Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the turn-bases sequel to 2018’s Kingdom battle, so here’s our honest review to give you a balanced view on whether it’s a game for you. It’s one of only two sizeable releases for the Nintendo Switch ahead of the Holidays, with the other being Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, so it’s bound to be in contention for a lot of gamers.
The story seems Mario and his Rabbid pals getting thrown into the fray once again as a cosmic entity called Cursa threatens the entire galaxy. To save the day you need to destroy its Darkmess foothold on the planets and take the fight right to its stronghold hideout.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope size review
AdvertisementThere are five worlds in total to explore, which we’ll cover in the more detail below, but in general this is relatively small when you compare it to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, which had fifteen, or Luigi’s Mansion 3, which had the same. Don’t get us wrong, it’s nice to have a game that doesn’t go on for too long, but there’s definitely a feeling of being short changed on this one.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a collaboration between Nintendo and Ubisoft, so it was always going to be a different kettle of fish, but the low number of worlds is hard to overlook. With the games mentioned above for Nintendo and the likes of large-scale open world titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and The Division 2 from Ubisoft, neither of them are known for their short titles.
AdvertisementThe size of the game wouldn’t be that much of an issue if it was sold at a slightly lower price point, but it isn’t. However, the reality is that those five worlds are a lot of fun to explore and the gameplay mechanics are very satisfying.
Whether this is enough to sway you or not is another thing, but you should definitely expect a relatively short playthrough if you do opt to add it to your catalogue. With its unique battle system, you might be tempted to take on the challenge again knowing what you know at the end, but this isn’t a guarantee.
AdvertisementIf you are the kind of gamer that opts for just a single playthrough for most games then you probably shouldn’t rely on much in terms of post game activity. There are some side quests and Darkmess puddles to make it through if you don’t take these on before the final boss fight, but by that stage you’ll be powerful enough to breeze on through them without much in the way of challenge.
If you’re desperate for some kind of Mario experience this winter and you’ve already played everything else then Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope might be your only hope. If that’s the case expect to have fun, but not the usual volume that you might be used to from previous titles.
However, if you’re new to the Nintendo Switch then you might want to check out Super Mario Galaxy or Luigi’s Mansion 3 before you take this on. Another alternative is Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which came out earlier in 2022. It’s got a lot of levels to play and it’s more traditional platform action with epic boss fights, so definitely a contender.
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Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope graphics and performance review
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope looks nice for the most part, but it’s far from cutting edge in terms of graphics, even for the less powerful Nintendo Switch. There’s a cute style with creative flair and a lot of personality, but don’t expect to be wowed.
It also struggles a little bit at the edges, so it’s not as fluid as other Mario/Luigi titles you will have played. It’s a minor point, but it just isn’t quite as polished as Odyssey or Luigi’s Mansion 3, or even Kirby’s Forgotten World.
A part of this could be down to the fact that it has been developed on Ubisoft’s own Snowdrop software. While this is capable of delivering open world brilliance with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it looks like it doesn’t quite deliver the goods when it has to squeeze down to the lower power of the Nintendo Switch.
AdvertisementYou can also see its limitations in terms of performance and system handling with the volume and length of the loading screens. They happen every time you go into battle and they take longer than expected. This isn’t a big deal to begin with, but by the time you get halfway in it’s going to get a little tedious.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope gamplay review
With all of the niggles out of the way, it’s time to turn to the gameplay section of our Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope review. Here’s where the title has its best attributes, but they come with a few provisos for Mario fans that didn’t play Battle Kingdom.
If you don’t know already, this is a very different Mario experience than you might be used to. Instead of stomping through 2D or 3D platformer environment, you play on a grid system with turn-based mechanics to beat teams of varying numbers, strength and attributes.
A good way of thinking about the battle system is something akin to a board game and once you get your head around that there’s a lot of rewarding gameplay to enjoy. It’s a thoughtful game that will test your grey matter instead of your platform reflexes.
This includes choosing the right team with a decent roster of options, as well as the addition of Sparks, which give you powerful moves to use. There are elemental strengths and weaknesses to take into account too, as well as different enemy types and attacks, so there’s a lot to play with.
If that isn’t enough, there’s also the five planets to explore with each one having its own style and theme, ranging from the holiday vibes of Beacon Beach to the chilly climbs of Pristine Peaks and the wasteland freedom of Barrendale Mesa. These all contain fun characters to discover, nooks and crannies to explore and a host of side quests to complete.
There are platform puzzles to work out too, so there are at least shades of games like Super Mario Odyssey in the mix. These come both during story campaign quests and side quests and they add a lot to the action in comparison to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Overall, Sparks of Hope is definitely fun and it takes the unique system from the previous title and makes it way better. It’s just a shame there isn’t more to it. Admittedly, there’s a series of DLC coming out in 2023, but this will be an additional cost, so it doesn’t really make up for the shorter playthrough time.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope review: 77%
Check out our computer games section to keep tabs on more great games. You can also visit the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope website at https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/mario-rabbids/sparks-of-hope.
