Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Speedrunning

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope from developers Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris is a second effort in one of the most unique collaborations in the video game landscape.

A Mario crossover with Ubisoft's Rabbids and sequel to 2017's Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the effort isn't nearly as risky the second time out.

It helps that Kingdom Battle was so innovative and successful. Most of the credit, though, goes to Sparks of Hope's creatively expanding on the turn-based, in-depth action featuring beloved characters.

The result hopes to be a modernized-but-unique sequel welcoming to all players that continues to expand well after its release and into future installments.

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Graphics and Gameplay

Sparks of Hope is extremely expressive in its facial animations and the way it breathes life into these beloved characters.

It shouldn't be too shocking to hear near the end of 2022 that a Mario game looks great on the Switch. Nintendo and anyone working with these characters has nailed down how to make Mario and friends look as great as possible, to the point it blurs the lines between game and CGI.

That it's a colorful, varied experience across five-plus major areas that all feel distinct isn't a great shock, either. Pristine Peaks is the classic Mario ice realm, while Beacon Beach might have some reminiscing to Mario Sunshine.

The sound design is outstanding too, whether it's funny voices or impactful sound effects during battle. Rabbids being voiced this time out is a little strange, but it's not an experience-ruining detail (though we could do with fewer quips about hashtags). Beep-0, the overseeing guiding hand and companion, has some excellent sound design, too. If there's a complaint, it's that players have to switch between listening and reading often, as all characters aren't voice-acted.

Exploring that varied world is actually really fun, as the overworld isn't nearly as linear as in the last game. Sans jumping, it's almost worth suggesting it feels like a fully-3D Mario effort in this regard.

This time out, Sparks of Hope evolves the formula with turn-based gameplay intermixed with real-time action.

Refreshingly, the grid-based nature of the prior entry in the series is gone, and each turn, players have access to movement within a specified zone and a limited number of free actions that don't cost Action Points (AP). Attacks, powers, spark powers and item usage, though, cost AP, which brings most of the game's strategic depth to the forefront.

Like in most turn-based efforts, throwing out an attack is what ends a turn, though so does simply using all AP.

Popping into the aerial view of the arena to plot out moves in advance isn't uncommon. There's a layer of strategy here that's almost unexpected, as quite a bit of risk comes from team-building well before in-battle strategy.

Players form a roster from nine available characters at launch: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi and Rabbid Mario, plus newcomers Edge, Rabbid Rosalina and Bowser.

Each hero has a unique weapon and technique with shared sparks, and each character classifies into a role gamers might find familiar. Bowser, for example, feels like a tank, whereas Luigi is a long-range weaponist.

There are plenty of interesting combos to make right out of the gates, too. Pairing Bowser's massive gun to destroy cover and open up things for Luigi's skill set sticks out. So does using Peach's shield ability to protect a melee-based character like Rabbid Mario.

This impressive depth extends to single characters, too. Mario is the perfect example. While players could do an agility-based build with the red plumber, going for a damage-based build and leaning into cool abilities there (like if a shot defeats an opponent, the next does 100 percent more damage) is awesome, too.

Adding to the depth is 30 different sparks, which each grant different skills. Each provides not only a special power, but passive bonuses. Each hero can have two sparks equipped at a time, again adding to the layers of strategy. That sparks can't be swapped out mid-battle adds tension to pre-battle prep.

Interestingly, players can also level up these sparks through earned currency or items, increasing the skills and passive benefits. Players can find some of these in Vaults, which are fun exploration zones.

Outside of battle, exploration feels rewarding, and the variety of challenges makes for an engaging experience. The reflection-based puzzles are fun, and hopping in Darkmess Puddles for optional battles while cleaning the worlds feels like classic Mario.

For those who want a bigger challenge, rest assured running right into high-level enemies while at a much lower level will result in the player having a bad, bad time.

Call it a strong balance, which the predecessor didn't necessarily have, with just enough depth to enrapture all audiences.

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Story and More

The story is the expected age-spanning Mario tale—Mario, Rabbid Peach and others must combat the evil force of Cursa, who spreads the so-named Darkmess across the galaxy in pursuit of the Sparks.

Players embark on a journey to save the Sparks. Simple, effective and a nice complementary piece to the fun action and depth.

An underrated element to the story? There isn't a cheesy reason for ripping away powers and characters from the first game to de-power players, as games often do.

Sparks of Hope doesn't even bother—players have access to six characters and plenty of abilities right from the start.

Plus, non-story pursuits are quite fruitful in that they reward things like coins and sparks, currencies used for the expected upgrades. There are, funnily enough in a modern-gaming twist, weapon skins to unlock, too.

Sparks of Hope also shuns other normal gaming conventions a bit with progression. Players who want to just mainline the story first can do so, as looping back to planets and finishing up any remaining side items is an option the game provides players.

Actually 100 percenting the game should be a good time given the amount of things to discover, puzzles to tackle and battles to encounter.

There is a surprising bit of RPG-like depth to the systems, too. Players level sparks, as mentioned, but that's also tied into leveling heroes. A level-up means earning a Skill Prism, which players can then use on a skill tree to unlock new abilities and benefits. For a refreshingly added challenge, the last column of the skill tree doesn't unlock unless players tackle big challenges, which reward a Gold Prism.

As one can tell, surprising depth is a theme here. There are many, many ways to kit out characters well before even combining them into various teams. And all that happens well before even trying to figure out specific battlefield scenarios, many of them on the fly.

But that shouldn't deter players who aren't on the hunt for a complex experience. The game offers Relaxing, Average and High difficulty levels, settings that dictate not only enemy health, but how much the player's characters heal after battles.

On the accessibility front, there is an invincibility mode. Skill management can also be automated by the game itself and seems to do a fine enough job.

Tack on control modifications and camera angles options, and Sparks of Hope is right where it needs to be in terms of player accessibility and lists of options.

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Speedrunning Tips

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle wasn't an unpopular pick in the speedrunning realm, with some of the best-ever runs occurring under the four-hour mark.

Sparks of Hope should be an even better option because of the added nuance to builds and strategy, making it very interesting to watch as metas and best routes develop.

Luckily for speedrunners, side content isn't required to advance the main story. In fact, it's the opposite—players can't unlock all side content on a planet until finishing main storyline content there.

Still, memorizing a few puzzle solutions in order to acquire some powerful Sparks will only cost a bit of time early in a run while saving quite a bit of time later.

As for character and skill combinations, going full-blown offensive might work the best. Using a Pyrostar alongside Rabbid Luigi to go scorched-Earth on waves of enemies seems to clear out areas very, very quickly.

Much will unfold in the best practices department in the coming months, but for now, an offensive-minded team while perhaps using one character slot to debuff enemies works best—provided players can bob and weave around the tough avoidable encounters.

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Conclusion

Sparks of Hope impressively hits all the right marks.

It's got the whimsical feel of a Mario game. It looks great, sounds great and plays great while respecting a player's time. Plus, it's a good example of how sequels can expand and improve across the board.

Arguably most important of all, it's just a solid tactical game. It's not X-COM or anything so dramatic, but there is lots of depth to the experience while also being simple and automated enough for younger players, if necessary.

Mario has dipped toes in many genres over the years, but this might be one of the plumber's best feats outside of a mainline game. Strategy-RPG hybrids by their very nature won't be for everyone, but it sure feels like Sparks of Hope has enough to win over almost anyone.