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Kirby's Dream Buffet

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Kirby's Dream Buffet

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KDB Logo.png

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KDB Korean box art.jpg

Digital cover art, logos, and box art for Kirby's Dream Buffet
Details
Developer(s) HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Release date(s) August 17th, 2022
South Korea September 15th, 2022
(physical download code version)
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch
Supported languages Japanese, American English, British English, European French, Canadian French, Italian, German, Dutch, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone
PEGI: 3+
CERO: All Ages
Game size 1.2 GB
Game chronology
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
On affiliated sites
Switcher.gg Find Kirby's Dream Buffet friends online
StrategyWiki Walkthrough
 This box: view  talk  edit 
In this competitive action game, four shrunken Kirbys roll through a world of sweets to see who can eat the most strawberries. Transform into foods and use Copy Food Abilities to win! Play solo or with up to three rivals using local wireless or an online connection.
— Past Adventures section in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Kirby's Dream Buffet is a small action/racing spin-off game for the Kirby series, released digitally on the Nintendo Switch. In this game, Kirby, a handful of different-color Kirby clones, and several Waddle Dees are shrunk down to the size of peas by the magical Dream Fork and roll around atop cakes, pastries, and other confections in a race to eat the most strawberries and other fruit, growing in size and speed the more fruit is consumed. After competing in a couple of linear race tracks and a short mini-challenge, the Kirbys face off in one last Battle Royale match where they fight each other for their strawberries using Copy Food abilities and other items, with the largest Kirby at the end of it all being declared the winner.

Kirby's Dream Buffet is built as a lightweight and quick-to-play multiplayer title, and (unlike many of its predecessors) lacks a story mode of any kind, making it similar to other small spin-off games such as Kirby Fighters Deluxe or Kirby's Blowout Blast, though its most direct resemblance may be Kirby Air Ride (the only other racing game in the series). In addition to its base gameplay, Kirby's Dream Buffet features local and online multiplayer functionality (the latter using the Nintendo Switch Online service), a large amount of collectibles in the form of Character Treats, and a Free Rolling mode that allows the player to explore and goof around in a distinct open area not used in regular gameplay. In addition to some original tracks, the game also features many songs from previous Kirby titles, in the form of both originals and rearrangements.

Kirby's Dream Buffet was released worldwide on August 17th, 2022 as a digital-only release on the Nintendo eShop. A physical version released in South Korea on September 15th, 2022, but like with Kirby Fighters 2, it is simply a download code inside a box rather than a cartridge.

Story[edit]

Kirby is shrunk down by the power of the enchanted Dream Fork, and lands upon the now-relatively-giant cake.

Kirby's Dream Buffet does not have a story mode whatsoever; due to its multiplayer focus, it is open-ended. The little story that exists is confined to the game's marketing, the Tasty Tidbits, and the opening cutscene. In it, Kirby is invited to a "gourmet festival" at the "Dream Restaurant" where he finds a lavishly-decorated cake covered in strawberries. Instead of waiting for the festival to start, Kirby decides to eat the cake using the Dream Fork, which was laying on the table nearby. Just as Kirby is about to dig in, however, he is zapped by the fork's magical powers and is shrunk down significantly (it is explained later that the fork has the power to make dreams come true, and it was Kirby's dream to eat a mountain-sized cake). After falling into the cake and getting his bearings, Kirby becomes overwhelmingly happy about the idea of eating such a large amount of delicious dessert. From here, he is joined by other Kirbys that also fall into the cake, and they start to roll up the slopes of it, setting the scenario of the game.

Gameplay[edit]

Kirby at the "Home Table", ready to pick all manner of tasty modes and options.

Kirby's Dream Buffet is an action multiplayer game with a core focus on racing and battle modes. The goal of each mode is to collect the most strawberries and grow to the largest size to be declared the winner, using whatever other items or course elements appear along the way to gain an advantage. Strawberries can be obtained along the various courses either out in the open, dropped from above, contained in boxes, or stolen from rivals. During gameplay, larger Kirbys generally have an advantage over smaller ones, as they roll faster and can bounce and resist being bounced by opponents more easily, though there are a few disadvantages (more details on the Strawberry page). In addition to strawberries, other types of fruit can appear known as "mission fruit", and collecting those during races can help Kirby gain certain bonuses during the results screen at the end of the Gourmet Grand Prix.

There are three distinct types of gameplay as follows:

  • Race - Kirbys race along a linear course from start to finish and collect strawberries along the way. At the end of each track are giant Strawberry Mountains which are first-come, first-served.
  • Minigame - Kirbys roll around a small board and collect strawberries that appear while also knocking their opponents away until time runs out.
  • Battle Royale - Kirbys battle each-other to steal their strawberries in an open area while avoiding the Server Hands and other hazards on the board.

