| “ | Cruise! Stop! Cruise! Stop!” |
| — Swerve Star's Flavor Text • Kirby Air Ride |
The Swerve Star (Ruins Star in Japan) is an Air Ride Machine that appears in Kirby Air Ride. As its Japanese name implies, its design resembles the archetype for ruins, specifically those in Egypt. It appears to be made out of brass or golden metallic bricks with an energy source inside. Its gimmick is its superb top speed, but awful control; to turn, the Swerve Star must come to a complete stop and change its direction then.
The Swerve Star has excellent top speed, acceleration, braking, and charging speed, but very poor handling and gliding capabilities. The Swerve Star essentially cannot turn and move on the ground at the same time. Upon charging its boost, the machine stops immediately, and can then turn very quickly. Thanks to its high charging speed and acceleration, it usually exits 90-degree bends and hairpins at full speed upon exiting the charge even when the boost gauge has barely been filled. Because of its all-or-nothing behavior, when turns are timed properly with accompanying charges, the Swerve Star is extremely responsive, and can be controlled with great precision, allowing it to perform very well on all courses.
Although it has very poor gliding, it can turn rather well in the short time it spends in the air.
The Swerve Star performs well in Melee battles. Due to being to able to stop at any time, camping and pursuing opponents are easily done. The Sword and Needle compliment this machine, given this.
The Swerve Star is one of the two air ride machines that can complete the VS. King Dedede stadium event very easily (the other is the Shadow Star, but requires more work). Utilizing the Needle Copy Ability, a player can finish the stadium event in 10 seconds or less.
In other games
In Kirby: Canvas Curse, the Swerve Star is one of Paint Roller's drawings.
Trivia
- Swerve Star's Japanese name is "Ruins Star", which may be a reference to "Perished Star", which is Rock Star's Japanese name in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Its appearance and angular geometry are similar to Pix's pyramidal spaceship and the futuristic ruins on Rock Star's desert plains.
   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
