Ahead of the game’s launch later this week, review aggregator Metacritic has published the Metascore for Kirby Air Riders.

With 62 critic reviews at the time of this writing, Kirby Air Riders has been given a Metascore of 78. Metacritic classifies this score as “Generally Favorable”. While perhaps not very apt a comparison, the original Kirby Air Ride is listed as having a Metascore of 61.

Check out what some of the reviews had to say below:

Siliconera ~ 100
I knew I’d like Kirby Air Riders, since I enjoyed the GameCube original, but I didn’t expect this game to feel stronger than Mario Kart World. It’s so enjoyable and robust. There’s room for both racers on the Switch 2, of course. But if I had to pick a favorite and never touch the other game again, I’d pick Kirby Air Riders every time.

NintendoLife ~ 80
Kirby Air Riders is a cracking sequel that gives solo players much more to dig into with its story campaign, whilst also bringing all-new levels of shiny graphics, bells and whistles to its returning City Trial, Air Ride, and Top Down Racing modes. This is a chaotic and frenzied racer, there’s no doubt, but it’s got depth for those who wish to learn and plenty of competition to be had both online and at harder difficulties for diehards…With lots of excellent tracks, riders and machines to unlock, sat alongside some surprisingly deep machine customisation, Kirby’s latest air riding adventure is off to a strong start. Oh, and that soundtrack!

VGC ~ 80
Kirby Air Riders really didn’t need a combined 107 minutes of Nintendo Direct presentations to sell players on its merits, because it only takes a few races to see how fun it can be. Road Trip mode’s imbalanced win conditions will divide players, but the brilliantly diverse Road Trip (which is built with multiple playthroughs in mind) and the hefty 750-mission Checklist ensure solo players have plenty to do.

Gamespot ~ 80
I’m not sure what’s crazier: the fact that Kirby Air Riders exists, or the fact that it’s this great. It’s a blast in local or online multiplayer during its traditional races and unique battle mode, and its frankly absurd amount of fun achievements to chase, meaningful unlockables, and deep customization makes it great for solo players, too. The biggest hurdle to enjoying its dizzying amount of content is how it all controls, as its frantic pace and slippery one-button control scheme is endearingly novel, but occasionally too simple for its own good. Air Riders just can’t help itself in sticking a little too closely to its original blueprint at times, making it not as approachable to pick up and play as Mario Kart, and not as technically rewarding or competitively viable as a fighting game like Super Smash Bros. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you’re in for a chaotic action racing game that’s a great time with friends and offers a ton to do on your own.

IGN ~ 80
I’m not sure what’s crazier: the fact that Kirby Air Riders exists, or the fact that it’s this great. It’s a blast in local or online multiplayer during its traditional races and unique battle mode, and its frankly absurd amount of fun achievements to chase, meaningful unlockables, and deep customization makes it great for solo players, too. The biggest hurdle to enjoying its dizzying amount of content is how it all controls, as its frantic pace and slippery one-button control scheme is endearingly novel, but occasionally too simple for its own good. Air Riders just can’t help itself in sticking a little too closely to its original blueprint at times, making it not as approachable to pick up and play as Mario Kart, and not as technically rewarding or competitively viable as a fighting game like Super Smash Bros. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you’re in for a chaotic action racing game that’s a great time with friends and offers a ton to do on your own.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.