Game modes can be played separately or together in the aforementioned Gourmet Grand Prix mode. There is also a Free Rolling mode, where players can explore a big open area without any objectives (and no time limit if playing solo). Gameplay can take place in local or online multiplayer and/or against CPU opponents. Collecting strawberries also contributes to a level-based ranking system called the Gourmet Rank (similar to the Fighters Rank used in Kirby Fighters 2) which allows the player to unlock different Colors and Costumes for their Kirby, or unlock bonus music tracks to listen to during races. Due to the lack of a story mode, advancing the Gourmet Rank to its maximum level of 135 is the main means of progression in Kirby's Dream Buffet (though a separate ranking system is used for online multiplayer matchmaking). Additional background music will also be available if the player owns Kirby Star Allies, Super Kirby Clash, Kirby Fighters 2, or Kirby and the Forgotten Land, gaining three bonus tracks per game owned. Lastly, Character Treats can be collected to use as starting pedestals in races and to decorate the cake on the Home Table (the main menu for the game).

Copy Abilities[edit]

There are a total of eight different Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Buffet, which are acquired from Copy Foods contained within Food Boxes or out in the open. While most of these abilities are from earlier titles, they have all been given food-based redesigns. These abilities are all single or limited-use, and some only appear in the race modes while others only appear in the Battle Royale matches, though abilities can be taken into subsequent game modes if held onto in the Gourmet Grand Prix. The following are the Copy Abilities in the game:

Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Buffet  
Ability Copy Food Game mode Description Notes
KDB Burning food item artwork.png
Burning Pepper[1]
All game modes Kirby turns into a ball with a chili pepper stem and can dash forward in a burning fireball, knocking opponents away. This is the first time Burning has appeared as a distinct ability since Kirby: Canvas Curse.
KDB Drill food item artwork.png
ドリルキャロット (Drill Carrot)[2]
Battle Royale Kirby turns into a carrot and can dig through the ground to avoid attack, then pop up to hit opponents from below. Kirby can also move in a circle to attack opponents with a Quake Surge.
KDB Hi-Jump food item artwork.png
ハイジャンプグミ (Hi-Jump Gummy)[2]
Race Kirby turns into a gummy spring and can launch to a distant point ahead on the race track, landing with a splash attack similar to Stone.
KDB Jelly food item artwork.png
プルプルゼリー (Jiggly Jelly)[2]
Race & Battle Royale Kirby turns into an amorphous blob of jelly and can phase through breakable barriers and enemy attacks. He can also create globs of jelly that slows down other Kirbys. This is a new ability to the series.
KDB Needle food item artwork.png
ニードルキャンディー (Needle Candy)[2]
Battle Royale Kirby turns into spiky hard candy and can attack other racers by ramming into them.
KDB Stone food item artwork.png
ストーンチョコ (Stone Chocolate)[2]
Battle Royale Kirby turns into a brick of chocolate and pounds the ground, creating a shockwave that can damage opponents. The player can also hold down the R button to create a bigger shockwave.
KDB Tornado food item artwork.png
Tornado Frosting[1]
Race & Battle Royale Kirby turns into a cup of frosting and can spin around, creating a vortex that grabs strawberries from a distance and defeats enemies.
KDB Wheel food item artwork.png
ホイールドーナツ (Wheel Donut)[2]
All game modes Kirby turns into a doughnut and can dash at high speed through opponents to knock them away.

Enemies[edit]

There are six regular enemies in Kirby's Dream Buffet which appear as obstacles on race courses and Battle Royale stages and as targets in minigame boards, and (aside from Gordo and Shotzo) can be defeated by bumping into them. Under normal circumstances, defeating an enemy causes Kirby to bounce back, likely ending up with lost time against his rivals, but Kirby can avoid this recoil if he defeats them with a Copy Food ability. In minigame stages and in Free Rolling mode, enemies can be seen carrying stacks of strawberries on some boards, and do not bounce Kirbys back nearly as strongly when defeated.

