Kirby's Dream Buffet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kirby's Dream Buffet
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Shinya Kumazaki
Producer(s)
  • Tadashi Kamitake
  • Toyokazu Nonaka
Designer(s)
  • Yuya Kozuka
  • Ryosuke Sakamoto
Programmer(s)Hiroshi Ohnishi
Artist(s)Riki Fuhrmann
Composer(s)
  • Yuuta Ogasawara
  • Jun Ishikawa
  • Shogo Sakai
  • Hirokazu Ando
  • Megumi Ohara
  • Yuki Shimooka
SeriesKirby
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
ReleaseAugust 17, 2022
Genre(s)Racing, Party, battle royale
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Kirby's Dream Buffet is a party and racing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is a spin-off game in the Kirby series. The game was released digitally on August 17, 2022.[1]

Gameplay[edit]

Kirby's Dream Buffet is a multiplayer game where four ball-shaped Kirbys roll through food-themed courses and compete to collect the most strawberries. Players can defeat enemies and use special abilities on the stage to attack each other and collect bonuses. The game can be played both locally and online with both random matching and private lobbies.

There are 3 types of rounds, each with several different stages:

  • Race: The stage is laid out like a race track. The first players to reach the goal are granted extra strawberries.
  • Minigame: Mixed events where players gain strawberries by following the instructions given. The stage is typically small with defining features related to the goal given to the players.
  • Battle Royale: Similar to Minigame rounds, the stage is small and features many objects and hills close together. Abilities and strawberries drop onto the stage over time, and players can steal others' strawberries by knocking them off the stage.

In the Grand Prix mode, players play a Race, a Minigame, another Race, and then a Battle Royale. Afterwards, bonuses are given out depending on random statistical conditions. The player with the highest strawberry count wins the game.

After completing individual rounds or a Grand Prix, players are awarded points to raise their 'Gourmet Rank.' Playing online gives a boost to the points gained. Each time the player's rank increases, they unlock a new costume, color, stage, or music track that can be used for customization. They can also unlock 'Character Treats', a cookie based on a character from the Kirby series which can be displayed on a cake in Kirby's 'Home Table'.

Development[edit]

The game was revealed by Nintendo with an announcement trailer via social media on July 12, 2022.[1] The release date was revealed during the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival, which took place on August 11, 2022.[2][3]

Reception[edit]

Kirby's Dream Buffet received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[4]

The download card for Kirby's Dream Buffet sold 7,218 units within its first week of release in Japan, making it the sixth bestselling retail game of the week in the country.[13]

Nintendo Life liked the visuals and remarked that they were "pretty impressed with how smooth things run". Destructoid enjoyed how players grew physically bigger the more successful they were, "thus becoming a more obvious target". Nintendo World Report criticized the minigames, describing them as "overly simple". TouchArcade felt the game was lacking content, saying, "you’ll likely have seen all that’s worth seeing in a single session".

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Kirby's Dream Buffet for Family Game of the Year during the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Radulovic, Petrana (July 12, 2022). "Kirby takes on dessert in surprise new racing game Kirby's Dream Buffet". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  2. ^ Hagues, Alana (August 11, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet Rolls Out Japanese Release Date". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Foster, George (August 11, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet Launches August 17". TheGamer. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Kirby's Dream Buffet for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Carter, Chris (August 17, 2022). "Review: Kirby's Dream Buffet". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Reed, Simon (September 13, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet [Switch] Review – Half Baked?". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  7. ^ Swalley, Kirstin (August 19, 2022). "Review: Kirby's Dream Buffet". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  8. ^ O'Reilly, PJ (August 17, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Ronaghan, Neal (September 4, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (August 26, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet review: Light snack". Shacknews. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (August 29, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection' and 'Kirby's Dream Buffet' and More". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Raynor, Kelsey (August 19, 2022). "Kirby's Dream Buffet review: When you want a tasty treat rather than a banquet". VG247. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  13. ^ Romano, Sal (August 25, 2022). "Famitsu Sales: 8/15/22 – 8/21/22 [Update]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Detail Kirby's Dream Buffet". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kirby%27s_Dream_Buffet&oldid=1219750390"