Kirby's Dream Buffet

Kirby's Dream Buffet
Bump, battle, and boost your way to sweet victory, in this dream buffet.
Protagonist(s): Kirby Genre(s): Action Racing Rating(s): ESRB: E Platform(s): Nintendo Switch Release Date: WW: August 17, 2022 KOR: September 15, 2022 (as a download code) Developer(s): HAL Laboratory Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Kirby

Kirby's Dream Buffet is an action and racing game released on August 17, 2022 worldwide and September 15, 2022 on South Korea as a download code on the Nintendo Switch. It is also the 7th eShop-exclusive sub-game overall and the 3rd sub-game on the Nintendo Switch.

Plot

Since it is a multiplayer game, there is no story mode. However, it is revealed that Kirby is invited to a "gourmet festival", in the Dream Restaurant. He is seen using the Dream Fork to shrink himself alongside other three Kirbys to fight for the cake in a gourmet grand prix.

Why It Deserves a Dream Buffet

1. Unlike eShop-exclusive sub-games, which are sequels or remakes of the original sub-games, this one takes a unique concept of players racing and collecting fruits to win. Think Fall Guys, but with eating.
2. It focuses on different modes with players collecting fruits as points:
   • Gourmet Grand Prix: A bundle of two races, a minigame, and a battle royale.
   • Race: Eat fruits and bypass obstacles to reach the goal before others.
   • Minigames: Eat fruits within a time limit, but there's a twist.
   • Battle Royales: Collect as many fruits as you can and use Copy Abilities to send opponents flying.
   • Free Rolling: Explore an open-world stage, collecting fruits, and using Copy Abilities to knock down obstacles.
3. Abilities are based on foods, such as the Jiggly Jelly, the only new ability that has been added in the game, the Stone Chocolate, the Hi-Jump Gummy, the Burning Pepper, etc.
4. Collecting fruits can give experience to increase your Gourmet Rank to unlock stages, colors, music, and Character Treats.
5. The unlockable easter eggs are references to the past Kirby franchises, with most of them being characters from their games, while there are some that are unique to Dream Buffet. One example would be the retro color for Kirby and the 30th anniversary music and treats.
6. When waiting for other players in the lobby, players can freely roll in the small area to wait, or freely knock some treats.
7. Players can unlock songs in this game when they have the save data for certain Kirby games.
8. The designs and music are good. This goes well with the stages like the Magolor, Kirby, Elifin, and Whispy Woods cakes.
9. Master Hand and Crazy Hand make cameos in this game, now making their roles as referees than bosses, since the kitchen tongs take over instead, as the boss.
10. The Gourmet Rank system gives the game replayability.

Bad Qualities

1. The game is a grindfest, since players who are offline can get only small additional multipliers until 1.35x, so if they want to lessen grinding, they have to do online matches.
2. Missed Opportunities: Dark Meta Knight and Galacta Knight don't make appearances as costumes or colors, which is disappointing. Additionally, the Ice ability (perchance through a cone of shaved ice) never makes an appearance, either.
3. The Stone ability can be a bit overpowered when executed properly.

Trivia

• This game foreshadows Splatoon 3, examples include:
  • The lobby being a hub world instead of waiting for other players in an empty space.
  • Free Rolling being a precursor to the offline Recon Mode since the first two Splatoon games feature Recon mode, but inside the lobby.
  • Some items also seem similar:
    • Inklings and Octolings can super jump after using Zipcaster or Inkjet, something that Kirby can do when using the jelly spring Hi-Jump ability.
      • Them using super jump in multiplayer battles is also a reference to the aforementioned Hi-Jump ability.
    • The spike bomb at the end of Ink Vac references the Needle ability.
    • The Reefslider and Kraken Royale's dash attacks references, donut Wheel and chili pepper Burning abilities respectively.
    • Splashdown and Triple Splashdown reference the Stone's shockwave ability.
• While the game was released only digitally, a physical version was released exclusively in South Korea. However, rather than including the cartridge, a download code is included instead. Same thing was done first with Kirby Fighters 2.

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