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While competing, there are two things that can give you an edge: collecting fruit and rolling over item boxes. However, regardless of what event you select, how you go about playing is essentially the same: You roll around, collect fruit, and attempt to either out-race or outlast your opponents.
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In a Gourmet Grand Prix-essentially the default way to play-two races, one minigame, and a final showdown via battle royale are combined to form a cohesive experience, after which four Mario Party-esque awards are dished out and one Kirby is crowned the heavyweight king. However, if you and your buds are all in the same room, you can also do Local Play, which allows up to four separate consoles to play the game together.ĭespite these differences, all these modes consist of the same three events: races, minigames, and battle royales. Online mode, on the other hand, pits you against players all over the world through either random matches or password-protected private games. In Battle mode, you and up to one other player can take on CPUs for the chance to take the cake-literally. The start of a race in Kirby's Dream Buffet After rolling off your plate and onto the gingham-patterned tablecloth, you can browse through a variety of supplemental features or roll straight on into one of the game's three play modes: Battle mode, Online mode, or Local Play mode.
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Kirby's Dream Buffet begins atop a table adorned by pastel-colored pastries and sweet treats.
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While rolling around as Kirby is enjoyable, the experience feels more like a light snack than a well-balanced meal. However, for all of its charms, Kirby's Dream Buffet suffers from quite a few issues-most notably, a serious lack of content and incentives to keep playing.
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While the title seemingly draws inspiration from a variety of games, most notably Fall Guys, Beautiful Katamari, and Mario Party, it succeeds in differentiating itself from the rest and feeling quintessentially Kirby with its lighthearted, food-centric, and fun tone. Kirby's Dream Buffet hones in on this aspect, creating a game all about chowing down on tasty treats as fast as you can. If there's one thing Kirby is known for-apart from being "friend-shaped" and adorable-it's the little guy's insatiable appetite.
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