Enemies in Kirby's Dream Buffet  
Enemy Description
Bouncy bounces back and forth or straight up and down and can often be seen carrying one or more strawberries. Here, Bouncy has been given a makeover to resemble a sugar-coated gummy treat.
Bronto Burt flies slowly in set patterns and can often be seen carrying one or more strawberries. Here, he has been made to resemble a jawbreaker.
Cappy moves back and forth slowly or hops in place and can often be seen carrying one or more strawberries. Here, he has been given a sugar coating.
Gordo moves back and forth or holds position, and stuns any Kirby who makes contact with him. Here, he resembles a jawbreaker.
Kabu moves in set patterns and may carry one or more strawberries. Here, it has been given a makeover to resemble a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles on top.
Shotzo holds position and fires a regular barrage of hard candy bullets that will stun any Kirbys they hit. Here, Shotzo has been given a makeover to resemble a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles on top.

Stages[edit]

Kirby's Dream Buffet contains a total of 24 distinct stages, eight for each of the main game modes, not including lobby areas or the Free Rolling stage. Most of the stages come in different variants, having several different themes and layouts. Most of these stages are available from the start, while others need to be unlocked by advancing the Gourmet Rank. The stages are as follows:

Stage Game Mode Unlock criteria Description  
Race Available at start A race course based on the eponymous pastry. Notable features include narrow wavy trackways and a large segmented cylinder that rotates near the end.
Race Available at start A race course built from circular cake roll pastries. The course features many very narrow split pathways connecting large circular platforms.
Race Unlocked at Rank 47 A race course built from various bowls of molten chocolate connected by bridges. Falling into the chocolate slows the Kirbys down, so they need to traverse it using the various confections as platforms.
Race Available at start A race course built out of donuts and other pastries. The course features many open-center platforms connected by narrow bridges of churros.
Race Available at start A race course built out of American-style hamburgers, sandwiches, French fries, and various toppings and condiments. The course features a blend of circular platforms and straight paths lined with sunny-side up fried eggs to use as springs.
Race Unlocked at Rank 17 A race course built out of ice cream in various forms. The course features many long stretches of slippery paths broken up by interludes on sticky surfaces.
Race Available at start A race course built of pancakes and waffles topped with many sweet confections. This course features some long winding bridges as well as sections where walls of syrup need to be scaled.
Race Available at start A race course built of various cakes covered in frosting along with candles and other toppings. The course features largely straight trackways, though with a lot of confounding terrain.
Minigame Available at start A small circular board consisting of veggies and crackers floating in cheese fondue, which slows down any Kirbys that fall into it.
Minigame Available at start A small circular arena consisting of a cake with a separate central area which may or may not be a chasm with bridges spanning it.
Minigame Available at start A hexagonal board made of various cupcakes which create a bumpy surface. Some of the cupcakes have chocolate on them that can slow Kirbys down.
Minigame Unlocked at Rank 28 A heart-shaped board consisting of a cake made to resemble Elfilin from Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Minigame Unlocked at Rank 10 A board consisting of a cake shaped like Kirby, featuring an area in the middle that rotates continuously.
Minigame Available at start A square board consisting of a giant pie with various obstacles inset, which can come in many varieties.
Minigame Available at start A circular board set on a table containing teacups and plates. The teacups appear out of nowhere on the plates shortly before strawberries fall into them, then disappear afterward.
Minigame Available at start A giant plate with a waffle in the middle, which can come in various shapes and varieties.
Battle Royale Unlocked at Rank 19 A battle arena resembling the top of a hot barbeque grill covered in hamburger patties, hot dogs, and various veggies typically associated with American-style cuisine.
Battle Royale Unlocked at Rank 42 A battle arena made up of various rectangular popsicles and/or ice cream sandwiches, sometimes set at different heights. The fruity popsicle platforms act as slippery surfaces.
Battle Royale Unlocked at Rank 50 A battle arena consisting of three large platforms connected laterally by bridges. The center platform is a cake resembling Magolor, while the ones on the side resemble large gears that turn slowly.
Battle Royale Available at start A battle arena consisting of two large pudding cups connected by bridges made of citrus slices and/or wafers.
Battle Royale Available at start A battle arena set on a table and constructed of various sandwiches, along with condiments and other American fast food fare.
Battle Royale Available at start A battle arena with a rectangular layout made of pieces of sheet cake which can move independently of one another.
Battle Royale Unlocked at Rank 33 A battle arena consisting of a large rectangular space where a cake version of Whispy Woods resides. Bumping Whispy Woods causes him to drop strawberries from his canopy, and Whispy will periodically jump to a different location.
Battle Royale Available at start A battle arena consisting of three tall circular cakes connected closely to each-other in a line. Tall icing along the rims of the cakes acts as a fence.

