I played Sparks of Hope through on ‘average’ difficulty, and it regularly presented me with battles that really tested my capabilities, or forced me to go away and level up my team a little more before returning. Because, despite the cutesy and goofy presentation, this can be a serious turn-based strategy game if you want it to be. This was a crossover that no-one expected, after all, but it’s seriously awesome to see it flourish into a strategy series to take note of. It’s a marvel really, how much Sparks of Hope switches up the brilliant gameplay that Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle introduced us to back in 2017. Five years later, the question now is whether or not Ubisoft has improved upon the formula born from gaming’s most unexpected crossover. No longer does anyone doubt whether Ubisoft can make a decent strategy game with the Mario licence, and - perhaps more astonishingly - few critics bemoan the inclusion of the chaotic little Rabbids in the Mushroom Kingdom. Nintendo is willing to give the keys to the face of video games off to another developer outside of the big N’s shadow.

The sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, has seen the general sense of surprise associated with the first replaced with one of expectation.

More surprising still, it turned out to be a ridiculously good strategy game – one of the best on Switch. Nintendo lending Ubisoft its poster child franchise? A Rabbid dressing up as Princess Peach? Mario wielding a gun? Madness. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle came about like a fever dream in 2017. The story’s all over the place and the Switch can’t always handle everything smoothly, but it’s a fantastic game that can be played as either an enjoyable cakewalk or a deep, demanding tactical challenge, all while maintaining its zany sense of humor. MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE Switch XCI Free Download Romslab

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