Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Voices of: Charles Martinet, Kaycie Chase, Samantha Kelly, Kenny James, Andres Montiel
Developer: Ubisoft
Directed by: Davide Soliani, Nicolas Vitte, Florian Landouzy
Rating: E
Genre: Turn-based tactics
System: Nintendo Switch
2017

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: A technological accident brings the Rabbids to the Mushroom Kingdom, forcing Mario and friends to team up with them to set things right.

Review:
Tim: When I first heard that Ubisoft was working on a collaboration game between Mario and the Rabbids, I admit (like many) was skeptical. I'd never played a Rabbids game, but the characters looked stupid, reminding me of those awful minions. Because I'm a huge fan of Nintendo's Mario games, though, I gave it a chance. My expectations were admittedly low, but Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle completely surprised me. Yes, the game has many flaws, but it's a thoroughly engrossing, entertaining, fun-filled game that I played to absolute completion. Mario proves once again to be the greatest video game character of all time, endlessly malleable- this time, starring in a turn-based tactics shooter. I did not expect that to ever happen, but here we are.

The gameplay itself works really well. You move three characters across a battleground, the typical grid style that many turn-based tactics games have (like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem). You have a team of colorful characters, each with their own weapons and special moves. You're taking on a series of diverse villains and bosses that highlight different skill sets as you move through the game. I was surprised at how much content this game included. It's a surprising amount. Like Nintendo's best games, this one starts out easy- it's so intuitive to pick up- but it definitely increases significantly in complexity. The game throws a ton of different levels and challenges at you, so it's easy to spend near-countless hours playing this game. I have to say, I was just amazed at how fun I found the game. Ubisoft really created something special here.

Now, as far as the characters, the combination of Mario and the Rabbids works far better than I would have expected. The Rabbids are stupid, of course- their mindless chatter is annoying and their antics never as funny as they think they are. Fortunately, they definitely feel like more supporting characters here. Mario and the team are the real leads, and then you have a small group of Mario-inspired Rabbids. It actually works really well. My core team was Mario, Luigi, and Rabbid Peach (for her healing). I rarely used Rabbid Mario and Luigi. I did get Peach and Yoshi in at times, for their various abilities. It actually worked out well in this format- I could play what very much felt like a unique Mario game, while having the Rabbids mostly relegated to the sidelines. The story itself was interesting. Beep-O is a fun new character. The game brings in Bowser Jr. and Bowser, and it feels very much like another zany Mushroom Kingdom adventure, this time with the crazy Rabbids in tow. It surprisingly works quite well. It feels in line with the overall Mario franchise, but it offers a unique playing experience.

Now, as much as I did love this game, there are some issues. It feels like a long game at times and the battles eventually become fairly redundant. The challenge isn't always there, and so to some extent, you find yourself almost going through the motions. Collecting everything was a bit of a chore, although I do appreciate the Completionist aspects of the game. I 100%'d the game, completing every level- all the story chapters and the bonus levels, and collecting 100% of the treasure chests, and then 100% of the challenges and DLC levels. It's a lot to do, but it's mostly great fun playing through all that. Some of the ultimate challenges were a bit ridiculous, but I understood because they were "ultimate". Mario had 590 Health points, 7 cells of movement did 130 damage for his dash. I didn't fully upgrade anyone's Skill Tree, but I got most of the way there. I did buy every blaster for Mario, but I didn't get everyone's weapon or secondary weapon- not even close.

I'm definitely a big fan of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. My skepticism quickly disappeared. While I wish there were more quality-of-life changes, this game was a total blast to play. The levels kept you interested, the puzzles were intriguing, and the battles were so much fun. I love Mario's special ability, where when someone moves, he shoots them in slow motion. The cinematics in this game were superb. I loved the slow motion action shots. I didn't expect to play any Rabbids game, but I'll always seek out the Mario games. In this case, I'm so glad I did. I give Ubisoft a ton of credit for pulling off a surprisingly deep and engaging game. This was one of the most pleasant surprises on the Switch.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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