Demo[edit]

A demo version of Kirby's Dream Buffet is available at Nintendo Switch kiosks inside retail stores in some countries. It features some changes from the base game:

  • The title screen adds the word DEMO to the logo. The cake is also fully decorated with randomly-chosen Character Treats.
  • The game opens directly to the mode select menu, skipping the Home Table.
  • Several options are grayed out and cannot be selected when starting a game:
  • All of the unlockables are not available. The player always uses the color Kirby Pink, while the other three players use Keeby Yellow, Ice Blue, and Tea Green. No character can use costumes; not even the Waddle Dees. Character Treats are also unavailable.

Staff[edit]

The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Dream Buffet:

Staff of Kirby's Dream Buffet  
Position Developer(s)
General Director Shinya Kumazaki
Sequence Director Shota Yamada
Level Design Director Kosuke Yamazaki
Game Designers Yuya Kozuka
Ryosuke Sakamoto
Technical Director Hiroshi Ohnishi
Lead Action Programmer Katsuyoshi Sumitomo
Lead UI Programmer Yushi Uchida
Programmers Taisei Yamamoto
Kakuya Maekubo
Keisuke Takemura
Taiki Saka
Keita Yamada
Hiromu Watanabe
Art Director Riki Fuhrmann
Character Artists Kenta Miyamoto
Akiko Hayashi
Field Artists Yuki Yoshioka
Mao Yamase
Keiya Ogawa
Natsumi Muraki
Tomomi Minami
Lead UI Artist Kanako Omori
UI Artists Fumiyasu Kato
Hikaru Ushiki
Yumi Todo
Teruhiko Suzuki
Movie D.A.G Inc.
Eiki Takizawa
Hisanori Matsushima
Akiko Sasaoka
Yuya Suzuki
Kenro Shimizu
Sadahiro Okui
Aika Takahashi
Keisuke Nishina
Lead Sound Yuuta Ogasawara
Sound Jun Ishikawa
Shogo Sakai

Hirokazu Ando
Megumi Ohara
Yuki Shimooka
Voice Makiko Ohmoto (Kirby)
FRAT Framework Programmers Kazuya Suetsugu
Tetsuya Noge
Tomokazu Tsuruoka
Ryoichiro Atono
Shinichi Kawaji
Rui Uchida
Ayumu Kato
Yuya Suzuki
Masataka Seshimo
Keigo Tsuda
Munemasa Kimura
Takashi Matsuda
Technical Support Kazuya Konishi
Hajime Imaizumi
Yousuke Fukunaga
Takaaki Kazuno
Takashi Nemoto
Junichi Aoyagi
Hiroaki Nakano
Tatsuya Murase
Akio Hanyu
Tatsuhiro Tanoue
Takeshi Minagawa
Takehiro Oyama
Team Support Yoshimi Takahashi
Katsuhiro Sakoda
Artwork Rieko Kawahara
Yuto Ibaraki
Emi Imamura
Keiko Inoue
Testing Masaru Kobayashi
Takeshi Tamura
Akiko Ohashi
Manami Onozuka
Taiki Maeda
Yuki Itonaga
HAL Debug Team
Mario Club Co., Ltd.
SHIFT Inc.
Localization Management Seiji Otoguro
Localization Shigeru Hashiguchi
Kenichi Masuda
Shigeru Hirayama
NOA Localization Management Reiko Ninomiya
Rich Amtower
Raymond Elliget
Nicko Gonzalez
Berenice Hofsetz
Tim O'Leary
César Pérez
Morgan Ritchie
Thaddée Wiseur
Álex Zarza
NOA Localization Ana Celeste Ascanio
Michael Benedetto
Billy Carroll
Yanett Cepeda Valor
Kris Copeland
Marjolaine Drouin
Paloma Hernandez
Dutch Hixenbaugh
Sara Hoad
Marissol Karczeski
Kristopher Katz
Brandon Kraemer
Keli Dominiciano Nakamura
Erin Peterson
Carolina Quesada
Babi Velho Barreto
Lauren Wells
Ludovic Tientcheu Ponkin
Taryn Ziegler
Felipe Zylbersztajn
NOA Product Testing Kentaro Nishimura
Kirk Buchanan
Tomo Ishiyama
Hitoshi Nishizawa
Sean Egan
Tomoko Mikami
Andy Kolden
Jim Holdeman
Manna Yamasaki
Tom Hertzog
Young Kim
Marko Wallenius
Michael Sahlin
James Dillon
Josh Yagi-Stanton
Craig So
Luisa Bayona Otero
Rose Hernandez
Agatha Carvalhaes Camargo Hortiz
Nicolas Mora
Cameron Parent
Libia Santos Souza
Brandon Truax
Frances Eckrich
Aaron Jones
Product Testing Technicians
NOE Localisation Producers Iván Garrido González
Saskia Doorschodt
Dario de Leo
Liam Higgins
NOE Translation Coordination Pierre Sanchez
Andrea Jähn
NOE English Translation Support Patrick Joyce
NOE Translation Clémence Dieryck
Jean-Paul Hausmann
Giovanna Prati
Giacomo Iacumin
Kent Robello
Michael Hussinger
Hannah Siebert
Sebastian Brück
Jónatan Marcos Millán
José Manuel Malagón León
Carsten Harmans
Patrick Koudstaal
NOE QA Coordination J. Ignacio León López
Matthew David Jones
NOE Quality Assurance Keywords Studios
NOK Localization Management Kim Dongyeon
NOK Translation Kim Soonil
NOK Quality Assurance Seoung Kiung
NOK Artwork Lee Hoonkyung
NHL Translation Jeanie Ho
Natalie Yu
NHL Quality Assurance Eiju Umemura
Chih Hsien Chien
Chen Wei Ming
NHL Artwork Mike Kan
iQue Localization Coordination Chen Yijun
iQue Translation Qiu Xiaochun
iQue Quality Assurance Zhang Jiong
Special Thanks Haruka Ioth
Naho Yoshizawa
Yu Kanai
Tatsuya Kamiyama
Masayo Nakagami
Yurina Inoue
Shigenobu Kasai
Tetsuya Abe
Tomohiro Minemura
Hiroaki Ikarashi
Shohei Takahama
Yumi Osada
Akira Eguchi
Nobuyuki Okada
Tadashi Ikegami
Good-Feel Co., Ltd.
Coordinator Tomoki Fukushima
Project Management Kazuyuki Nakamura
Kaori Ishizaki
Shinya Saito
Akira Kinashi
Associate Producer Kei Ninomiya
Line Producer Yoshihiro Nagata
Producers Tadashi Kamitake
Toyokazu Nonaka
General Producers Shigefumi Kawase
Shinya Takahashi
Executive Producer Shuntaro Furukawa
HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Nintendo

