Kirby's Dream Buffet

Kirby has been celebrating his 30th birthday in style. Earliest this year, we saw the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, perhaps the best game in the pink one’s long lineage and one of the best first-party Switch games period. But Nintendo wasn’t done, as earlier this Summer, they surprise-announced Kirby’s Dream Buffet, a new online multiplayer game somewhat reminiscent of the super-popular Fall Guys.

With a large number of collectibles, endlessly fun gameplay across various modes and a very friendly and approachable aesthetic, Kirby's Dream Buffet is the perfect couch party game for younger players.

If you can overlook the network issues, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a sweet little party game that will keep you coming back for more. It looks fantastic, and while its gameplay doesn’t offer much variety, it’s the sort of tried-and-tested multiplayer competition that never gets old. For its budget asking price of £13.49/$14.99, you can’t really ask for much more. Well, other than a more reliable online mode.

Kirby's Dream Buffet has been commonly compared to games like Fall Guys and it's easy to see why, given that it's centered on the idea of racing cute mascots across a sugary landscape in the name of wholesome competition. It ultimately feels a more limited take on that idea, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. I had a good time with it for a while and it's something I can see myself going back to in the future. I just won't expect to get hooked on it, the same way I would a strawberry shortcake or a chocolate donut.

Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a cute and fun game while it lasts. It feels like the kind of game you might play as a warmup for a short period before breaking into something more substantial. For what it is, it’s quite nice, but it’s hard to justify what it is against its price tag and the free-to-play nature of some of its competitors.

Kirby has starred in many bite-sized spin-offs over the years that vary wildly in quality so let's see how Kirby's Dream Buffet stacks up.

The latest Kirby game serves up some delicious party game fun but fails to fully satisfy cravings.

After years of cafés and food related merchandise, Kirby finally has a Spin-off based purely around his insatiable appetite but does the game provide the buffet it is named after or is it more of a bowl of left-over scraps? Let's dig in and find out!

Kirby’s Dream Buffet isn’t a terrible game, and certainly has the typical Nintendo aesthetic polish, but the whole package is underwhelming and lacking in any real variety. I felt as if I had seen everything bar the unlockable cosmetics after a few hours play and there was nothing to keep me hooked. Unless you are a total diehard Kirby fan, I’d just go for a replay of Forgotten Land.

Oh, Kirby. What a tumultuous relationship we’ve shared over the years. I fell in love with the cute round puff when I first played Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy back in 1992. The love affair deepened with Kirby’s Adventure (or Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, depending on which version you played). The little pink blob was beyond adorable and featured a unique gameplay mechanic: eating his enemies and copying their abilities. Later on, Kirby’s journeys would take a weirder direct...

This is the first time a four course meal has ever left me hungry.