All desserts.
On the heels of the excellent Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby’s Dream Buffet might be a bit of a sugar crush. The latest installment in the adorable download-only Kirby spin-off series that riffs on familiar concepts through a lens. While past spin-offs have also touched on rhythm games and Monster Hunter, Dream Buffet is a Fall Guys-esque structure that pits his Kirby against each other in cake races and food-centric mini-game battles. We are aiming at. The game is meant to satisfy many types of players, but it’s a novel idea that starts to crumble halfway through as it doesn’t seem to hold their attention.
The focus is on multiplayer, but you can also experience the full game offline if you prefer. Locally, you can play split-screen against his 1 other player, but online his contests feature a total of 4 players. The split screen is fun, but the second player lacks customization features and that’s part of the overall appeal. As you play, you will rank up and unlock different items and collectibles. These rich items are the different colors and decorations of the Kirby ball that rolls around during the match.Local his multiplayer is handicapped by not being able to do extensive customization for just one player. It’s a pity.
Online is a different story, with all players able to customize their character, but it’s amazing how long it took to get into a match about two weeks after launch. I suspect many of my matches used a computer-controlled character to close out a four-player game, but I haven’t been able to prove this with certainty. (Having had other people play the game, my experience may be rare, but it still worries me for the future of games that focus on online play.) Instant gameplay is cute They come in a variety of lace layouts and designs, but they can run around powdery and sugary areas with relative ease. The various mini-games that increase as you rank up are a good way to split up the race, but it’s too simplistic and calorie-free competition. It’s a battle royale where you knock each other off platforms and eat more food. Those are the funnier moments of the game, but they still don’t last very long.
Dream Buffet is still adorable, and its simplicity plays well to the strengths of the kids this game might be aimed at. I let her 4 year old play with me. His go-to move is to go to an area showcasing Kirby’s recent adventures, highlight Kirby’s Star Allies or Forgotten Lands, and say he wants to play those games. Tastes don’t represent every kid, but this was still a surprise.If it didn’t catch the attention of a 34-year-old Kirby lifelong fan or a Kirby-loving 4-year-old, then who is this game for? What is it?
That doesn’t even mean that Dream Buffet is bad. It’s kinda there. I like the free-to-play game skeleton with the semi-battle pass, but it’s not a free-to-play game (although one might work better!). Have fun with cute historical Kirby cake decorations that you unlock to make the base area feel like your own. The playfulness of just rolling around in freeroll mode is appealing, but the overall experience is less engaging than the fleeting moments. The Dream Buffet is reminiscent of a diner’s mediocre desserts. You knew what you signed up for and probably hoped to land on an out-of-this-world pie, but at the end of the day, it’s midnight in a diner. I’m still eating this passable apple pie.
