When I first opened the FedEx packaging this afternoon and popped Kirby Air Ride into my modded GameCube I was shocked to find myself lost in the menu system. Half-expecting an English-Japanese option from HAL like in Super Smash Bros. Melee, I quickly discovered that Kirby Air Ride has an assortment of gameplay modes to select from, most harboring their own set of options all written in Japanese only. The game relies much more heavily on text than I had anticipated, with descriptions of the vehicles’ properties, the various challenges to complete in each mode (to unlock extra features or mini-games), and those mini-games’ descriptions. Hopefully a menu translation will help, but importers without Japanese knowledge will have great trouble unlocking everything. Importers will also miss out on the statistics the game records.

But enough about the menu system—what about the final game? I played the racing mode at E3 a fair bit, and it seems this helped me out when first trying the game with my friend at home. Already familiar with the A-centric controls, I was able to race fairly well on my first try. My friend did not fare so well. The good news is that the braking and flying mechanics are easy to learn, and after a few tries racers will understand everything they need to know. The renaissance button is still quarrelsome, but after twenty minutes I at least understood how it works. Pushing A will always brake and attack (if possible), and power-ups expire after a certain amount of time, independent of how much the power is used. This setup works, but it makes Kirby slow down when it attacks—a nuisance, especially when you are trying to catch up and are just out of attack range. The course design is impressive with plenty of secrets and shortcuts to capitalize on, but invisible walls designed to protect players make it hard to discern where Kirby can and cannot fly. It disallows cutting corners! Kirby’s unlockable vehicles are all unique and have very different personalities, and my friend and I settled on different favorites. Besides the dubious controls and a sometimes slow pace, my only concern over the centerpiece mode is its lastability. There is no story or grad prix—just individual courses and the challenges to complete.

The R.C. Pro-Am mode, where races take place on small, overhead tracks, is a quick time-waster. This mode gives players the choice of controlling relative to the camera’s perspective or Kirby’s, but auto-acceleration is still turned on. What ensues are brief, close competitions where everyone crashes into walls and each other, scrambling toward the finish line. There are many different mini-courses to choose from, and the plentiful power-ups make this an amusing party game.

Finally, the “City Trail” mode is, as far as I can tell, a battle mode of sorts. You nab power-ups and attack your foes. Kirby can hop off its Warp Star and claim a fancier vehicle, too. There are tons of vehicles to salvage in the huge and complicated battle arena. In fact, it is too large. So far I’ve had a hard time enjoying this mode since I can’t find and KILL anybody! I spent the whole time chasing after my friend and the computer players and not getting any action. This mode has exclusive power-ups that look like they will be a lot of fun, but that’s only if I can figure out the arena itself... It seems tie-breakers unlock extra, less complicated battle arenas as well that could be more fun.

Finally, accomplishing certain challenges unlocks other mini-games. One I found early on was an arena where Kirby jumps off a slope (a la Monkey Target) and smashes into the far wall, decorated with checkered areas of different point values. It looks like there are a lot of these mini-games, and they could prove to be the best part of this oddball Nintendo game.

So far I’m only mildly entertained by this title, but the plethora of secrets to unlock gives me hope. With its weak single player and strong focus on multiplayer, Kirby Air Ride looks to be the Mario Party of racing games, but I’ll need more time with this curious title before making my final decision.