The Kirby franchise has been known for its copy ability mechanic since Kirby’s adventure in 1993. Unlike fellow Nintendo platform mascot Mario, Kirby obtains his abilities by eating enemies with various powers as an extension of the suction mechanism introduced in Kirby’s Dreamland. HAL Laboratory then designed hats to represent each copy ability, and power swapping was implemented in various spin-offs like Kirby’s Dream Buffet.
Arguably the most well-known example of Kirby’s copy abilities outside of his main adventures is Super Smash Bros., where the pink puffball can steal any opposing fighter’s neutral-B attack. Golf-themed spin-offs Kirby’s Dream Course and racing game Kirby Air Ride incorporated copy abilities like Tornado and Sword to great effect, and the Kirby Fighters the subseries uses them as stand-ins for alternate characters in a traditional fighting game. Kirby’s Dream Buffet uses its eight copy abilities differently depending on the game mode, either as objects in Mario Kart or elimination tools in a battle royale setting.
Burning
Burning is one of the coolest copy abilities in the Kirby cannon. It was one of the originals Kirby’s adventure powers, but was absorbed into more complex moves for Fire after the DS title Kirby: Curse of the Web. The hot pepper in Dream Buffet represents a return for that solo copy ability, which appears in races, battle royale matches, and minigames so players can defeat enemies and knock down rival racers with lightning speed.
Drill
Drill is a newer copy ability introduced in Dream Buffetpredecessor of: Kirby and the Forgotten Land. In its original iteration, Drill allowed Kirby to burrow under closed walls or pick up buried objects, and players could draw a circle around enemies or objects to create damaging breaches. As Dream BuffetThe iteration of only appears in battle royale mode, combative underground attacks are all it gets.
High jump
Hi-Jump is one of the least used recurring copy abilities, having debuted in Kirby’s adventure before appearing in the remake Nightmare in dreamlandas good as Squeak Squad and Back to dreamland. While Hi-Jump in these 2D platformers served as a faster way to climb vertical levels, Dream Buffetthe jelly candy from is similar to Hi-Jump from Kirby’s Dream Course in that players can bounce in the air to instantly move further on the racetrack.
Goo
Jelly is the only unique copy ability introduced in Kirby’s Dream Buffet. At any time after receiving a Jiggly Jelly power-up in racing or battle royale matches, players can activate the ability to become a drop that passes through walls and enemies. This is especially useful in races, as it allows Kirby to bypass cookie walls that act as an equalizer for each racer.
Needle
Needle is another popular ability introduced in Kirby’s adventure who appeared in several main games and spin-offs, including Dream Course and Kirby Air Ride. He is treated differently depending on appearances, sometimes having Kirby immobile to become an invincible spike trap or attack with a sharp needle in one direction. Other times, Kirby becomes a rolling ball that grabs enemies like in Katamari Damace. Dream Buffet‘s Needle Candy only appears in battle royale matches, adding a risk-reward element of deciding whether to roll into an opponent or let them roll into the spike ball.
Rock
Stone is another Battle Royale-exclusive copy ability that originated in Kirby’s adventure but became more popular in different iterations. From kirby superstar, most versions of Stone have the ability to transform Kirby into a variety of forms – including other Nintendo characters like Mario, Samus Aran or Tom Nook. This is also Kirby’s down-B attack in Super Smash Bros.. Dream BuffetKirby’s version just turns Kirby into the same candy bar every time, but it has an extra shockwave effect to surprise opponents.
Tornado
Tornado Frosting can appear in general races and battle royale matches. It is unique among Dream Buffet‘s Copy Abilities as it serves both offensive and defensive purposes, damaging enemies that hit the tornado but also sucking up strawberries to give Kirby a better chance of victory. Tornado has always been one of the easiest moves in Kirby’s arsenal, allowing him to move quickly (if more erratically) with frames of invincibility. However, there have been a few iterations on the idea, like Kirby: Squeak Squad adding elemental vortices if players pass through fire, ice, or lightning.
Wheel
The wheel is available in all game modes throughout Kirby’s Dream Buffet, although his presence makes the most sense in races. It’s similar to Burning in Execution, but lasts much longer and gives players a bit more control over how they maneuver while in wheel form. This is another copy ability originating from Kirby’s Adventurealthough in most 2D platformers it exclusively allows Kirby to move quickly in one direction. Dream Buffet is Wheel’s first appearance since Kirby: Planet Robobot in 2016.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is now available on Nintendo Switch.
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