Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Reviews
Sparks of Hope is a refreshing strategy crossover with great combat, but it lacks the big surprise moments.
Review in German | Read full review
Thanks to an improved combat system, and a good level of customization, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope is the sequel we've been waiting for. This is a great introductory card to the Tactical RPG genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope expands the formula of its predecessor, packaging an experience full of fun and full of style
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope provides the same enjoyable turn-based combat as its predecessor, with some minor tweaks to make it more accessible to a wider audience. A greater focus on the Rabbids opposed to the Mushroom Kingdom feels like a backwards step though, with the slapstick crossover comedy failing to sparkle this time around.
The systems meld together beautifully and ensure that there is always something new to do or discover. It all feeds directly into growing your party and coming up with new strategies that make the battles more exciting and satisfying every step of the way. It’s a game that definitely lives up to the Mario name.
A few improvements and some stellar battle scenarios in the second Mario + Rabbids make it a Mario party worth attending.
I don't give many games a score of ten. That is reserved for experiences that are so gripping and mechanics that change the landscape of a franchise. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope does just that. Every moment I wasn't playing Sparks of Hope, I was thinking about it. And for a studio to take a proven formula, shake it up, and try something new is risky but rewarding. I can't recommend this game enough.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches with a spark of life. There are improvements and expansion of the gameplay and performance of the first game. Three new heroes to the game including an original (non-Mushroom Kingdom related) Rabbid character named Edge. There are brand new unique weapons and special abilities for each character. Oh, and Sparks galore. This game is pumped full of "new tactical possibilities" for every kind of gamer.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope takes advantage of all the good stuff that always worked great, and expands it with a hefty amount of stuff new and improved. If you haven’t played the first game, just start with the sequel. It’s much better.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope from Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris is a fantastic and better follow-up to its original 2017 experiment. The characters are better, the addition of Sparks changes how the gameplay works, and the overall tactical strategy options the game provides the player in a huge world make for a consistently fun adventure. Beware of the difficulty, though, as it can get infuriating at times.
It manages to shake up tried-and-true elements from the last game and the strategy genre as a whole and even rewrite the rules dictating what it means to be a tactics game. Where the last game set out to make tactics gameplay approachable for a wider audience, Sparks of Hope seeks to inject its own clever spin on the turn-based strategy genre, and in doing so delivers a fantastic experience. Complete with one of the best scores in any Nintendo game, fun puzzle-solving and solid exploration, Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope isn't just a follow-up to a game derisively categorized as "baby's first tactics game" by hardcore fans of the genre; it's a tactics game for everyone that everyone should play.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a wonderful sequel that lives up to the original's quality and puts a lot of new elements into it. You'll have a blast going through the new worlds and finding your perfect team to fight Cursa with!
Sparks of Hope is a fun strategy game that, despite getting bogged down by a lack of difficulty and poorly designed menus, is a blast to play thanks to its neat little puzzles and freeform battles.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a massive leap over its already-excellent predecessor, making a whole host of changes and improvements and delivering an utterly charming and mechanically dense tactics experience.
While Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a markedly different game than Kingdom Battle, it's a more than worthy sequel that successfully steps into its own space within the realm of turn-based strategy. It's undoubtedly one of the best games on the Switch, and one of the best showings from Ubisoft in recent years.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is probably the most approachable tactics game ever. Featuring new map navigation, dozens of abilities to tool around with and a diverse fantastical cast, it makes for an even more readable experience. The magic spark that I felt had been missing from some of Mario's more recent adventures is coincidentally back again, amongst Ubisoft's quirky mascots of all things. Yes, even when the Rabbids can be just that little bit annoying, they're as equally charming when meshed with the Nintendo cast. At times the overzealous amount of side content may also daunt the player, but never enough to take away from the clever and delightful journey. Sparks of Hope is the most exciting franchise affair we've had since Odyssey.
Sparks of Hope is here, there’s still no Switch Pro, but it feels like a next-gen take on the original game, expanding on what worked to great effect.
Sequels can often find themselves in invidious positions; to follow on from what was already successful, while making enough changes to justify its existence, is a tricky balancing act in any form of media. If the necessary criteria are to be bigger, better, and more ambitious, while retaining the original's heart and soul, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope accomplishes that with flying colours.
It is still hard to believe the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Rabbids can live so harmoniously in the same game, but much like its predecessor, Sparks of Hope defies all expectations and provides a constantly delightful and rewarding experience on all fronts. Armed with delicious combat, swelling music tracks, and overflowing charm and hilarity, Sparks of Hope is one of the finest games of the year.