Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Reviews
This wonky crossover is the unlikely source of a superbly designed tactical combat challenge as well as a charmingly silly adventure.
Based on its colorful world, beautiful animation, and source material you might expect Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle to be “My first turn-based tactics game.” But you're in for a surprise: even for XCOM vets some of its battles are challenging puzzles. Some of its tougher levels do devolve into a trial-and-error slog, but a good mix of enemies, objectives, and character abilities keep things interesting.
Despite owing so much to XCOM, this is a fantastically imaginative and enjoyable strategy game that's as accessible as the genre has ever been on consoles.
Mario + Rabbids gives you the action and strategy of XCOM in a way that does justice both to Mario and to the Rabbid's kooky style. Ubi's big E3 surprise is an unmissable Switch game.
While Kingdom Battle's puzzles won't win any awards, the robust selection of challenging tactical battles entertains from beginning to end
The unlikely collision of Mario and Rabbid franchises is delightfully charming, and features a deeply satisfying turn-based tactics system underneath its colorful skin.
Mario + Rabbids manages to walk a narrow road, offering up a legitimately challenging squad tactics experience without alienating the family friendly Mario audience. While it doesn't quite have the full layer of spit and polish of an in-house title, Ubisoft comes damn close to capturing that Nintendo magic.
This rollercoaster ride of a turn-based strategy game starts out almost impossibly strong, but by the end I mostly wished it'd been over three hours earlier.
Mario himself might not have been my favorite part of the game, but the reverence with which the game's creators hold Mario and friends was evident in every inch of this adventure. And it helped make the game come together so well.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a game that sounds like it shouldn't be any good. On the contrary, Ubisoft has crafted a charming adventure for Mario and its Rabbids. The game streamlines the strategy combat experience while still offering surprising depth. Its world is absolutely beautiful, full of color, life, and hints of Mario's long history. Mario + Rabbids has no right being this good. It's not perfect, but it stands as one of the better gaming surprises of 2017.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle's guts are impressive, but its main event feels like a [good] expansion for a fleshed-out strategy RPG that has more to offer than a great combat system. By the time it opens up halfway in and you really start to delve into the skill tree, it begs to be played. But until then both exploration and some battles feel like going through the motions in a "kinda sorta" tutorial way.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a unique adventure, it's the clash of two worlds that seemingly have nothing in common, but work really great together. The use of Ubisoft's Snowdrop Engine really fits a colorful adventure that looks great on the screen, and that is capable of getting a laugh out of you when you least expect it
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As strange as Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle sounds on paper, there are some really good ideas in the mix. Having XCOM's battle gameplay presented in a more light lighthearted fashion and greatly enhancing character movement are both excellent touches. It's not perfect, but there's a lot to like from this unlikely combination.
Mario and Rabidds come together in a videogame with high doses of humor, entertainment and style. Ubisfot and Nintendo join forces to create a great exclusive for Nintendo Switch.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Simply put: one of the best games available today on Nintendo Switch.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sometimes crossovers surprise us by bringing together in the same title two apparently disconnected licenses like these. In addition, the game allows us to see an unprecedented genre in the adventures of the italian plumber as is the turn-based strategy, and the result could not be better for this debut.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
An unlikely mash-up, Mario+Rabbids is a very unique game. The turn-based strategy elements aren't going to be for everyone, but for Mario fans this alternative look into the Mushroom Kingdom isn't worth passing up.
Easily the best game the Rabbids have ever been in and quite possibly Mario's best non-Nintendo spin-off.
While Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle may have been the crossover that no one wanted, it's materialised as a really good one with some interesting systems, despite its smattering of shortcomings. It shouldn't work, but it does.