After the launch of Kirby’s dream buffet2022 will be a good year for Kirby fans as the series sees two new releases. But while Kirby and the Forgotten Land is presented as a traditional single player experience with optional co-op, new spin-off Kirby’s dream buffet takes a bite into the modern battle royale scene mixed with the party game format. Between its cute confectionery influences and simple premise, Kirby’s new game has a very wide appeal and can easily be added to the ranks of other successful spin-off party games like the latest Mario Party superstars.
However, Kirby’s dream buffet also seems to be following other battle royales such as: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Giving Nintendo the opportunity to experiment and push its content strategies in new ways after launch. While it has produced expansion passes and the like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Booster Course Pass, Nintendo has been limited to the traditional DLC format and has only released one or two DLC options for its various games. Provided HAL Laboratory is on board, Nintendo could finally break this tradition and test ideas from other battle royales with seasonal content delivered throughout the year.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet: Board Game for Battle Royale
Although it isn’t Kirby’s venture into multiplayer games first and it’s not from nintendo either, Kirby’s dream buffet seems to be a game that leans more towards Battle Royale than just a generic party game. Nintendo has gradually moved even further in the multiplayer scene with prominent examples including: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate adding availability for eight players and the continued splatoon series, but it has also dabbled in the battle royale genre with the short-lived NES-inspired Super Mario Bros. 35. However, Kirby has always had its fair share of co-op and multiplayer with titles like Kirby’s epic yarn, Kirby Star Alliesand Kirby’s return to dreamland.
Basically, if there was one series that Nintendo could properly test the Battle Royale waters with, it would be Kirby. But unlike other popular battle royales like Fortnite or Apex Legends, Kirby is not positioned as a realistic combative game. This could be the reason Kirby’s dream buffet is being compared to Autumn boys instead, because they both share a cute aesthetic that takes advantage of more family-friendly competition in the form of races and mini-games. But while Kirby’s dream buffet has the same potential as autumn boys, it seems that it is limited by the lingering influences of the party game genre.
More leaning towards Kirby’s Battle Royale
Between the faint lines of Kirby’s dream buffet being both a party game and a battle royale, Nintendo offers the chance to reinvent its content strategies after launch. Normally, Nintendo would only release a handful of expansions as DLC for purchase, for example, as with franchises like Super Smash Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. But Battle Royales have shifted from this format, instead to the free-to-play model like Autumn boys with in-game currencies and cosmetic items. This allows these games to continuously update their content for free and keep them interested in the game for years after their initial release.
With its potential to become a leading battle royale for Nintendo on the Switch, Kirby’s dream buffet would only need some minor changes to fully align with the battle royale genre. Since it is already a digital game, the biggest and most difficult change would be to make the game free. While this may upset players who have already purchased copies, it may follow Rocket League when it became free-to-play and compensated original players with free bonus content. There are also other changes Kirby’s dream buffet could be to rework elements such as increasing the player count from four or improving the cosmetic rewards.
From here though Kirby’s dream buffet can then lean more on its Battle Royale roots and give Nintendo the chance to try out a more sustainable, ever-evolving post-content strategy. Similar to the different seasons and chapters of games like Fortnite or Autumn boys, Kirby’s dream buffet could develop its own seasons to be released over the next few years, with new themed levels, powerups, playable characters, and more. This could help Nintendo test whether it can move away from traditional DLC formats and provide a gaming experience that continues long after a game’s launch.
Kirby’s dream buffet is now available on Switch.
0 Comments