One of the last announcements in the Switch 2 direct last month was Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to the 2003 cult classic gamecube original.
The game releases this year exclusively on the new system, with a large spotlight being put on the director, that being Masahiro Sakurai, the original creator of Kirby, a character he created when he was just 19 years old.
Despite the Kirby series releasing consistently since the 2003 game, this is Sakurai’s long-awaited return to directing one of its entries, but he’s kept himself more than busy during that gap.
Sakurai is known for more than just Kirby, with his biggest contribution to gaming coming in the form of Super Smash Bros, a series of platform fighters celebrating the history of Nintendo and the greater gaming space.
In fact, YouTuber PJiggles (338k subscribers) made a video which concluded that there are over 200 gaming franchises represented in the most recent game (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), easily making it the biggest crossover in gaming history.
Smash, along with Kid Icarus Uprising (a revival of a series that hadn’t seen a new entry since 1991) both showcase one of Sakurai’s most consistent qualities, his attention to detail, with both games featuring tons of unlockables, achievements and customisable difficulty.
But Sakurai has also been determined to share his knowledge from the gaming industry, taking part in talks and writing articles giving insight into the process, something he took to the next level with his YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.
The videos were available in both Japanese and English, featuring highly edited and informative looks at the many aspects that go into creating games.
The channel lasted two years, with the final video teasing his next project, which would eventually be revealed to be Kirby Air Riders, releasing in the Switch 2’s first year.
While little is known about it currently and it remains to be seen if Kirby Air Riders can capture an audience the same year Mario Kart World releases (another racing game), at the very least it is sure to feature Sakurai’s usual jam packed approach to his projects.
