Kirby's Dream Buffet

During this seemingly endless drought of good quality co-op games, Nintendo has once again produced a delectable crowd pleaser. A fairly standard party game, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is cheery and bright, offering a variety of courses and minigames with the ultimate goal of consuming as many strawberies as possible to become the largest Kirby around.

Gameplay

Kirby’s Dream Buffet is divided into three primary game types with different gameplay loops. Races involve rolling Kirby to the finish line before your friends, but also require players to eat as many strawberries as they can on the way in order to better muscle their friends off the racetracks and ensure their own victory. Minigames all involve eating as many strawberries as possible within a confined space, with the challenge being getting to the strawberries. Sometimes they may fall from the sky, while other times they may be locked up in destroyable boxes.

Battle Royale takes all of the aggression introduced in the Race mode and dials it up to 11 as the only goal is to muscle opposing Kirby’s off the arena by bumping into them. Successfully knocking someone off the edge allows you to steal their strawberries which in turn makes you bigger, stronger, and better able to bully them off again, the moment they respawn.

Additionally, in true Kirby-game fashion, the stakes of each match are raised by “copy food abilities” which turn Kirby into a representation of a food item and give him various game-changing powers. These abilities are conferred via food items other than strawberries which Kirby can consume during the course of each match.

The different racetracks, mini-game modes and arenas provide considerable variety for what is a fairly straightforward game. While none of the challenges are very difficult, or last very long, Kirby’s Dream Buffet, similarly to other Nintendo properties such as Mario Party 8, has the party game formula on lock: it can be played by virtually anyone and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Multiplayer

The game facilitates 2-player couch co-op, 4 player local wireless co-op, or 4 player online co-op, providing great variety in its multiplayer options. In particular, 4 player online co-op allows for both friend-only password protected lobbies, or on online queue system where you are matched up with 3 strangers. You can also choose to compete against CPU opponents, in order to practice your skills for the next time you want to obliterate your friends.

Visuals

This game is intensely cute. In line with Kirby’s canonized love for all things food related, the entire title is themed around different types of meals with wonderfully bright colors and cartoon-like but incredibly crisp textures. Between delectable burgers, glossy doughnuts and creamy cakes, the game comes across as a gourmand’s reimagining of the Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. On top of that, the lack of on-screen clutter, as only four Kirby’s can play at a time, makes it accessible to gamers of all ages and skill levels.

Conclusion

Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a sweet multiplayer treat to be played and enjoyed with family, friends or complete strangers who also happen to be Kirby enthusiasts.

Pros

• Easy-to-understand mechanics
• Adorable visuals
• Energetic gameplay

Cons

• All game modes are quite short