Following the launch of Kirby's Dream Buffet, 2022 is shaping up to 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 blended with the party game format. Between its adorable confectionery influences and simple premise, Kirby's new game has a very broad appeal and could easily join the ranks of other successful spin-off party games like the latest Mario Party Superstars.
However, Kirby's Dream Buffet also seems to take after other battle royales such as Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, giving Nintendo an opportunity to experiment and push its post-launch content strategies in new ways. While it has been producing expansion passes and like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass, Nintendo has remained limited to the traditional DLC format and released only one or two DLC options for its various games. Provided HAL Laboratory is on board, Nintendo could finally break this tradition and test out ideas seen in other battle royales with seasonal content delivered year-round.
Kirby's Dream Buffet: Party Game To Battle Royale
Though it's not Kirby's first venture into multiplayer games and nor is it Nintendo's, Kirby's Dream Buffet does appear to be a game that leans more towards battle royale than just a generic party game. Nintendo has gradually been moving even further into the multiplayer scene with prominent examples including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate adding eight-player availability and the ongoing 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 a decent stake in co-op and multiplayer with titles like Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby Star Allies, and Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
In short, if there was a series Nintendo could decently test the battle royale waters with, it would be Kirby. But unlike other popular battle royales such as Fortnite or Apex Legends, Kirby isn't positioned as a realistic combative game. This could be why Kirby's Dream Buffet is compared to Fall Guys instead, as they both share a cutesy aesthetic that utilizes more family-friendly competition in the form of races and mini-games. But while Kirby's Dream Buffet has the same potential as Fall Guys, it seems it may be limited by the lingering influences of the party game genre.
Leaning More Towards Kirby's Battle Royale
Between the blurred lines of Kirby's Dream Buffet being both a party game and battle royale lies Nintendo's opportunity to reimagine its post-launch content strategies. Ordinarily, Nintendo would release only a handful of expansions as purchasable DLC, for example just as it did with franchises like Super Smash Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. But battle royales have shifted away from this format, instead moving to the free-to-play model like Fall Guys with in-game currencies and cosmetic items. This allows these games to constantly update their content for free and maintain interest in the game years after their initial release.
With its potential to be a leading battle royale for Nintendo on the Switch, Kirby's Dream Buffet would only need some minor changes to align fully with the battle royale genre. Since it's already a digital-only game, the biggest and most difficult change would be to make the game free. While this might upset players who've already bought copies, it could follow Rocket League when it went free-to-play and compensate original players with free bonus content. Beyond this, other changes Kirby's Dream Buffet might need would be to rework elements such as increasing the number of players from four or improving its cosmetic rewards.
From here though, Kirby's Dream Buffet can then lean more into its battle royale roots and provide Nintendo the chance to trial a more sustained, ever-evolving post-content strategy. Akin to the various seasons and chapters of games like Fortnite or Fall Guys, Kirby's Dream Buffet could develop its own seasons to be released throughout the following years, bringing with it new themed levels, power-ups, playable characters, and more. This could help Nintendo test whether it could move away from traditional DLC formats and deliver a gaming experience that continues long after a game's launch.
Kirby's Dream Buffet is available now on Switch.
