Technologies

Kirby Air Riders Is Absolute Chaos, and I Love It That Way

It’s not Mario Kart, but this second Switch racer proves its worth with a lot of rapid absurdity.

Somewhere, at the very far limits of my reflexes, is Kirby Air Riders. It is waiting for me in its infinite weird.

You want a game that’s fast? That pinballs you around and gets to incomprehensible speeds? Go go go go go go. That’s Kirby Air Riders. It’s Mario Kart on 70 shots of espresso.

I never played the original Air Ride game for the GameCube, but it has its fans. I have, however, played a bunch of Kirby games, as well as Super Smash Bros. Masahiro Sakurai, who has shaped both franchises, is the director of this game. And it shows.

Should you get this game over Mario Kart World, the Nintendo Switch 2’s other launch-window exclusive racing game this year? Hopefully, I can help you decide. My colleague Bridget Carey thinks Air Riders flies too close to the sun, that it’s too much, too chaotic to enjoy. I am feeling the opposite: Fly into that sun, baby. The more I play, the more I crave its speed.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

I love Mario Kart World, but there’s a valid argument that you could just stick with the already-classic Mario Kart 8 Deluxe instead, and maybe pick up Kirby Air Riders as your racing choice. Ask yourself if you love Kirby, and if you love Smash, and most importantly, if you love fast chaos.

The menus and game feel, the chaotic energy, and the rapid mix of skill and luck are very much like Super Smash Bros. The racing is sort of Mario Kart-esque, but very different, including a set of controls that could totally annoy you until you get used to them.

And in case you didn’t know, Sakurai’s work is rather weird. Like, weird, weird. I remember Kid Icarus: Uprising, a 3D shooter that he directed for the Nintendo 3DS console, which was a mix of bizarre controls, whimsical chaos and strange character design. That kind of stuff is here, for sure. But also, there’s a serious speed that reminds me of Sega racing games from my childhood, or F-Zero GX for the GameCube. Going back and playing F-Zero GX and Fast Fusion (a great, cheaper racing game), I feel that same full-energy rush as I do in Air Riders.

The Switch 2 shows off how rapidly it can juggle ultrafast gaming at smooth frame rates here, and the whole game at its most intense moments is far too fast for me to even see properly. But that’s part of the absurdity. Or, I’m growing into the speed of it. Races move quickly, battles in multiplayer modes also move quickly, power-ups that combine and produce explosions are all over the place, like Super Smash Bros gone haywire.

It takes a while to get used to those odd racing controls, though. You don’t press anything to move forward, but you press a single button to brake, drift, and charge up a boost. The physics of that ricochet-style racing feels like operating a series of slingshots, and each racing vehicle has a different subset of moves and restrictions. It feels more varied than the general sameness of Mario Kart vehicles.

There aren’t as many tracks, as far as I can see, as Mario Kart. So far, I’ve unlocked 18 tracks (both new and original Air Rider ones), and a bunch of characters and vehicles. Add to that the power-ups that can be snagged in the races, and it’s a lot of variation, but I want more. More, more, more.

There are also several modes: a straight-on race; a separate series of top-down racetracks that feel like Super Sprint or RC Pro Am (if you remember those); an incomprehensible (to me) City Trial mode that involves collecting power-ups for 5 minutes, stealing vehicles and then pairing off into a random challenge. The challenge could be a battle, a race, launching yourself into targets for points, floating for as long as you can… who knows? City Trial is the game’s party mode, and it feels like a holiday stand-in for Mario Party or Super Smash Bros.

There’s also a storyline mode that’s a string of increasing challenges plucked from all the other modes, which progresses through branching paths and stages, much like the story mode in Super Smash Bros. It’s also a way to unlock extra vehicles, stages and characters.

I’ve mostly been playing Air Riders alone, except for a few hours of online play with Nintendo and some other journalists. This game is designed for multiplayer play, either online or on the Switch in split-screen mode. Games vary from six racers in one mode, to eight in another mode, to 16 in City Trial. It’s hard to judge the online party play at the moment because no one else has had the game. As for playing at home with others, I haven’t done that either. I’m just going solo.

After over 10 hours, I still feel the addictive pull to play. And it’s so fast, chaotic and snackable that it can be smashed through in far less time than a typical Mario Kart World race. It gives me good nervous energy.

