In 2022, Kirby will release a sequel, and the internet is already getting huge Fall Guys vibes from it. Nintendo secretly unveiled Kirby’s Dream Buffet on Tuesday. In this multiplayer game, you race pals through delectable hazards. The Switch eShop-only game is scheduled to release in the upcoming months.
If Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the pink puff’s open-world post-apocalyptic adventure, hit too close to home in the present political atmosphere, Kirby’s Dream Buffet looks to be a pleasant return to the character’s simpler roots. In four rounds of “frantic multiplayer fun,” players roll around food-themed stages.
Kirby grows larger as he consumes more food, eventually knocking competitors off the stage. As they devour each new bite, players will also gain access to “Copy Food Abilities,” expanding their arsenal of sweet skills.
While the entire “kick your opponents over a huge obstacle course suspended in midair” concept is classic Fall Guys, multiplayer in Kirby’s Dream Buffet is done in a very Nintendo way. The game offers an online mode, although levels can only have four actual players. The remaining Waddle Dees appear to be AI-controlled. That is far less than the 60-player crazes that made Fall Guys a smash when it first came out in 2020. (it recently came to Switch and is now also free-to-play).
Although it’s difficult to escape the effect of Mediatonic’s jelly bean royale, multiplayer is nothing new for Kirby. The spin-off games Kirby’s Dream Course for the SNES and Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube were multiplayer-focused in addition to the co-op features in the core entries.
Interestingly, Nintendo hasn’t yet announced pricing for Kirby’s Dream Buffet, so it’s unclear how comprehensive the experience will be. Time will tell if 2022 ends up being Kirby’s big esports break, but it is already evident that Kirby fans are being treated fairly.
