14 DAY TRIAL // The sequel to Mario + Rabbids Battle Kingdom is just around the corner, but if you think this will be a perfect fit for your 5-year-old, then I’m happy to tell you that Sparks of Hope has evolved into a true turn-based strategy game. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is so much more than a kid-friendly game.
In Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, you journey throughout the galaxy to save the world from Cursa, an evil force that is hunting down the mysterious life forms called Sparks. These are not just cute little creatures waiting to be rescued, these are truly powerful alien forms formed by the fusion of Lumas and Rabbids.
The Sparks are a newer addition to franchise, but one that comes with multiple implication. The most important one is that they add another layer of strategy making the next Mario + Rabbids game much more appealing for fans of the genre.
Each Spark comes with its own powers that more often than not greatly complements the abilities of your characters. For example, you could take advantage of Rabbid Mario’s powerful melee attacks by giving him a Spark that has the power to allure enemies into melee range. It makes clearing up maps much easier, but it will probably only work for weaker enemies that have low HP.
Another major upgrade over the previous titles is the flow of battle. The typical grid combat system has been completely removed and replaced with … nothing whatsoever. Unlike traditional turn-based strategy games where you are confined to movements on a grid, in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope your characters can move in circular range from where they’re positioned.
You can move freely within the circle without worrying about losing your “movement points.” When you decide you found the right position simply take an action and your movement will end. Truth be told, it’s a much better system that should be adopted by more turn-based strategy games.
The new “free movement” system is complemented by another mechanic that will allow your characters to jump behind enemy lines. Enemies, just like you (preferably) end their turn behind cover, which makes them hard to hit unless you have a certain character in your party who doesn’t really care about that. That makes the “jump” mechanic very useful when you have just a few enemies remaining that are stubbornly defending an important position.
Two characters must be close to each to propel one in the air. You can glide over the battlefield for a limited time, which can be prolonged by upgrading certain skills. Speaking of skills, each character in the game comes with their own tree, and while some skill trees are common (like those involving more HP, speed, etc.), there’s one particular skill tree that sets them apart.
For example, Luigi makes a great sharpshooter, so it’s recommended to upgrade his skills related to ranged shooting. Mario feels more like a gunslinger, while Mario Rabbid is certainly the party’s main melee character. Other characters support the team with healing and buffs, but you can also turn some into “tanks.”
More importantly, each character has a special ability that can be used anytime during battles. They typically have a 2-round cooldown and they’re very powerful. Since these special abilities are related to the character’s class, it kind of prevents players from repurposing characters into classes they are not meant to be. The catch is to find the best Spark to complement each character’s powers and special ability. What’s nice is that there’s a lot of strategy behind and each battle can be approached differently depending not only your party’s composition, but also the nature of your “builds.”
Visually, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a slight improvement over the previous installment, but it’s pretty clear that the hardware is dragging it down. That said, I really enjoyed the first few hours of the game, including the story which, surprisingly, is much darker than the one in the original game.
Conclusion
Even though I haven’t played more than a few hours, I have a feeling this will be a big hit for Ubisoft. If you liked the first game, I can’t recommend Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope enough. It feels that there’s so much to explore and discover in this game that I’m pretty sure everyone will find something to enjoy.