It’s also strangely forgiving of old dads like me who might not know what they’re doing. You can simply let go of the controls, and your vehicle will continue moving. Guardrails help pinball you forward even when you’re way off course. The rest is in subtle reflex strategies, floating and attacking and taking corners just right. It feels more like a battle game than a racing one.

There is also an impressive selection of menus and accessibility customizations, more than I’ve ever seen in a Nintendo game. You can re-map buttons, change the screen layout and tweak race parameters in multiple ways that I haven’t even explored yet.

Air Riders is a wonderfully unusual one. Still, it’s a game that feels a step below an absolute must-have, especially since it costs $70, a price that’s too high by at least $20. But for me, right now, it’s 100% the cult hit midnight movie of Nintendo’s Switch 2 Year One library.

And do my kids want to start playing too? Heck yes, they do. That’s a good sign that this game’s doing things right. Now, excuse me, my hamster needs to ride a giant battle chariot in the next race through waterfalls again.

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im

Technologies

Forbes Türkiye Highlights Verum Finance and the Rise of Integrated Financial Ecosystems

Forbes Türkiye has published an article examining the launch of Verum Finance and its approach to integrating financial services directly into a messaging ecosystem.

In the article, Forbes Türkiye notes that the fintech industry is undergoing a transformation as financial services increasingly move beyond traditional banking applications and become part of broader digital ecosystems. Verum Finance is presented as an example of this trend, combining payments, digital cards, money transfers, and balance management within a single environment connected to Verum Messenger.

According to the publication, Verum Finance follows a model similar to the “super app” concept that has gained significant traction in Asian markets, where communication and financial services operate together on one platform. Unlike many Western platforms that continue to separate messaging and banking services, Verum Finance is integrated directly into the Verum ecosystem, allowing users to manage financial activities without relying on multiple third-party applications.

The article highlights several core features of the platform, including virtual debit cards, user-to-user transfers, online payments, digital asset operations, Apple Pay integration, and in-app balance management.

Forbes Türkiye also points to the growing importance of embedded finance and changing user expectations. The publication suggests that lengthy account-opening procedures, physical card delivery times, and constant switching between applications are becoming increasingly outdated in a mobile-first world.

Another major focus of the article is privacy and security. Forbes Türkiye describes Verum Finance as part of a broader trend toward “privacy-driven fintech,” where financial services are built on privacy-oriented infrastructure. The publication notes that the platform incorporates features such as phone-number-free registration, end-to-end encryption, user-controlled access management, and privacy-focused tools designed to enhance data protection.

The article concludes that one of the key challenges for companies operating at the intersection of secure communications, digital payments, and embedded finance will be maintaining both usability and security within a single integrated ecosystem.

The coverage by Forbes Türkiye reflects growing media interest in platforms that combine communication and financial services, as the industry continues moving toward more unified digital experiences.

Website: https://finance.verum.im
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im

Technologies

Verum Launched “Verum Finance” App for iPhone and iPad, Expanding Its Digital Ecosystem Into Financial Services

Verum has announced the official launch of Verum Finance, a standalone financial application now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, marking a further expansion of the company’s growing digital ecosystem.

The new application is designed to centralize core financial functions in a single mobile interface, allowing users to manage balances, send and receive funds, use debit cards, and exchange supported balance types without relying on traditional banking workflows.

According to Verum, the platform enables users to view account activity in real time, top up balances using supported payment methods including Apple Pay, and transfer funds to other users within the Verum ecosystem using a unique Verum ID. The system also supports multi-balance management, including specialized balance categories such as precious metals.

Debit card functionality is integrated directly into the app, allowing users to issue and manage cards linked to their balances, monitor transactions, and top up cards when needed. The company also emphasizes built-in exchange tools that allow users to convert between supported balance types within the application.

Security features include Face ID authentication, passcode protection, Sign in with Apple, and privacy-oriented account controls aimed at maintaining user confidentiality and data protection.

The launch of Verum Finance follows the company’s broader strategy of building an interconnected ecosystem of digital products. Alongside Verum Messenger, which combines secure communication tools, encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, AI features, anonymous email, and crypto-related functionality, the new financial app extends Verum’s positioning from communication technology into financial infrastructure.

Industry trends increasingly show demand for “all-in-one” digital environments that reduce dependency on multiple standalone apps. Verum’s approach reflects this shift by integrating communication and financial services within a unified ecosystem.

Verum Finance is now available globally for download on iPhone and iPad via the App Store.

Website: https://finance.verum.im
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im