Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Reviews
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 an exciting step forward for the series that continues to surprise with its increasingly deep combat, gratifying exploration and joyful presentation.
If themes exist across these games -- the first being Mushroom Kingdom focused, and the second Donkey Kong, then Sparks of Hope is a riff on the Super Mario Galaxy games as it features the Lumas of those games, only they're now Rabbidified and called Sparks, as well as some planet-hopping for differential fun and a broad spectrum of environments to play within.
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!
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.
Gaming's most inexplicable mascot crossover, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope delivers a clever, cosmic adventure alongside tightly tuned tactical gameplay.
Even if you haven't played the first game in the series, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a great introduction to a certain type of strategy game, iterating on a now-familiar formula with a readable, predictable approach to combat and some fun innovations in character movement. It knows where to streamline without sacrificing depth, all while starring mascots that fans know and love. Its exploration elements might slow the pace a bit too much, but you won't mind too much thanks to the gorgeous art direction.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a worthy sequel to its predecessor. Everything is finally more fluid, less austere, while keeping the strengths of the first part. In short, a very good title and a real must-have on Nintendo Switch.
Review in French | Read full review
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope's battles suffer from an imbalance between the vast array of options available and the difficulty – a stark contrast to Kingdom Battle's challenging, curated fights. This doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable strategy game in its own right; the battles are less an evolution of what came before and more an impressive shift toward freedom and creativity that, unfortunately, can sometimes trivialise Cursa's attempts to take over the galaxy. An extra couple of notches on the difficulty meter might have forced us to experiment and dig deeper to find winning strategies. However, Sparks of Hope shines in most aspects outside of these Darkmess bouts. Delightful little puzzles, quests, and memorable locales abound, which yet make this Rabbid-themed adventure a must-play for Mario and strategy game enthusiasts alike.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope makes excellent tweaks to Kingdom Battle's winning formula, especially when it comes to its more creative tactics.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope does a great job expanding on its predecessor, but it gets bogged down by a lack of diverse puzzles.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a worthy sequel to one of the most bizarre games on Nintendo Switch
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.
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
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.
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.
Sparks of Hope is a refreshing strategy crossover with great combat, but it lacks the big surprise moments.
Review in German | Read full review
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.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope expands on almost everything else Kingdom Battle did much more successfully. Its tactical combat is more open and customizable, which leads to engaging battles where player resourcefulness is always rewarded and rewarding.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an absolute delight. The new mobility-focused combat trades some difficulty for a more flexible and dynamic battlefield. The more JRPG-styled tone and structure of the game gives it a solid basis that the first game didn't quite reach. Most of the improvements are for the better. There are still some nagging problems here and there, and the frame rate is rough, but if you can get past that, there's a ton to love here.