I’m munching on jelly cubes, wearing a sweet dollop of whipped cream on my head. All around me, several other Kirbys in a range of colors — some wearing Karby as hats, which I hope to unlock soon — are waving and saying “hey.” These other players and I are in the waiting lobby kirby’s dream buffet, and we will soon be face to face in a series of challenges. May the best Kirby win.
In dream buffetIn this game, you play as the iconic puffball, moving around levels made of delectable desserts. The objective is to collect the most strawberries possible by winning a series of challenges – which include races, as well as minigames such as a battle royale or collecting strawberries as they appear in large tea cups. You can play alone against the CPU, online against friends or strangers, or play individually via Couch Co-op or local Switch communication. It’s a kinder approach to the ultimately chaotic racing party game. It’s also incredibly appealing to me, a person who really enjoys watching streams of fall friends Or Mario Kart more than actually playing them.
My Life Is Now Complete Image: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo
outside the gate, dream buffetThe theme of the sweets is absolutely adorable. There are waffle-built bridges, fork platforms, and pancake stacks to cross. Little Bronto Burts and Kabas fly with whipped-cream-topped heads just like me. Pleasant haptic feedback comes with Kirby’s rolling, punctuating a slow sticky roll through icing, jelly, or syrup. Schmaltzy keeps the musical tone light. As Kirby eats more strawberries, he grows in size, making him a more intimidating adversary in the minigames.
Race tracks are short and sweet, unlike the racing predecessor kirby air ride, which had longer tracks that felt more substantial when played as individual levels (though that game also had limited racing controls, making for surprisingly disastrous times). I still have a GameCube to play with air Ride — showing my bias — but dream buffet Feels more like a party game than a racing game, with an approach that feels prime for a laugh at competitive mastery. Even if you don’t win, you still score points toward your Gourmet Rank, which unlocks cute cosmetics like a little burger hat. The kid in me who spent hours hunting down spray paint cans Kirby and the Amazing Mirror was tied up immediately.
Image: HAL Laboratory / Nintendo
Because you’re rolling, the controls aren’t as straightforward as in a normal karting game. like it more Katamari Damsi either fall friendswhere you move relatively slowly – although thankfully not as Slowly like those chaotic beans – and slap each other a lot. You can use classic power-ups to race or cause havoc or advance in minigames. Each of these power is also in keeping with the adorable dessert motif, with the classic Kirby Hurricane being depicted as a cupcake and Kirby’s wheel form as a donut.
But the atmosphere is less dangerous fall friends, a game designed more openly so that you can screw over your opponents for comic effect. For one, Kirby can swim, so falling down stairs during a run is less of a danger. Plus, power-ups regenerate quickly, and there are so many strawberries falling from the sky that it never seems rare. At the end of each run are three stacks of strawberry-bedecked pancakes, priced at 10, 30 and 50 strawberries—so getting there gets you the most berries. This is the game’s way of awarding first, second and third place.
Image: HAL Laboratory / Nintendo
The minigames are equally eclectic. In a battle royale event, where you can smack each other donuts from the side, you Doing Get tainted strawberries for fall – but you’re immediately rewarded (with a small handful of berries or power-ups) upon re-entering. If you want an even more chill experience, or are playing with young children, dream buffet There’s also a free rolling map for those who just want to guide Kirby ambiently while eating the delicious berries.
It’s the cherry on top of this sugar-sweetened game, a perfect dessert of Kirby cuteness and chaos.
kirby’s dream buffet It’s out now and was reviewed on Switch using the pre-release download code provided by Nintendo. Vox Media has an affiliated partnership. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commission for products purchased through affiliate links. you can find Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here,