HAL Laboratory, Inc. and Nintendo are the authors of this software for the purpose of copyright.
All rights reserved.
© HAL Laboratory, Inc. / Nintendo

Nintendo eShop description[edit]

Bump, battle, and boost your way to sweet victory

Roll through a smorgasboard of food-themed stages in 4 rounds of 4-player fun as Kirby...who seems rounder than usual? Race through delicious obstacle courses to collect strawberries as Kirby grows. Then, turn the tides in the final round—a fruity fight atop a floating platform.

Have a feast of fun with family and friends

Get snacky with up to 4 players via local wireless or online. With 4 rounds, plenty of power ups called Copy Foods, and opportunities to steal strawberries, anyone can take the cake in this easy-to-play game. All ages can eat up the cute and competitive frenzy.

Come back for seconds to level up and unlock delectable customization options

Dress Kirby in delectable costumes that resemble Meta Knight, King Dedede, Elfilin, and more! You'll also get more colors for Kirby and music to listen to as you level up. Start the race in style by unlocking different decorations resembling cookies, chocolates, and candies from the Kirby™ series!

Trivia[edit]

  • The game's internal codename is "Breakfast".
  • The game's opening cutscene greatly mirrors the opening of the announcement trailer for Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, as both feature Kirby admiring an ornately-decorated cake topped with strawberries with a peach backdrop.
  • This is the first game in the Kirby series to be officially localized into Brazilian Portuguese.
  • This game is the first in the series since Kirby: Squeak Squad to have all of the series' regular composers credited.
  • Initially, the North American website for Kirby's Dream Buffet mistakenly used a screenshot of a Memorial Song above a caption describing the Character Treats. This would be corrected a few days later, but the original mistake can still be seen on archives of the site.

Gallery[edit]

Main article: Kirby's Dream Buffet/gallery

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese カービィのグルメフェス
kābyi no gurume fesu
Kirby's Gourmet Fest
Traditional Chinese 卡比的美食節
kǎ bǐ dì měi shí jié
Kirby's Gourmet Fest
Simplified Chinese 卡比的美食节
kǎ bǐ dì měi shí jié
Dutch Kirby's Dream Buffet -
French Kirby's Dream Buffet -
German Kirby's Dream Buffet -
Italian Kirby's Dream Buffet -
Korean 커비의 드림 뷔페
keobiui deulim bwipe
Kirby's Dream Buffet
Portuguese Kirby's Dream Buffet -
Russian Kirby's Dream Buffet
-
Spanish Kirby's Dream Buffet -


External links[edit]

References