After the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, it was only a matter of time before another eShop exclusive game starring the pink puffball would make its way to the Nintendo Switch. Among smaller titles like Kirby Fighters 2 and Super Kirby Clash is the latest entry, Kirby's Dream Buffet.
A spiritual successor to games like Kirby's Tilt N Tumble, Dream Buffet pits you against three other Kirbys in a race to consume the most sweets and become larger than everyone else. There's quite a bit of content and fun factor to be had with this game, but it isn't without its fair share of flaws.
7 The Online Is Awful
Despite the glowing reviews, Nintendo has yet to properly lock down online play. From the Wii to the Switch, Nintendo's online services have been nothing short of lacking. The same holds true for Kirby's Dream Buffet. It is a game based on being as fast as possible, which can require precise movements to zoom down the tracks.
However, online matches are plagued by frequent stutters, freezes that last seconds at a time, and even possible disconnects. Multiplayer is the lifeblood of Kirby's Dream Buffet, and without a robust online offering, it's only a matter of time before the player base falls off. This is a problem that has been solved by other console manufacturers, developers, and more. The fact that Nintendo still doesn't have robust online in 2022 is baffling.
6 Four-Player Split Screen
If you have a poor internet connection or encounter serious connectivity issues, then you'll probably stick to playing locally in Kirby's Dream Buffet. While there's plenty to unlock to motivate going back to the game, Dream Buffet is a party game at its core. There isn't a mode where you can play by yourself.
However, unless you have a friend with a Switch and a copy of the game, then you're stuck only playing with one other person at a time. Two-player split screen is fun, but the Grand Prix mode in Kirby's Dream Buffet truly shines with four players. An update down the road that allows four-player split screen would go a long way to making the game more easily enjoyed in longer bursts with friends.
5 Single-Player Challenges
For the price, it's hard to complain about a lack of content in Kirby's Dream Buffet. However, it is a game that you'll get the most out of if you have other friends who own the game as well. If you choose to play offline by yourself, there isn't a lot for you to do other than compete against CPUs and roll around in the Free Roll mode.
You'll still unlock the cosmetics just the same, but you once you get used to playing against the CPU, you've hit the ceiling in terms of it being a challenge. Perhaps it would be better if there were separate single-player challenges that have you mastering the various copy abilities, or perhaps time trials that give you exclusive content.
4 More Cosmetics
Kirby's Dream Buffet already has an excellent selection of cosmetics that change Kirby into different colors, or even make him cosplay as other characters from the series. Seeing a Kirby dressed as Meta Knight or Bandana Waddle Dee is a lot of fun. Most of the key characters who have appeared in Kirby Star Allies or Kirby and the Forgotten Land get their time to shine in this game as well.
However, maybe additional updates down the road could add more to the mix. Have costumes based on more of the standard enemies. Perhaps add additional costumes to promote other Nintendo releases, such as an Inkling costume for Splatoon 3 or a Link costume for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
3 An Additional Mode
Kirby's Dream Buffet is fun, and while there are various courses and stages to compete with others on, it's only a matter of time before players have seen all there is to see in the game.
One thing that could make Kirby's Dream Buffet last longer is another mode that you can choose. Grand Prix is easily the main course of the game, but if there was a side mode in addition to that (one that isn't based on a mode already existing in Grand Prix), that could give the game a bit more content to catapult it into a must-play for any Nintendo Switch owner, and not just Kirby fans or those who play games with friends.
2 Let Us Select The Music
Kirby's Dream Buffet rewards you if you have save data for any Kirby game already released on the Switch. That includes Kirby Star Allies, Super Kirby Clash, Kirby Fighters 2, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Those rewards come in the form of additional music tracks that can play while you race against other Kirbys. You will also unlock new songs as you level up in the game, and everything is easily visible via the Rewards menu.
However, you have no control over which music plays during games. The music is randomly selected, which is a shame considering the work that you'll put in to unlock those tracks (financially or otherwise). By letting you select your own tracks, you'll have that much more customization to your game mode.
1 60 Frames Or Bust
Ever since Kirby debuted on the Nintendo Switch with the release of Kirby Star Allies, we've only seen the pink puffball's adventures running at 30 frames per second. While that's far from unplayable, many prior Kirby games were running at 60, leading to a smoother experience in Dream Land.
While it's understandable why Kirby and the Forgotten Land needed to scale back the frame rate, it seems a bit baffling that Kirby's Dream Buffet should suffer the same fate. It looks significantly less taxing than a sprawling 3D Kirby adventure, so it's odd that we don't have better performance. Like other Kirby games on the Switch, the menus in Dream Buffet run at a smoother frame rate, making the gameplay seem even choppier than it would otherwise.