Nobody knew quite what to expect from Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids series ahead of Kingdom Battle‘s release on the Nintendo Switch back in 2017. The concept of an XCOM à la Mario populated by the zany antagonists who had usurped Rayman years before was a baffling curiosity to many. Yet Mario + Rabbids released with a strong argument for its novel crossover, touting surprisingly deep tactical gameplay soaked in the charm of Nintendo’s classic platformer franchise. It performed well with reviewers and consumers both, earning positive reviews, industry awards, and recently announcing the milestone of reaching over ten million players.
Now, five years later, Ubisoft is preparing to release its much anticipated follow up, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Bringing with it expanded exploratory zones, mechanical improvements, and more of the turn-based tactical gameplay fans of the original have come to love.
For those wondering where to buy Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope it will be, like its predecessor, launching both physically and digitally as an exclusive title for the Nintendo Switch. There will be two editions of the game available at launch with the Standard Edition starting at $59.99 and the special Gold Edition starting at $89.99.
Buy Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope on Ubisoft
The Standard release will include the core game and will require further purchases down the line for those interested in future DLC releases. The Gold Edition, on the other hand, will include a season pass to automatically unlock those DLC packs as they launch, and comes with a unique pack of weapon skins for players to use from the start of their adventure.
When Will Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Release?
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is set to continue Kingdom Battle‘s off-the-wall take on the turn-based tactical genre, with a bevy of enhancements and tweaks to set it apart from the series’ first outing.
Among the sequel’s big improvements few are as immediately interesting as the expanded level-design. Whereas the first game kept the overworld zones fairly linear, narrowing the scope of the world, Sparks of Hope looks to be shooting for a more open level design philosophy. For those who love to take their time and explore this couldn’t be better news.
Add in mechanical tweaks like combat’s far freer approach to character movement, and presentation changes such as the (somewhat controversial) decision to give spoken dialogue to the usually gibberish-spouting Rabbids, and Sparks of Hope is shaping up to be as properly new and exciting as any good sequel should be.
With its impending October 20th, 2022, release date, Mario + Rabbids is going to likely end up a much coveted gift for Nintendo fans this holiday season.
Where to Buy Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope?
While few could have predicted the depth of gameplay in the Mario + Rabbids series before the release of Kingdom Battle, it’s difficult to argue the same for Sparks of Hope. The bizarre blend of thoughtful strategic gameplay with the effortlessly charming world of Mario has firmly established itself among Switch players. A whacky new story, a fresh coat of paint over the graphics, and more of the tactical gameplay fans loved before has this sequel standing as one of the season’s hot ticket games.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will be available to purchase either physically from preferred gaming retailers, or digitally from Nintendo’s eShop and Ubisoft’s online storefront.
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