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

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. We wish the very best Kirby victory.

Dream BuffetThe iconic puffball is the player. He travels through levels of delicious 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. Play against other CPUs online, against strangers or friends, in person via Couch Co-op, Switch Communication, or against your local Switch team. 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 Autumn GuysMario Kart, or Mario Kart.

Kirby has unlocked a whipped cream hat, which he is wearing slightly askew. — It is my complete life

The gate opens Dream Buffet’s dessert theming is absolutely adorable. Waffle-ridged bridges can be found, as are fork platforms and pancake stacks. Kabus and Little Bronto Burts are just like me, with whip-cream-topped heads. Pleasant haptic feedback accompanies Kirby’s rolling, punctuating the slow sticky roll through icing, jelly, or syrup. The music is light and cheerful. Kirby becomes more fearsome as he eats more strawberries.

In contrast to their predecessors, racing tracks are shorter and more concise. Kirby Air RideThe game had more tracks, felt heavier when it was played in individual levels. However, the racing controls were very limited, so that made for an extremely disastrous experience. For playing, I have a GameCube. Take off on an Air Flight — my bias is showing — but Dream BuffetThis game feels more like a party than a racing one, and has a fun approach that encourages laughter rather than competitive skill. Even if you don’t win, you still gain points toward your Gourmet Rank, which unlocks cute cosmetics like a little burger hat. I was the child inside me, who spent hours searching for spray paint cans. Kirby & The Amazing MirrorInstantly, I was hooked.

Kirby flying through the air on a jelly-based race track.

Because you’re rolling, the controls aren’t as straightforward as a typical karting game. It’s more like Katamari Damacy or Autumn Guys, where you move relatively slowly — though thankfully not As slowly as those chaotic beans — and slap into each other a lot. To create chaos or progress in the race/minigame, you can use power-ups from classic games. Each of these powers are also in keeping with the adorable dessert motif, with the classic Kirby hurricane depicted as a cupcake and Kirby’s wheel form as a donut.

However, the atmosphere is much less frightening than Autumn Guys, a game that’s more overtly designed to let you screw over your adversaries for comedic effect. One, Kirby is able to float so it’s less dangerous for him to fall off of ledges while racing. Power-ups are quick to regenerate and there is so much strawberry falling from the skies that they never feel scarce. The end of each race is marked by three stacks of strawberry-bedecked pancakes, valued at 10, 30, and 50 strawberries — so getting there first nets you the most berries. This is the game’s way of rewarding first, second, and third place.

Kirby sits on top of a pie crust-looking woven arena.

These minigames can be just as generous. You can also donut-smack your opponents off the ledges in the battle royale. Do get penalized strawberries for falling off — but you also get rewarded (with a smaller handful of berries or a power-up) immediately upon reentry. If you’re seeking an even chiller experience, or are playing with younger kids, Dream BuffetA free rolling map is also available for those who want to guide Kirby in his daily activities while enjoying delicious berries.

It’s the cherry on top of this sugar-sweet game, a perfect confection of Kirby cuteness and chaos.

Kirby’s Dream Buffet It is available now. We reviewed it on Switch by using the pre-release Nintendo download code. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions from products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.