Five years into the life cycle of the Nintendo Switch, Ubisoft's surprise 2017 crossover, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, remains one of the most unique games available on the platform. Combining the tactical strategy gameplay from XCOM: Enemy Unknown, with the iconic characters of the Mario franchise and the zaniness of Ubisoft's rather polarizing Rabbids, led to the mashup no one knew they needed.
Despite being leaked a day early by Nintendo themselves, the announcement that a new Mario + Rabbids game will be released in 2022 was a huge surprise, and fans will be excited to know that Ubisoft is looking to change things up with Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. One of the most interesting changes coming in the sequel is the brand new Super Mario Galaxy-esque setting, with Mario, Luigi, and everyone's favorite Rabbid Peach, leaving the Mushroom Kingdom for an adventure in space.
Everything We Know About Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope
In Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, players will be sent on a galactic scale adventure alongside an expanded roster of heroes to choose from; including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, and the brand new hero, Rabbid Rosalina. The sequel will see the return of Luma from Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, now known as the Sparks, and will tasks players with rescuing these adorable star creatures from the malevolent entity Cursa and their minions across a variety of planets.
In terms of gameplay, Ubisoft is making significant changes to Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, including open-world sandbox levels for each planet, and a new less restrictive combat system compared to the original games grid-based movement. Each planet can be explored at the player's leisure immediately upon arrival, with their own unique quests, puzzles, characters, hidden secrets, and of course, battles to complete. By defeating bosses and rescuing Sparks across the galaxy, players will also gain access to new special abilities that are unique to that Spark and can be used in battle to get the upper hand on Cursa and its minions.
Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope's Unique Setting Explained
Taking inspiration from the beloved Super Mario Galaxy, in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, players will leave the Mushroom Kingdom and head into space with the entire galaxy featuring as the game's setting. For those who played Super Mario Galaxy or even Super Mario Odyssey, both of these games featured an exciting amount of variety in terms of gameplay and environments. The new galactic setting allowed for Nintendo and Ubisoft to get wildly creative with each planet, especially since it wasn't grounded in reality.
In an interview with IGN, creative director Davide Soliani spoke about how the team looked at the sequel as a spiritual successor to the first game and is pushing to make a much bigger game in terms of size and scope. "The Mushroom Kingdom alone was not enough, so the whole universe of Mario + Rabbids has been expanded on a cosmic level," Soliani went on to say about the game's setting. In the same interview, producer Xavier Manzanares stated the team have created a lot of planets and that "each of them is very different, it has its own story and characters."
Is Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope a Switch Pro Exclusive?
In the weeks leading up to E3 2021, industry insiders including Debby Wuintaipei and Emily Rodgers made clear indications that Nintendo was planning to announce the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro before the event to allow third-party publishers such as Ubisoft to announce their games without limitations. Obviously, nothing ever came from that, and as of the time of writing, Nintendo is yet to even confirm the console's existence. The Nintendo Switch Pro is still believed to be released in September-October this year.
On the off chance Nintendo was originally planning to make the announcement ahead of E3 2021, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was one of the only games that would perhaps make sense. Based on the rumors, it's possible that some of the brand new features in the sequel could be thanks to the power of the Nintendo Switch Pro. That being said, Mario and the Rabbids will be coming together for another space-faring adventure at some point next year regardless.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will release in 2022, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.