I can’t remember what I ate for lunch two days ago, but I’ll never forget the night I unlocked Mewtwo in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
I was at a friend’s sleepover with the GameCube I’d gotten for Christmas a few weeks earlier. I’d already sunk countless hours into Melee, yet I hadn’t uncovered everything the game held. We didn’t own every character or stage and had no clue how to reveal them. My friend—more internet-savvy than I was—dug up a list of unlock requirements and told me Mewtwo only appears after 20 hours of Versus play. We tried to shortcut it by plugging in extra controllers and leaving matches running overnight. After a few hours of sleep we woke, quit the endless match we’d left going, and watched a new challenger appear. We were ecstatic.
Unlockables framed a lot of my childhood gaming. In the 2000s, secrets and hidden rewards were practically expected; a game without them felt incomplete. Chasing new characters, karts, or stages was often as enjoyable as the main gameplay. That appetite for discoveries is exactly why I’m presently captivated by Kirby Air Riders—a game that truly celebrates the joy of unlocking things.
The Switch 2 exclusive is the latest title from Masahiro Sakurai, the mastermind behind the Super Smash Bros. series. It blends racing with action elements and offers traditional races, a narrative-driven mode, a slot car–like minigame, and a sprawling City Trial where you gather stat boosts across an open map. All of those modes are enjoyable, but what keeps pulling me back is its staggering catalogue of unlockables.
Yes—750.
Image: Nintendo via PolygonLike the 2003 original, each of Air Riders’s grids contains 150 boxes, and every box hides a reward unlocked by completing a specific task. Drive every course in Air Ride mode, avoid hitting walls in a Top Ride match, finish a City Trial drag race within a target time—small, clearly defined challenges unlock new machines, pilots, or cosmetic decals. Because the list is so vast, the first time you jump into a mode you’ll likely open half a dozen boxes just by playing. Victory isn’t always required; the game frequently rewards exploration and experimentation.
That design hooked me instantly. Finishing a race and seeing the checklist animate as boxes popped open felt like a tiny celebration—an addictive rush each time new content was revealed. Unlocking a racer would make me want to try them, which would often unlock a track, which would pull me back in again. Once I realized that almost any action in a mode connected to a challenge, I started deliberately testing mechanics and taking wild approaches, even intentionally throwing races just to see what would pop.
What’s remarkable about Air Riders is how the unlock structure doubles as teaching. Each challenge functions like a concise lesson or a skill check: try every character and vehicle, learn secret course lines, optimize stat builds in City Trial, and hone your Top Ride times. The system encourages you to learn the game comprehensively rather than settle into a single comfortable playstyle. Why hide this wealth of content if players are never nudged toward it?
Image: NintendoIt’s no accident that Kirby Air Riders and Super Smash Bros. Melee share a director. Melee uses a similar lure—rewarding you for completing Event Mode battles, exploring Adventure Mode with different characters, or even messing around in Home-Run Contest. The constant incentives make you dig deeper into the game’s systems. I feel like I truly mastered Melee because the unlocks forced me to learn every nuance, not just collect trophies. Earning characters like Mr. Game & Watch meant understanding how to play with and against everyone—an approach that teaches and rewards in equal measure.
I already suspect Kirby Air Riders will be my most-played Switch 2 title from the 2025 lineup. Every session still yields new unlocks and that satisfying ping when a box opens, but more importantly I keep acquiring small improvements to my play. The ultimate reward when I clear every challenge won’t be a single item on a checklist—it’ll be the confidence that I can dominate anyone I face in City Trial.
Source: Polygon
