Kirby titles are often accused of being a little too light, a little too much like stopgaps – rather than offering full-on trademark Nintendo innovation and excitement.
Sadly this latest entry in the pink vacuum’s softography won’t change anyone’s mind on that score. If anything, it’ll cement it even further. The positive steps made by the sometimes captivating Kirby and the Forgotten Land are all but, er, forgotten in what can only be described as a mildly diverting sideshow.
A digital only multiplayer focused title where you compete with other Kirbys, this looks very much like Fall Guys at first glance.
It is a little more focused than that game in that only four of you are competing against each other – although the gameplay is not nearly as sharp or fresh.
The setting – a land of cakes and sweets – is admittedly amazing to gape at however. Everything has an irresistible shiny sweet glaze. It’ll give you a toothache just looking at it.
In terms of the game itself, you have to race to the end of a range of short stages – with Kirby controlling like a marble. Or a character from Super Monkey Ball, if you prefer that comparison.
If you run over a sweet confection you grow in size, with your speed subsequently increasing. If you fall off in a race you can get back on track by button mashing.
There’s different food items such as peppers that can attack other players as well as a range of separate mini-games – such as jump based challenges – but that is basically all there is to Dream Buffet.
And ultimately, it’s not a bad package. It’s well presented and for the price you get a fair amount of content.
Sadly it still feels a little too slight at times, with the controls in the main race segments being so floaty they’re never particularly satisfying. This arguably helps the game’s chaotic nature – something not entirely unwelcome in a multiplayer title – but it also means it likely won’t keep you coming back for more helpings.
So Dream Buffet is a game it’s hard to love – the fact Kirby feels copy and pasted in definitely doesn’t help matters – but it offers just enough presentational pizzaz to mean it’s not an entirely wasted cause.
