Back in 2017, early in the Nintendo Switch lifecycle, a weirdly unconventional game developed by Ubisoft was released to rave reviews, to the surprise of everyone. There were a few reasons for a certain level of skepticism: Firstly, it promised to combine the Mario universe with the annoying Rabbids (who stole the Ubisoft mascot position from the vastly superior Rayman). Secondly, it was a turn-based strategy game, a totally new genre for the Italian plumber and his entourage. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, as it was named, was a success in terms of critic and public acceptance. The fact of it being a great game might have contributed to that. It was without surprise that the development of a sequel was greenlit, that would eventually be released in 2022 by the name of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope.
Into the Galaxy
Unlike the more grounded setup of Kingdom Battle, Sparks of Hope took its inspiration from the sensational Super Mario Galaxy. During our adventure, where we must defeat some evil entity that wants to destroy the universe or something like that, we travel across multiple planets with completely distinct biomes. Unfortunately, the space setting had less influence on the game than I would like, as we pass the entire time on the planets themselves. The space motif is mostly present in the battlefields’ background, but merely for cosmetic reasons, as it doesn’t affect the gameplay in any way. The story also doesn’t contribute to this setting in any particular way; actually, it doesn’t contribute to the game at all. It tries to be somewhat deep in certain aspects, like exploring the current problems each planet is facing, but it doesn’t scratch the surface for the most part. Maybe an overly simplistic narrative, as the mainline Mario games usually do, would work better here.
On a bright side, each planet has a large overworld full of puzzles and secrets begging to be solved. This concept was already explored in the first game, but it was vastly expanded here. Unfortunately, the exploration is hindered by an overwhelming amount of loadings, even to access the most basic things like the planet map or the party selection screen. I know this is a very minimal issue, all things considered, but the impact it has on the gameplay can’t be neglected.
Sparkling battlefield
Speaking of gameplay, this is where Sparks of Hope shines. The planet exploration already mentioned is a nice treat, but the true gameplay depth comes in the battlefields. Choosing a team of three characters of our choice, we must overcome a designated goal, be it defeat all enemies, reach a certain area or simply survive for a determined number of turns. Pretty standard goals for a turn-based strategy game. The interesting part comes when we actually have to move our characters. Unlike a typical grid-based movement, here we can move within a certain radius, defined by the respective character’s movement stat. When combined with the team jump mechanic (where a character can have a movement boost by jumping on a teammate) it allows for an unprecedented level of freedom within this game genre.
Taking care of the enemies is, without surprise, a challenge in itself. Many of them have different elemental weaknesses that must be exploited in order to succeed. To equip our team with elemental powers, we have Sparks - star-shaped floating creatures that provide special abilities to our characters. Think of Final Fantasy VII’s Materia; the concept is very similar. Before each battle, it’s imperative to analyze the field and understand what sparks we will need to overcome the challenge. I must confess it was a bit tedious to do that process before every battle, but without it, some of them would be borderline impossible to win.
Pros
- Dynamic and engaging combat mechanics
- Nice level of party customization with interchangable sparks
- Overworlds are fun to explore
Cons
- Incredibly dull story
- Too… many… loading… screens
Good✦✦✦✧✧
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a game that shines in its combat, but falls short in its story and technical limitations. I definitely recommend it for fans of turn-based strategy games, but for everyone else, maybe any other Mario game would be more appealing.
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