Mario and Rabbids are considered very different genres of television or gaming, but just 5 years ago Ubisoft decided to make a game revolving around both of them in a turn-based action-adventure type of game.

The 2nd installment of “Mario Rabbids” was released on October 20, 2022, and I recently got it for Christmas. It is a major upgrade from the first one, including new characters and a whole different villain with way more interesting abilities and “sparks” which are new additions to the game series.

The game has an abundance of new additions to the game including new characters, enemies, and challenges to make your quest for saving the galaxy a whole lot more exciting and challenging. Some new characters are available including 2 new Rabbids in “Edge” and  “Rabbid Rosalina.” Bowser now is actually playable as in past Mario games you’re usually attempting to take him down. Other characters from the Mario universe in this game are Mario, Luigi, and Peach.  Characters from the Rabbid universe consist of “Rabbid Mario”, “Rabbid Peach”, and “Rabbid Luigi”.

This game has voice acting rather than you having to read off the screen in Kingdom battle. Beep-o is a little robot in the game and instead of making beeping sounds, he actually says full sentences. The Rabbids have also been given voices, but only talking in short phrases.

Lumas and Rabbids that were merged together are called sparks. Lumas are little stars that are related to the original Rosalina who was a new addition to the Mario universe in 2007 when “Mario Galaxy ” was made. Back to the Lumas, they’re little stars that give you various abilities and upgrades that give you an incredible advantage towards your enemies; they’re unlocked as you progress through the game.

The weaponry in this game compared to Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle are very different. Instead of having to constantly buy new weapons for your heroes as you level up throughout the game, your weapons upgrade as with the character, which means you’ll be able to stack up on coins throughout the game.

Various power-ups were added to the game including extra damage, health regeneration, an extra round of movement, and a whole lot more boosts. They’re found throughout the game and can be bought from a robot that sells them for a reasonable price of coins.

This game unlike Kingdom Battle actually has new difficulty settings being relaxing, average, and demanding. This allows you to choose the level of difficulty for the game to be played at. 

Unlike Kingdom Battle, Sparks of Hope’s levels are similar but with a slightly different approach. Instead of going to certain flags that represent a battle that is going to take place, various enemies are around the open area that is needed to be searched in order to complete the game. If you get too close to these enemies, they chase you until they have a chance to dash you which automatically puts you in a battle you must complete. Although these don’t contribute towards the actual story, they actually can contribute towards the challenges you need in order to beat the game at 100% percent. Levels through the game are covered in “darkmess” which is a portal to a battlefield that you must complete in order to make progress in the game.

Giant boss fights in this game are bigger and tougher versions of little enemies you’ll fight throughout the game as they take time to beat but with certain strategies, it is very possible to come out victorious the majority of the time.

The final boss is Cursa who is related to the final boss in the first game “Megabug” and is a singular eye that is planning to take over the universe with its “darkmess.” Cursa took control over Rosalina’s body and in order to gain power, Cursa must take away Lumas as they’re considered usages of power. Lumas are saved and collected throughout the game. Cursa has its own individual planet that has a short number of levels but an incredible boss battle that will surprise you with how it goes down.

The game includes 5 worlds with a boss fight for each one including “Spark hunters” who are Cursa’s main minions that attempt to take you down throughout the story. These minions are very challenging and unique. Each one isn’t similar at all and takes specific strategies in order to take them down.

Something that is very cool in this game is the reference to “Super Mario Galaxy” as it displays a storytime scene towards the end of the game. It unlocked childhood memories.

Overall, this game is spectacular as it received a 9/10 rating from IGN and 10/10 from me, even if you aren’t very familiar with games like this, I heavily recommend it to anyone who possibly has a Nintendo Switch. A DLC is coming out later this year and I cannot wait to play it and possibly review it!