Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Reviews
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a major leap forward from atop the shoulders of its surprisingly smart and charming predecessor, bringing a wonderful amount of flexibility to its turn-based tactical battles.
Knockabout XCOM fun in a galaxy-hopping adventure that makes Mario's brother a true star.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope captures everything that made the original so special, all while delivering a more complex and complete experience. It offers a new level of strategic depth, with world-building that makes it more of a Super Mario game than you might expect.
One of the best strategy games to ever appear on a console, with some genuine gameplay innovation and authentic Nintendo magic.
A charming though uneventful narrative about stopping a cosmic darkness from consuming the galaxy rounds out this delightful package. Like the best sequels, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope builds upon Kingdom Battle’s foundation with smart tweaks and fun additions to emerge as a better game in every way.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an improvement over its predecessor in every way, and one of the best modern Mario spin-offs.
Who could have predicted that such an odd amalgamation could elicit such joy? With Sparks of Hope, Ubisofts Milan and Paris have turned one of gaming’s strangest elevator pitches into one of Mario’s greatest spinoffs.
Sparks of Hope wasn’t on my radar after my middling experience with Kingdom Battle, but I love it when a game surprises me like this. It takes just a handful of battles for the hooks to get in, and the tactical options only grow as you unlock new heroes and sparks. I’m not sure if any game could be good enough to make me love the Rabbids, but the fun I was having in my 30+ hours with Sparks of Hope did a great job of distracting me from their dumb, dumb faces.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a colorful, exciting riff on tactical gameplay. It includes fun Mario and Rabbids characters, a punky new character with a cool weapon and cooler personality, Sparks to collect, and new and improved combat. It could do with a few more puzzles and things to do outside of battle, but as it stands, Sparks of Hope is an excellent follow-up and one of the best strategy games you’ll find in Nintendo’s library.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
There's a lot that's new and different in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, creating a more freeform, looser feel to the game's world exploration and combat alike. Not all of the changes stick the landing, but the drive to reinvent and evolve is admirable and this is still easy to recommend for fans of the original and turn-based tactics in general.
A huge, colorful and charming adventure, which will attract any player with patience and love for exploration.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Between removing the movement grid, adding more strategic options, new characters, new abilities, and expanding and revising the roster in an enjoyable story, Sparks of Hope feels like another exceptional collaboration between Ubisoft and Nintendo.
A first-class strategy game that succeeds the brave attempt to evolve further the almost perfect formula of the first chapter.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a great sequel, one of those that know how to expand a remarkable base to reach excellence. Accessible, but deep, and with a very accurate rhythm, the latest from Ubisoft Milan consolidates the Rabbids experiment in the Mushroom Kingdom, delivering a title that will please fans of the genre and will discover it to many others.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope delivered the most fun I’ve had in a Mario game or a Ubisoft game since Mario Odyssey, and is a game I’m going to keep going back to in a perhaps misguided attempt to polish off all the side missions. This really feels like the best of both worlds type experience, and is a triple-jump-sized leap over the original
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a brilliant sequel full of fun moreish combat and deep customisation that's only let down by the speed of the battles and a heavy front-loading of ideas.
I can’t score this one yet, as I haven’t finished it. But if you’re looking for a basic recommendation, consider it given.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a worthy sequel to one of the most bizarre games on Nintendo Switch