Kirby's Air Ride (Nintendo 64)
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Kirby's Air Ride was an unreleased precursor to the similarly-named Nintendo GameCube game intended for release on the Nintendo 64. An early version of the game was briefly showcased at E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) in 1996 by Nintendo as part of their Nintendo 64 line-up. Gameplay footage was also shown in a promotional video which featured the game in a later stage of development. Kirby's Air Ride was eventually reworked into the 2003 release on the Nintendo GameCube.
Before becoming this prototype, the game was originally known as カービィボウル64 (Kirby Ball 64), with Ball Kirby being controlled rather than characters on Warp Stars. It was most likely originally meant to be a sequel to Kirby's Dream Course, which is called カービィボウル (Kirby Ball) in Japanese.[1]
Gameplay
Gameplay footage revealed that the game would function similar to titles like 1080 Snowboarding, with Kirby and other characters riding down a straight course on Warp Stars, with the ability to jump off of hills and do flips in the air. It was also apparently possible to crash the Warp Star, collect Point Stars on the course, dismount and Hover around on foot, and play splitscreen multiplayer. Also present in later builds was a health bar in the lower-left with a portrait of Kirby's face that bore various reactions.
Playable characters
Trivia
- The background image used in early demonstrations of the game is the map image used for the Dyna Blade game in Kirby Super Star.
- The hat Kirby is seen wearing in later builds of this game resembles the one Kirby gets from Yo-Yo ability.
Gallery
First version
Second version
Videos
Electronic Entertainment Expo 1996 footage
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A short introduction to the game.
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Kirby and King Dedede racing each other
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Promotional VHS for upcoming games on the Nintendo 64 (Kirby's Air Ride starts at 8:17)
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