Kirbys Dream Buffet Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

by Jim Smale · August 22, 2022

Our Kirbys Dream Buffet Review has us feasting on our senses in this full, four-course competition! Up to four hungry Kirbys must race, compete in minigames, and battle it out across creamy, crunchy courses overflowing with chocolate, ice cream, and other delicious delights. First, a race to claim a mountain of strawberries! The rules are simple: roll down the track and eat as many strawberries as you can. The more you gobble up, the more you’ll grow and the faster you’ll roll. Avoid flavorsome foes in your path or zip past them using tasty Copy Food abilities to keep up your Kirby’s momentum!

Kirbys Dream Buffet Review Pros:

Nice graphics.
1.1GB download size.
Racing gameplay with elements of mini-party games.
The main hub has all the options where you can decorate your cake, customize your Kirby, view credits and choose game modes.
Opening tutorial section.
Kirby’s history section detailing all his previous games and exploits.
Two-player local play support.
2 – 4 player online support via the Internet or with local play. (separate switches and games are needed)
Four difficulties – Sweet, Normal, Spicy, and extra spicy.
Five game modes – Gourmet Grand Prix, Single Race, Single Mini game, Single Battle Royale, and free rolling.
Gourmet Grand Prix in two races, a mini-game, and a final battle Royale.
Single race is on a randomized table.
A single mini-game is a random mini-game.
Single battle Royale is on a randomized table.
Free rolling is a no-pressure do what you want on a table.
Racing is a case of eating food to get bigger that makes knocking enemies off the track easier, but eating less to get more control and air time when floating in the air to stop falling off.
Has a Katamari meets Fall Guys.
Mini-games and Battle Royale is a case of collecting as many Strawberries as possible and eliminating others to have them lose Strawberries.
Very simple controls.
At the end of a race, there are 3 cakes with different amounts of fruit, first, comes the first choice.
Earn EXP from playing and unlock new decorations, Kirby colors, and clothing.
The cake is a giant one on the main hub table and you can decorate it with cool images of Kirby from this and other games.
Races have tracks that are quite big housing multiple routes and obstacles to slow people down acting like a catch-up feature.
Power-ups can be collected and range from bonus fruit to speed boosts to tornadoes and more.
Fast loading times.
Over 130 rank levels to get unlocked.
Unlock and earn bonus music tracks.
Previous Kirby game saves give rewards.

Kirbys Dream Buffet Review Cons:

No touchscreen support.
The camera is not always ideal, especially on thin platforms.
Cannot do four-player local with two sets of Joycon.
You cannot put cake decorations wherever you want.
A small pool of tracks and tables to play on.
Not a game you play for a long time in one go.
Never sure what power-up you either got or what they do.
Growing feels like it takes too long.
On higher difficulties, the Ai is very cheap.

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Kirbys Dream Buffet:

Official website.

Developer: HAL Laboratory

Publisher: Nintendo

Store Links –

Nintendo

7/10
Graphics - 7/10
8/10
Sound - 8/10
7/10
Accessibility - 7/10
7/10
Length - 7/10
7/10
Fun Factor - 7/10

7.2/10

Summary

Kirbys Dream Buffet feels very much like a Kirby-themed collection of Mario Party mini-games, It doesn’t feel like a cohesive connected experience, and whilst it is fun in short bursts, it really lacks any longevity. They do add a lot of nostalgia via music tracks and cake decorations, but honestly, it’s all throwaway as racing is short and the cake is only viewable to you back on the main menu. Initially, I liked how it all played out, especially the gourmet Grand Prix mode but after a few more runs it was obvious that there is just not enough content or variety to maintain any sort of momentum. I applaud how they managed to make a racing game with a different approach and like I say it can be fun but it just doesn’t have enough to sustain itself. Also, it is a nightmare game if you are on any sort of diet with so many cakes and chocolates everywhere. I’m not saying it’s a bad game but I’m also not saying it’s a good game, it’s just a good idea that never fully followed through.