Kirby’s Dream Buffet is Nintendo’s chill answer to Fall Guys

polygon.com:

I’m rolling around on jelly cubes, wearing an adorable dollop of whipped cream on my head. Around me, several other Kirbys in a range of colors — some wearing Carby as a hat, which I hope to unlock soon — are waving and saying “hey.” These other players and I are in the waiting lobby for Kirby’s Dream Buffet, and we’ll soon go head to head in a series of challenges. May the best Kirby win.

In Dream Buffet, you play as the iconic puffball rolling around levels made of delectable desserts. The objective is to collect the most strawberries by winning a series of challenges — which include races, along with minigames like a battle royale or collecting strawberries as they appear in large teacups. You can play alone against CPUs, online against friends or strangers, or in-person via couch co-op or local Switch communication. It’s ultimately a kinder approach to the chaotic racing party game. It’s also incredibly appealing to me, a person who really enjoys watching streams of Fall Guys or Mario Kart more than actually playing them.

Out the gate, Dream Buffet’s dessert theming is absolutely adorable. There are waffle-ridged bridges, fork platforms, and pancake stacks to traverse. Little Bronto Burts and Kabus fly around with whipped-cream-topped heads just like mine. Pleasant haptic feedback accompanies Kirby’s rolling, punctuating the slow sticky roll through icing, jelly, or syrup. Schmaltzy music keeps the tone light. As Kirby eats more strawberries he grows in size, making him a more intimidating adversary in minigames.

Race tracks are short and sweet, in contrast to racing predecessor Kirby Air Ride, which had longer tracks that felt more substantial when played as individual levels (though that game also had hilariously