Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the direct sequel to 2017’s Kingdom Battle, a turn-based strategy game featuring a crossover of Nintendo’s Mario and Ubisoft’s Rabbids franchises. Sporting a new story, snappier combat and refined gameplay overall, Sparks of Hope looks to improve on what its predecessor achieved. It does this and then some.
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The story takes place sometime after the events of Kingdom Battle and sees the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom and their Rabbid counterparts enjoying some peace. Suddenly, a few Sparks, which are Luma and Rabbid hybrids, fall from the sky. Their arrival is followed by a massive manta ray that covers everything in a strange dark substance called Darkmess. After a close encounter with the manta ray, they learn that a strange hooded entity called Cursa is trying to capture all the Sparks in order to use their energy to take over the galaxy. It’s up to Mario and his team put a stop to it.
Sparks of Hope features a classic story of good versus evil but does so really well thanks to how Ubisoft has utilised the game’s characters. Mario and co. are their usually bubbly selves, but the Rabbids are quite annoying. It’s deliberate though and it makes for some great comedic moments throughout. It’s all very charming though and actually had me entertained from beginning to end.
If you’ve played Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, then Sparks of Hope is going to feel quite familiar. At its core, it’s a turn-based strategy game very much like the XCOM series, although you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise thanks to its cute presentation. Generally, you command a team of three characters and have them complete an objective such as defeating all enemies, reaching a certain location or surviving a set amount of waves. There’s also a big emphasis on positioning as taking cover, holding the high ground and not being overzealous can be the key to your victory. There are some changes compared to its predecessor though, namely when it comes to the movement.
Kingdom Battle employed a grid-based movement system, whereas Sparks of Hope essentially lets you run freely around the environment. However, a limit is still imposed on just how far you can go before deciding to either take action or hold your position and end your turn. It’s a fairly small change, but it makes the combat feel more dynamic. Each character has a certain movement range and they can pretty much move anywhere within that range before deciding to take cover or proceed with an attack. The latter will lock you in place once performed, so it’s important to find a decent position before going through with it.
There’s a fair amount that you can do before it comes to this though, such as slide-attacking enemies, performing team jumps or activating abilities. Initially, most characters can only perform one slide attack per turn, however, through upgrades on the skill tree, they may be able to pull off more than one, allowing for some interesting combos. Even after doing team jumps, stomps or slide attacks, you can still find the closest cover in range and let off your main attack. There’s also the ability to swap between members of your team between actions. This doesn’t seem like a big deal but it’s amazing how effortless it is to coordinate your movements and set up an ambush.
While Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope doesn’t feature different weapons for your characters to equip, you are able to make use of the Sparks themselves. Each Spark features a different ability such as adding an element to your attack, buffing damage or boosting your defence. Additionally, they can be equipped onto any character, depending on what a situation may require and can also be upgraded to boost their effects.
These changes to the combat make it snappier and significantly more addictive while also making it feel a little more approachable. This is bolstered by the fact that there are varying difficulty levels to choose from, plus a handful of other modifiers to tailor your experience.
The combat in Sparks of Hope is arguably the biggest part of the experience, however, outside of the battles, the exploration is also pretty great. The game is split up into different locations, with each one featuring its own set of missions, optional battles, collectables and puzzles. It’s a nice break between battles and offers more to do outside of combat.
In total, there are nine different characters available to use during the course of the game and they each have different functions or are suited to handling specific situations. Mario is a bit of an all-rounder while his brother Luigi functions as a sniper who does his best damage from further away. Rabbid Peach can dish out damage to enemies hiding behind cover while also healing her allies and Rabbid Mario does his best damage with his fists when he’s up close and personal with an enemy. It’s great having such a selection to choose from and it’s so rewarding when your choices pay off. There are no wrong choices though as each character functions well, it is quite exciting to discover a combination that works for you.
Visually, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope looks fantastic. All the bright colours seen in Mario games can be seen here and the game performs pretty well too. I also got such a kick from all of the animations you’ll see during battle and cutscenes. The game runs quite smoothly, however, I did notice some dips here and there when exploring the overworld. The soundtrack also delivers cinematic orchestral tracks that inspire you to take on each battle without hesitation. Additionally, the sound effects are fantastic and some of the characters have even been voiced this time around. Not just quips and sound effects though, full conversations.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is fantastic. The story is great and often indulges in some silly antics, but the charming cast of characters makes it a joy to experience. The gameplay feels similar to Kingdom Battle but takes it one step further by refining it and delivering more dynamic combat. Visually, it looks great and performs well, however, there were some dips when exploring the overworld. The audio is also quite lovely and the soundtrack churns out orchestral tracks during battles, making each victory much sweeter. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a worthy sequel and manages to truly shine thanks to the gameplay improvements that make it an absolute delight to play.
Grab your copy here https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Mario-Rabbids-Sparks-of-Hope-1986931.html
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