When I think back to E3 2017, when the collaboration between Mario and the Rabbids was first announced, I was apprehensive, to put it lightly. The Rabbids have never seen an overwhelming amount of success, but Ubisoft seems to treat them as the face of their family-friendly division, on the same level as the Minions. While it’s very cute to see Ubisoft’s wishful thinking, landing a crossover with Mario is no small feat, especially as Nintendo like to keep their first-party franchises pretty locked down.
The result of their first collaboration was an undeniably solid XCOM-like which simplified the turn-based tactical action to make it fun for kids while keeping adults engaged. Plus, it was fun to see Mario wielding a gun, even if it was a family-friendly interpretation of one – this is Shadow the Hedgehog, after all.
As any good sequel should, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope tries to be bigger and better – literally, the case of the overworld. In the original, it was a glorified level-select screen that was far more linear than it wanted you to believe. However, the sequel actually lets you wander around these pretty environments so you can orient yourself in the world a lot better. It feels like you’re organically exploring the place, rather than trudging from one encounter to the next.
It opens up the gameplay a bit too, as you can have puzzle sections or key-finding sections rather than just constantly entering battles. This puts it a step beyond most other XCOM-likes and steps into the innovative world that makes Mario RPG, Mario & Luigi, or Paper Mario so beloved.
That said, the designs of these dungeons can feel a little lacking. Take the ice castle, for example. It has a series of doors that will send you back to the start if you take the wrong one – like the Lost Woods from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, what made that puzzle in Zelda so memorable was the music cues that slowly pointed you in the right direction, giving you a proper puzzle to solve. By comparison, Mario + Rabbids’ version just wants you to use trial-and-error, as the wrong doors you’ve used staying open is the only clue you get.
As with any Mario game, coins are your main currency which is used for both buying stuff at shops and healing. This creates a good balancing act where every penny you spend on keeping your team healthy is one you can’t spend on improving your equipment. Not only that, but with some boss battles lasting for a long time, you’ll have to be very careful about managing your resources as healing isn’t easy to do mid-fight at the best of times. It makes some fights pretty tough, so don’t worry if you’re looking for a challenge.
Ultimately, this sequel is an expansion of the first game. It doesn’t overhaul anything or make sweeping changes, it just takes what the original did and makes it bigger and better. This means that if you weren’t a fan of the first one, Sparks of Hope isn’t going to suddenly win you over, but if you finished it hankering for another hit, then this is just what you’re after.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.