Kirby certainly has been doing quite well this year, with it being his 30th anniversary and all. From his concert earlier this month to his first mainline 3D adventure releasing nearly 4 months ago. The game seems to take inspiration from Fall Guys, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. This game is a wonderfully crafted and adorable party game for family and friends alike.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is another spinoff game like that of Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby’s Blowout Blast, Super Kirby Clash, and more. The story of the game revolves the Dream Fork, which shrinks Kirby down, grating his wish, allowing him to eat a giant cake. Kirby is also joined by three other Kirby’s, as they all race to the top.
Gameplay is simple. If you’ve ever played Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble or Gourmet Race from Kirby Superstar, then the game is a lot like both of those in terms of the gameplay. You control one Kirby as you attempt to eat more food (primarily strawberries) than the other players. But speed is also a factor, as you’ll not only want to try and eat the most but also get to the finish line first in order to get top the 1st place prize that consists of 50 strawberries. While racing, the more Kirby eats, the bigger he’ll get, which will also make him faster but at the cost of making it more difficult to recover from falling off the stage. The opposite applies to smaller Kirby’s, who move slower but can recover easier. Copy abilities are also featured in the game, with the likes of burning, drill, needle, stone, tornado, wheel, and the return of the high-jump ability (which acts like that of a bullet bill from Mario Kart) and a new ability known as Jelly. Of course, I only talked about one of the three game modes.
The second game mode is “Minigame”, which sees the four Kirby’s collect strawberries in a small arena. How they collect these strawberries may vary. Minigame can see players defeating enemies for strawberries, finding strawberries in teacups, or breaking boxes for strawberries. And the final game mode is Battle Royale. The battle royale sees the four Kirby’s on an arena as they try to eat the most strawberries. They can also knock each other off the stage, causing the knocked off opponent to lose strawberries. Copy abilities can also be used during the battle royale. The player with the most strawberries in total at the end is declared the winner. Players can either play each of the three game modes separately or all three of them in one mode.
There are also tons of collectibles. Things such as skins and hats can be earned through leveling up. You can customize Kirby with these by changing his color or equipping different little hats such as Meta Knight’s mask, Ribbon from Kirby 64, a little Karby cake hat, or even a hamburger. These are all cosmetic though, and don’t affect gameplay. Songs can also be collected, some even remixed from older games. Another collectible are character treats, which are pictures of various characters from the Kirby franchise put onto various treats. You can even decorate a cake with them.
This game feels like it’d be one of those games that you play for a few hours, have fun, and then never really touch it again. But the sheer amount of replayability and unlockables helps cement it as an incredibly fun and entertaining game. Its online mode is enjoyable for those playing it alone and its even more fun when you get another friend to play against each other. For $15 this game a great experience, and I would highly recommend it if you’re a Kirby fan or if you’re just looking for a new game to play with a friend.
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
The Squeeble Site 