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Compact Star
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| “ | While this machine is slightly slower, it's easy to control. This is the first machine you'll ride in City Trial. | ” | — Kirby Air Ride North American instruction booklet, page 32 |
Compact Star is a star-typeAir Ride Machine that appears inKirby Air Ride andKirby Air Riders. It is best known as the machine all participants start on at the very beginning ofCity Trial, and possesses a rather fundamental design.
Appearance[edit]
The Compact Star is arguably the smallest machine in the game. It appears much like a smaller, and paler, version of the standardWarp Star, the Compact Star consisting of more subdued points, and smaller propulsion jets, than its larger counterpart. However, its propulsion units are green, rather than its cousin's blue-white propulsions.
InKirby Air Riders, the Compact Star retains the same fundamental design. Its exhaust ports are now far more metallic in design, with the outer two being propulsion turbines. It now produces blue-white exhaust from these turbines, like the Warp Star. Each engine emits a long, white trail behind it while the Compact Star is in motion, and trails of air can be observed from two of its points while it travels through the air. The exhaust turns red and produces red streaks when theboost button is held. Additionally, like the Warp Star, white spots can be seen moving from the middle of the vehicle to its rear, though they are notably larger in comparison to the Compact Star than they are in comparison to its cousin.
Game appearances[edit]
Kirby Air Ride[edit]
| “ | Good acceleration, good cornering, but a tad slow. | ” | — Compact Star's flavor text inKirby Air Ride. |
Mechanics[edit]
The Compact Star is at a glance very unimpressive. It has an incredibly low top speed of only 18.01 mph (28.99 km/h), the second-worst in the game (only to theRocket Star). On top of that, minuscule amounts of HP, low offense and low defense. However, it does have amazing turning, as well as good charging capability. This allows it to maneuver quite well, which can be very useful for collectingpatches and other items inCity Trial, as well as navigating efficiently through certainStadiums. Surprisingly, it is one of the better gliders in the game in terms of flight distance, but can only reach low altitudes and does not accelerate while airborne like most notably good gliders.
How to unlock[edit]
The Compact Star cannot be used in the game'sAir Ride mode, a trait shared only with theFlight Warp Star, and the two legendary machines.
InCity Trial, this machine is the default machine on which all participants begin riding, and can occasionally be found at random throughout the city like most other machines in the game. It is always available in City Trial'sFree Run as well, stored in the same basement with the other machines if not selected.
Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]
This machine makes a cameo in thePaint PanicSub-Game ofKirby: Canvas Curse, as one of the various pictures thatPaint Roller creates, which the player must mimic.
Kirby Air Riders[edit]
| “ | Modest top speed, but a reliable ride thanks to good acceleration and cornering. | ” | — Flavor text fromKirby Air Riders |

Much like in the originalKirby Air Ride, the Compact Star is used as the default Air Ride Machine inKirby Air Riders'City Trial. It can also be used in City Trial'sFree Run mode and theStadiums, though it is unavailable anywhere else, even in Free Run forAir Ride orTop Ride. It maintains similar stats to the original game, with poor defense, top speed, offense, and health, but surprisingly great boost, turn, and grip. UsingKirby, it maxes out at 18 mph (29 km/h) on the ground, and in the air it can reach top speeds of 27 mph (44 km/h), though it takes some time to do so.
Uniquely, mounting an empty machine from the Compact Star does not require a button press and can simply be done by bumping into the empty machine. UnlikeKirby Air Ride, Compact Stars do not randomly spawn and the one that the player starts with will immediately leave upon changing machines. The only way to re-acquire a Compact Star is if time expires after the player's current machine has been destroyed and they have not found a replacement, or if one spawns during certain Field Events.
As inKirby Air Ride, the Compact Star's excellent handling make it good at early-game stat collection, though its low attack stat does mean it breaks boxes somewhat slowly. Its handling means it can fair surprisingly well in certain stadiums, such asButton Rush andGourmet Race. It is also a decent glider, and its solid air control make it a reasonable pick forSkydive orTarget Flight. However, it is just as fragile as it was in the previous game, and the higher player count inKirby Air Riders means holding onto this machine is even more precarious, especially towards the end of the game.
The Compact Star is unable to be customized inMy Machine.
Update history[edit]
| Version | Adjustment details |
|---|---|
| Version 1.2.0 |
|
Gallery[edit]
- Artwork fromKirby Air Ride
- Group artwork ofTarget Flight fromKirby Air Ride, featuringRed Kirby on the Compact Star
- Ripped model fromKirby Air Ride
- The Compact Star as seen in theCity Trial ending inKirby Air Ride
- The Compact Star icon fromKirby Air Riders
- Gummy of the Compact Star
- My Machine decal of the Compact Star's icon, fromKirby Air Riders
- The Compact Star's idle animation fromKirby Air Riders
- The Compact Star in the Retirement screen inKirby Air Riders
- Kirby riding the Compact Star inFind Kirby!! Big Gathering at the Party! (Air Ride Race)
- A Compact Star inFind Kirby!! Big Gathering at the Party! (Party Venue)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ライトスター[1][2] Raito Sutā | Light Star |
| Traditional Chinese | 輕巧之星[2] qīng qiǎo zhī xīng | Light Star |
| Simplified Chinese | 轻巧之星[2] qīng qiǎo zhī xīng | |
| Dutch | Dwergster[2] | Dwarf star |
| French | Compact Star[1] Étoile compacte[2] | - Compact star |
| German | Compact Star[1] Kompakt-Stern[2] | - Compact Star |
| Italian | Compact Star[1] Stella compatta[2] | - Compact star |
| Korean | 라이트스타[2] raiteuseuta | Light Star |
| Portuguese | Estrela Compacta[2] | Compact Star |
| Spanish | Compact Star[1] Estrella compacta[2] | - Compact star |
References
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