick Special was nerfed in both City Trial and Air Ride modes, along with reductions to his HP and defense. Meanwhile, various vehicles underwent numerous tweaks, including adjustments to quick spins for all vehicles, with Star-types being nerfed and Tank-types receiving buffs.

One of the most amusing patch notes highlights the oddities of game bugs: “An error will occur when opening the Gummies screen in the Collection menu when the number of Gummies is between 8,285 and 8,626. This does not occur if there are 8,284 or fewer Gummies or 8,627 or more Gummies.” This quirky issue is set to be resolved in the next patch.

Sakurai’s announcement about the Kirby Air Riders team preparing to disband has sparked speculation regarding his future involvement in the next Smash Bros. for Switch 2. However, it aligns with his earlier commitment made before the launch of Kirby Air Riders, where he stated, “Just so you know, we’re not planning DLC; everything is here.” In contrast, Mario Kart World could certainly benefit from a fresh wave of new content.