Kirby's Dream Buffet

Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Nintendo Switch (eShop)	WW: August 17, 2022
Nintendo Switch (eShop)	WW: August 17, 2022
Platform(s)
Classification(s)	Kirby's 30th Anniversary
Genre(s)	Party
Download Size	1.2 GB
Rating(s)
ESRB	03
PEGI	01
CERO	01

Kirby's Dream Buffet<sup>(JPJapanese: カービィのグルメフェス -

Romaji: Kirby's Gourmet Festival)</sup> is a multiplayer party game released on August 17, 2022 on the Nintendo Switch eShop. It is a spin-off of the mainline Kirby series.

Gameplay

As part of the Kirby series, players play as different-colored Kirbys and compete in races, battles, and minigames in gourmet-based obstacle courses. Kirbys roll around throughout the game, inspired by Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. The objective is to grow in size, and the player with the largest size wins the game. Growing in size can increase in strength, allowing players to push others off the course. Collecting strawberries will increase in size and speed, and can be used to unlock collectables and additional courses. Players can also use copy abilites by consuming food power-ups.

The game has local and online multiplayer, and supports up to four players. Two players can also play on a single Nintendo Switch system.

Modes

Race, Minigame, and Battle Royale

There are at least three sets of modes: Race, Minigame, and Battle Royale.

These modes aren't shuffled, and are played in order.

The ultimate objective is to collect enough strawberries and become the largest Kirby in the game.

Race

Players engage in linear races with obstacles, where there's three types of strawberry cakes depending on the position. The gameplay is set in a third-person 3D environment. After the Minigame section, players would return to Race for a second round.

Minigame

Kirbys compete in various courses to eat the most strawberrys. Players can break box-shaped baked goods to spawn additional strawberries.

Battle Royale

Finally, an all-out brawl takes place. Kirbys would knock each other off and steal their strawberries. They can also use copy food abilities to gain their advantage.

Copy Food Abilities

Consuming certain food, such as cupcakes, grants Kirby unique abilities, such as tornado.

In contrast to the mainline series, eating food in the game grants Kirby unique copy abilities, similar that of swallowing an enemy.

This is the list of Copy Food Abilities in the game:

• Tornado (cupcake) - Allows Kirby to spin and pull in various items towards him.
• Jelly - Slightly increases speed and lets Kirby slide through walls.
• Hi-Jump (rainbow gummy) - Allows Kirby to spring-jump in great distance. A target sign indicates where Kirby would land.
• Drill (carrot) - Drills Kirby to the ground and makes paths for surprise-attacking capabilities.
• Stone (chocolate bar) - Sends a powerful shockwave upon ground-pounding.
• Needle (unknown spiky-shaped food) - Spawns spikes and charges forth in directions, pushing away oppenents upon contact.
• Wheel (donut) - Dashes through obstacles and opponents like a wheel.
• Fire (pepper) - Dashes through opponents amidst a firey roam.

Rewards

Strawberries can also be used as currency to obtain collectables and unlock new rewards, such as stages.

Collecting strawberries would earn the player new costumizables, collectables, and unlock new courses. Players can unlock artwork of past games of the series in the form of cookies, chocolate, etc.; they can be used as starting platforms in races.

Costumes, headgear, music tracks, and color themes are also rewards that can be obtained while progressing in the game.

Past Adventures

This mode allows players to listen to music tracks (primarily title themes) of series' past installments, view artwork, and read descriptions of each game featured.

These are the games included:

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022; Nintendo Switch)
• Kirby Star Allies (2018; Nintendo Switch)
• Kirby Fighters 2 (2020; Nintendo Switch)
• Super Kirby Clash (2019; Nintendo Switch)
• Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn (2019; Nintendo 3DS)
• Kirby Battle Royale (2017; Nintendo 3DS)
• Kirby's Blowout Blast (2017; Nintendo 3DS)
• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe (2017; Nintendo 3DS)
• Kirby: Planet Robobot (2016; Nintendo 3DS)
• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (2015; Wii U)
• Kirby Fighters Deluxe (2014; Nintendo 3DS)
• Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe (2014; Nintendo 3DS)
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe (2013; Nintendo 3DS)

It is accessible at the Cupcake and selecting "View Past Adventures" in the menu world.

Development

Music

The game's "Sound" composers are Yuuta Ogasawara (lead), Jun Ishikawa, Shogo Sakai, Hirokazu Ando, Megumi Ohara, and Yuki Shimooka; all of which are sound crew members of HAL Laboratory. Soundtracks from past entries can also be unlocked and played in-game. Each game category has music tracks made specifically for a mode (i.e. the "Working Up An Appetite" song is labeled as "Race Music", which then plays only during races).

Release

The game was first announced in July 2022 with a tentative release window slated for "Summer 2022".

The game was released on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop on August 17, 2022.

Reception

The game received mainly mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a rating of "63" based on 10 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Trivia

• The game's "Past Adventures" menu returns from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but includes the game itself as an archive.
• For music, this is the first present Kirby game where Shogo Sakai and Megumi Ohara are among the composers alongside with Hirokazu Ando and Jun Ishikawa, and other mainline game composers.
  • This is also the first game where Ando and Sakai worked on a single game together since Kirby's Dream Collection.
  • This is Sakai's last game before departing HAL Laboratory to become freelance.
• This is the first Kirby party game, and the first one with racing modes since Air Ride.
• The rolling mechanic inspired from Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is implemented in a 3D gameplay enviornment for the first time.
• The gameplay is often compared to Fall Guys.

External links

• Kirby's Dream Buffet at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Kirby's Dream Buffet at GameFAQs
• Kirby's Dream Buffet on Nintendo's website
• Kirby's Dream Buffet on Nintendo's JP website
• Overview trailer on YouTube